The U of A Center for Math and Science Education offers free checkout of materials for homeschooling parents, private and public school teachers, or community groups.

“Students, faculty, staff, community members, anyone can check out STEM and other educational resources,” said Sean Bell, director of the center.

Jenny Gamil, a STEM specialist at the Northwest Arkansas Educational Services Cooperative, said she regularly checks resources from the center’s vast inventory. “The cooperative is very appreciative of our partnership with CMASE,” she said. “We usually check AIMS, NASA, and Engineering is Elementary (EIE) resources because we don’t have access to them.”

Gamil said he also rents a picture perfect kit, bug traps, nets, walking tools for observation such as binoculars, a collection of rocks and minerals, and weather equipment.

“The cooperative has 16 member districts. We have access to more items, so we can support multiple districts at once,” she said. “For example, we have Ozobots, but we only have two sets. Check the bots in CMASE so more districts can use them at once.”

Farmington Middle School teacher Laurie Voss also takes advantage of the Center’s extensive resources. “For teachers with little or no classroom budget, it’s incredible to have Aladdin’s Treasure Cave,” she said.

She said the center’s director has been teaching science for many years and knows the best lab kits and resources for teaching state standards to different age groups. I taught different grade levels and three different science classes,” she said. “I love doing lots of labs and hands-on activities to teach science concepts, but I was at a loss as to how to plan and put together so many labs throughout the year. There are lots of great activities that teach multiple standards in the lab, and they come with lesson plans that frequently integrate math and reading and writing skills.”

In addition to storing materials in multiple rooms, the center also provides storage areas so teachers only use materials when they are in use, Voss said.

In addition to lending resources, the center helps organize local school events focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). It serves multiple counties in northwest Arkansas and is a NASA Educator Resource Center. Some training is required before checking robotic equipment and other techniques. The center also offers professional development for preschool and in-service teachers and hosts the annual Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

To reserve resources or access CMASE, call 479-575-3875 or email Stuart Reaves at streaves@uark.edu.