Tinker Opportunity for Families

 Please see the announcement from NC A&T concerning their Tinker Box Pilot Program.  If your family fits the criteria and you are willing to be part of the program beginning to end please contact Shea Ann or Wendy at sadejarn@ncsu.edu or wrmaynor@ncsu.edu for more information or to register.  This is a first come first serve program so contact us as soon as possible if you are interested.

 NC 4-H Tinker Box Pilot Program 
Research Background 
Research shows that when there is disconnect between school and home or community life, students can feel like science is impractical or in contradiction with their lives, which may be one of the most important reasons why some students don’t engage deeply in science (Chakraverty, Newcomer, Puzio, Tai, 2020). Research also shows that young people develop both interest and skills in STEM when someone from their family is involved. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of 21,000 8th graders surveyed said that family members taught them about building things, fixing things or understanding how they work. Only 13% said that they were taught these skills by teachers (STEM Factsheet: Supporting STEM Success among African American Students, 2016). 
Pilot Program Registration and Logistics 
The 4-H Tinker Boxes will allow families to experience 4-H STEM activities at home as a self-paced family project. Families will have the opportunity to request a tinker box using a Qualtrics Link that will be shared with NC 4-H staff. Quantities are limited and we do request that families request one box per child at this time. If you have two kids around the same age that can work together, please do so in order to allow as many families to participate as possible. If a waitlist is necessary, all that are moved to the waitlist will be notified via email. All those that will receive a box will also be notified once boxes ship. Agents and Program Assistants will be notified as families sign up. 
The boxes are themed with national celebrations and holidays. As families register, they will be invited to also register for an event or events to either showcase their work or to join the 4-H STEM team online for guidance on how to complete the activity. 
Photos and Videos 
Families will be asked to share pictures and videos to a private folder in OneDrive. They may also share their work via social media using the hashtags provided in the letter for the box. The photo/video release is included in the registration. 
Program Evaluation 
A very important component of this pilot is the evaluation. Please make sure that the activities/challenges are complete within a month of receipt and that the evaluation is returned. We will not be able to continue this effort beyond this year without data that says that is working and reaching our NC families. Families will be able to receive boxes throughout the year, however those that do not return the evaluation may be moved to the waitlist.