My name is Tyrome Williams. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching STEM in Omaha Public Schools’ (OPS) afterschool programs for 7 years now with the program Building Dreams and the Tyrome Williams Foundation. I have a bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Administration and a Master’s degree in Business. I am not a professional teacher, nor do I hold a degree in teaching. However, I do believe: “I have a curious mind, I’m willing to try, and I’m willing to fail when I’m learning new things”. These are a few of the qualities I would like to instill into the students of Omaha. It’s ok to be curious. It’s ok to try new things. And, it’s ok to fail.

One day, I plan to retire and eventually leave Omaha to pursue a few other things I’ve always wanted to do, which is one of the reasons why I have written this guide. I hope this guide proves to be useful for new or current site directors or instructors in OPS afterschool programming. I would also like to thank Collective for Youth and the Peter Kiewit Foundation for their supporting STEM programming in Omaha, Nebraska.

I attempted to write this book so that anyone would be able to pick it up, understand, and then teach the lessons/activities to an individual or group of students. I highly recommend that you, as the instructor, attempt to do the project(s) prior to teaching the material. While most of these activities are fairly straight forward, I still recommend you attempt them first on your own before doing them in class. If nothing else, you will become more familiar with the activity and will build your confidence, especially if you or a staff member are relatively new. Thus, you won’t have to reference the instructions as often and it will allow you answer questions in class or provide assistance to your students if they are having trouble. You will also gain a better understanding of potential issues students may have. The cost of activities noted in this book may vary from location to location. The cost per activity is based on a class size of 15~30 students.

Also, something else you should keep in mind and also teach your students is that: “It’s ok to fail.” Make the learning experience memorable. More importantly, keep your environment safe and make learning fun. You’ll inspire your students to imagine, create, and gain an interest in science.