The free events focus on improving literacy in young students through engagement with hands-on activities about electricity and the natural world.
Reno, Nev. (March 3, 2025) – DRI’s STEM Education Program is holding free events focused on developing literacy through engaging science activities for Pre-K children 5 and younger throughout Nevada. Through hands-on experiments, story time, and interactive games, the events will bring ecology and electricity to life for the whole family. Each child will also receive free books to take home (while supplies last).
Events in Northern Nevada focus on electricity and will explore the fundamentals of lightning, investigate how circuits and switches work, and discover the many uses for electricity in our local communities. At Southern Nevada events students will learn about ecosystems, discover how living and nonliving things depend on one another, and explore the wonders of the natural world through play and observation.
“These events provide Nevada families with a way to engage young learners in a fun and interactive environment,” says Emily Mcdonald-Williams, Director of the STEM Education Program at DRI. “Our hope is that families start exposing kids to learning through play at a young age, which helps with early development and establishes a love of learning.”
Families are encouraged to stop by any time during the events, but can sign up to receive more information at the link for each event below.
Upcoming dates and locations:
- Mesquite: 12:30-2:30pm on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Mesquite Works STEAM Center
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/MesquiteFamilyFun Activity Theme: Ecosystems - Reno: 3-6pm on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at the Reno Public Market
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/renofamilyfun Activity Theme: Electricity - Elko: 3-6pm on Friday, April 25, 2025 at Elko Library
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/ElkoFamilyFun Activity Theme: Electricity - Winnemucca: 12-3pm on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Humboldt County Library
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/WinnemuccaFamilyFun Activity Theme: Electricity - Las Vegas: 11:30am-1:30pm on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at Clark County Library
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/LVfamilyFun Activity Theme: Ecosystems - Boulder City: 10am–12pm on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Boulder City Library
Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/BoulderCityFamilyFun Activity Theme: Ecosystems
DRI’s STEM Education Team will also make the activities available to educators across Nevada as the Ecosystem Explorers and It’s Electric teaching kits—part of the broader Green Box program. These self-contained teaching kits filled with lesson plans are available to all formal and informal educators in Nevada and are delivered free of charge. The lessons contained in each box are designed with the help of DRI scientists and targeted to engage learners in specific grade levels, from Pre-K through 12th grade. There are currently 33 different Green Box topics available ranging from water conservation to astrobiology. To see the full list of available Green Boxes and reserve one for your classroom or homeschool group, visit the Reservation Link.
Funding acknowledgement: This program is funded by the Early Childhood Literacy Program through the Nevada Department of Education.
More information: For more information about DRI’s STEM Education Program and to sign up for the newsletter, visit https://www.dri.edu/stem-education-program/.
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About DRI
We are Nevada’s non-profit research institute, founded in 1959 to empower experts to focus on science that matters. We work with communities across the state — and the world — to address their most pressing scientific questions. We’re proud that our scientists continuously produce solutions that better human and environmental health. Scientists at DRI are encouraged to follow their research interests across the traditional boundaries of scientific fields, collaborating across DRI and with scientists worldwide. All faculty support their own research through grants, bringing in nearly $5 to the Nevada economy for every $1 of state funds received. With more than 600 scientists, engineers, students, and staff across our Reno and Las Vegas campuses, we conducted more than $52 million in sponsored research focused on improving peoples’ lives in 2024 alone. At DRI, science isn’t merely academic — it’s the key to future-proofing our communities and building a better world. For more information, please visit www.dri.edu.
Program Contact:
Tsvetelina Stefanova
STEAM Education Specialist, DRI
tsvetelina.stefanova@dri.edu
Media Contact:
Elyse DeFranco
Lead Science Writer & Public Information Officer, DRI
elyse.defranco@dri.edu
