February is Black History Month, and it is a great time to recognize and study the great work done by Black scientists both past and present and to encourage a future generation of Black scientists! Check out these awesome science experiments and activities to honor the work of Black scientists and explore the importance of equity in STEM.
1. Bag of Inclusion, Diversity & Empathy
In our classrooms and in our lives, we all come from different backgrounds and have different abilities. Sometimes, however, people come in with more advantages and more privileges than other people just because of who they are. In this activity, students will all be instructed to complete the same task, but they will all have different instructions. One group will be given instructions to complete the task as is, one group will receive instructions written in a different language, one group must complete the task with their eyes closed, all members of one group must work with their hands behind their backs, and one group is not allowed to speak. Some groups will also have items missing from their bags, such as missing markers or scissors. Students will notice that some groups finish much faster than others and they may begin to notice that they had different instructions. After all groups have completed the task, ask students how the activity made them feel. Was the fastest group the best group? For the groups who had an advantage, why didn’t they help out the other groups? Use these questions to discuss privilege and brainstorm ideas on how to be more mindful and inclusive moving forward.
For full directions, click here.
2. Celebrate & Appreciate
This activity is a great “first day” activity, as students will get the opportunity to get to know more about each other and celebrate their differences. Gather all of the students in a circle and start making requests for different groups to step into the circle, such as “If you identify as Asian American, step into the circle!”. Take one minute to celebrate all the students in the circle by clapping, cheering, dancing around, or just being silly! Continue to make different statements about identity (Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Girl, Boy, Non-Binary, etc.) as well as other statements that students can relate to such as “If you have a brother or sister, step into the circle!”. Make sure to include identities that may not be represented in your circle of students, so that they can still be celebrated. To wrap up this activity, give everyone one minute to cheer and celebrate everyone in the circle. Remind students that everyone is different, but our differences should be recognized and celebrated all the time!
3. Sorting & Separating
Every single day, we categorize and separate things based on their looks, sizes, and tons of other properties. We do this with people too. However, it’s important that we learn to embrace and value our differences. This activity will show students how we categorize things and how to celebrate diversity, and all you need are some common household items. You can use buttons, clips, markers, or any other small objects with different qualities. Allow students, in groups or individually, to take a few minutes and brainstorm all the ways they could separate these objects. Share out some of the categories students created and discuss how these categories are related to the ways we separate human beings. Do we identify each other by our shape? Do we categorize people through color? It is important to recognize that we are all unique, but it is even more important to appreciate and encourage our differences!
During Black History Month and the rest of the year, it is important to have conversations honoring the work of Black scientists and to work on actively dismantling stereotypes about who can be a scientist. These experiments and activities can help you introduce concepts like privilege, diversity, equity, and inclusion to young students. It is critical to continue these conversations beyond these activities by talking about current events, reading books with empowering messages, and modeling inclusive behavior. If you are interested in more resources for building an inclusive classroom or youth space, check out some of our other blog posts on books to inspire kids to be advocates and tips for teaching your kids about race.
