Founded in 2011 by the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Science Action Club (SAC) is a nationwide program for middle school youth in out-of-school time, designed to transform environmental education at scale. Through games, projects, and hands-on community science, youth in SAC investigate nature, document their discoveries, connect with scientists, and design strategies to protect our planet. Educators receive professional development training on SAC kits, guidebooks, and best practices for teaching science in the informal learning environment.
Since 2011, SAC has served over 63,000 youth and educators in hundreds of clubs across more than 400 communities in 30 states.
Want to learn more first? Schedule a one-on-one with our Director of Partnerships, Jennifer Merrill!
Science Action Club Overview
We understand the ways in which programs are working with youth has shifted to ensure the safety and well-being of youth and staff. CalSAC and the California Academy of Sciences are committed to continuing to offer Science Action Club to programs to offer youth and adults an opportunity to continue to engage in community science. Connecting youth to the local environment continues to be important. By participating in community science activities—virtually or safely in-person—youth will investigate nature nearby and make exciting discoveries.
We know implementing a curriculum like Science Action Club in your programs will require flexibility and creativity to determine how to best implement the activities with your youth. With that in mind, each program enrolled receives the following resources
Science Action Club Trainer
Illustration by Freepik Storyset https://storyset.com/
Clubs enrolled in the project will receive one on one support from a Science Action Club Trainer to support them with adapting the activities based on the needs of your program.
Kit with Materials
Illustration by Freepik Storyset https://storyset.com/
Clubs enrolled will receive a kit with materials to implement as many as 12 activities with up to 20 youth in a collaborative setting. These materials can either be used to support with implementation with youth in-person or can be used to create take home kits for youth for programs implementing virtually.
SAC Educator Portal and Activity Recommendations Tool
Illustration by Freepik Storyset https://storyset.com/
Staff engage in online training through the SAC Educator Portal and have access to resources on the SAC Educator Portal to support with implementation. Additionally, the California Academy of Sciences created the Activity Recommendations Tool to support programs with finding the best activities to implement with their youth depending on the needs of your programs. Check out the tool here!
How Programs are Implementing Science Action Club
““The hands-on activities were a big hit. The students especially enjoyed making clouds, satellites, and rockets. Don’t be afraid of the silence [online] while students are building their projects. The students are engaged and will come up with amazing creations. I recommend having a place for student work to be shared.””
Zoom training demoing the Bird Bingo Activity
Youth presenting their Cloud Quest activity
Program Eligibility
Agencies who enroll in the project are asked to fulfill the following expectations:
Implement as many activities with youth in grades 5-8.
Identify 1-2 reliable staff to lead Science Action Club.
Ensure the program leader(s) and one additional staff person complete the online training and participate in any additional virtual training.
Ensure programs implement as many activities as they can (one unit includes 12 activities) and contribute to citizen science per enrolled unit.
Submit the required program fee for each club. Please refer to our Sliding Scale to estimate program costs based on your organization’s annual operating budget.
Science Action Club Curriculum Options
Bird Scouts
Bird Scouts explores feathers, flight, and the features that make birds unique. Using tools and technology, youth identify local species and investigate environmental changes that impact bird behavior. The checklists youth submit to eBird—a citizen science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology—help scientists track changes in bird distribution and abundance across the globe.
Cloud Quest
Cloud Quest explores the impact of clouds on weather and climate. Using the GLOBE Observer citizen science platform, youth identify sky conditions and report their discoveries to NASA.
BUG SAFARI
Bug Safari explores small creatures with big environmental impacts. On local field expeditions, youth search for bugs, collect specimens, and post photographs to iNaturalist—a citizen science project and online social network for nature research. Working with scientists and other students, youth identify arthropod species and document habitat conditions that influence our planet’s health.
Additional Academics & Enrichment Training Categories
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