National Lab Day—May 2010

National Lab Day (NLD) is more than just a day—it’s a movement. NLD is bringing hands-on, exciting, and experiment-based learning to kids all over the country. It’s a nationwide initiative to build local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators.

“Encouraging young people to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”
President Barack Obama

Scientists can volunteer to assist in a classroom. Teachers and educators can post a project on our Web site to request scientists, volunteers or even financial support. While there will be an actual Lab Day on May 12 to celebrate, the National Lab Day program has already begun!

Volunteer now or find out more at National Lab Day.
SOT is one of the organizations participating.

We encourage SOT members to:

register on the NLD Web site
look for projects that are of interest to you
respond if someone contacts you
take the initiative to contact a teacher or school in your community

What might YOU do in a classroom?

Check out the Scientist Mentor Tips #1 and A Scientist’s Guide to Supporting K–12 Education.
Review National Lab Day: Advice for Volunteers from Marti Canipe, Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at NSF
Give an informal talk (minimize the PowerPoints, please!) about toxicology and how much you like being a scientist. Make it age appropriate.

Review available resources for some age-appropriate classroom activities.
- Toxicology Enrichment Materials (High School)
- NIH Office of Science Education materials—great activities at a variety of grade levels, including these:
  - Chemicals, The Environment, and You: Explorations in Science and Human Health (Grades 7–8)
  - Understanding Alcohol: Investigations into Biology and Behavior (Grades 7–8)
Other activities:
- Shark Blood —an activity about concentration (can adjust for grade level)
- Baggie Science —chemical reactions
- Seed Bioassay (can adjust for grade level)
Other resources linked on the SOT Outreach for Scientists page and K–12 for Teachers

JOIN efforts to support quality science education in all our schools!

SOT —Dedicated to Creating a Safer and Healthier World by Advancing the Science of Toxicology.