Our Dynamic Sun Toolkit

NASA’s new toolkit Our Dynamic Sun brings the wonders of solar science to you. This resource—a collaboration between NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific/Night Sky Network— is ideal for informal educators and community events, whether you're gathered around a solar telescope or indoors.

The Our Dynamic Sun toolkit provides easy-to-use materials designed to spark curiosity. It includes a colorful and informative banner, a set of cards, and a slide deck (PowerPoint and PDF). Each of the 13 cards in the set pairs NASA images with clear explanations for each topic, such as these:

 •   “What color is the Sun?” (hint: it’s not yellow!)
•   “How does the Sun affect us here on Earth?”
•  “When will the Sun die?”

Whether or not you have experienced a solar eclipse, these cards will help you and your students learn more about our closest star, the Sun. Each card pairs striking images with clear and engaging explanations, showcasing how NASA studies our star to better understand and predict its impacts on Earth. Some cards also have activities, such as “make a model” or “try this.” In addition, the slide deck is free for you to use and edit for educational purposes.

STEM Teaching Tool: Science Literacy and Teaching Climate Change 

Developed by University of Washington Institute for Science and Math Education, 
STEM Teaching Tools is a series of informative learning briefs on relevant topics for educators. The tools present best practices and research on how to teach various science, technology, engineering, and math subjects. This brief examines important connections between science literacy and understanding climate change. The brief discusses why it is important to understand (and thus teach) climate change for scientific literacy and includes talking points to consider, reflection questions, and recommended actions to take to enhance your teaching practice on climate change. 

Science Research Resources for the Classroom

Give students in grades 5–12 an inside look what it’s like to be a science researcher with education resources from Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). CIRES is a network of more than 500 science researchers dedicated to investigating big ideas in climate change, water resources, forest health, pollution, ocean science, the Arctic environments, and other topics and to creating public policy that supports a sustainable future Earth based on the best available science. CIRES has created classroom materials, videos, workshops, webinars, and publications that bring authentic science research to classrooms. Curriculum units explore the science of wildfires, floods, and droughts, as well as a series of Data Puzzles to engage students in analyzing authentic data and communicating evidence-based conclusions on these and many other environmental topics (e.g., Wind Farms of the Future, Tracing Carbon Through the Arctic Food Web, and Wildfire, Drought, and the Future of Forests). In addition to curriculum, the site has videos of science researchers presenting about their work in many environmental topics. These videos provide students with an in-depth look at what careers in science research can look like. 

Christina Sue Lilja Resource Grants

These grants provide funds for educators to purchase accurate agricultural literacy materials from the Ag Foundation store for use in their classrooms. By providing this grant, AFBFA hopes to help students gain access to more accurate information about agriculture. Applications are due by July 21. For 2025, 100 educators will be awarded $100 in store credits.

ASM Materials Education Foundation "Living in a Material World" Grants

The ASM Materials Education Foundation annually awards 30 grants of $500 each to help K–12 teachers bring the real world of materials science into their classrooms. “Living in a Material World” grants recognize creativity and enhance awareness of materials science and the role that materials play in society. With a network of local chapters across North America, ASM members offer to work closely with local teachers to develop and implement various lessons. To enter, teachers must describe a hands-on, curriculum-based K–12 project that involves student observation, teamwork, mathematics, and science skills that enhance student awareness of the everyday materials around them. (Deadline September 30)