Kids Making Sense

Kids Making Sense® was developed by scientists and educators at Sonoma Technology (sonomatech.com) to unite Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education with engaging measurement and environmental education curriculum. The Kids Making Sense® program has multiple components that fit teacher's diverse needs. These include:

Air Quality Kits

Build a Sensor Kits

Advanced Air Quality Curriculum

Weather Kits

All Kids Making Sense products are designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core standards, encourage project based learning, a deep understanding of applied science, and allow students to engage with science in a hands-on fashion.

The Kids Making Sense Air Quality Kits and curriculum teach students grades 6-12 about monitoring and improving air quality in their communities. Students learn about particle pollution, its sources, and its health effects. In-class lectures and discussions are followed by hands-on lessons that use handheld, low-cost air sensors that pair with a smartphone app. Students measure air quality around their schools and local communities and develop an understanding of particle pollution sources and their affects. Data that are collected by the sensors are then displayed on a crowdsourced website for discussion and interpretation, and students learn about pollution control actions and how to support them.

In Kids Making Sense lessons, students:

• Learn about air pollution and air quality basics
• Experiment with a low-cost air quality particle sensor and learn how it works
• Plan a sensing route for measuring air quality
• Collect particle measurements
• Analyze and discuss the resulting data
• Learn how to identify, reduce, and avoid sources of air pollution
• Learn how their actions and daily habits contribute to emissions and air quality
• Share data and results with other schools
• Learn how to engage with public officials and promote clean air

The Kids Making Sense Air Quality Kits and tools were developed and refined over the course of more than nine years with support and collaboration from The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Education, air districts, teachers, and community groups.

To date, the Air Quality Kits have been utilized in over 400 classrooms in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, the Kids Making Sense program helps students understand how their daily routines and actions can impact emissions and air quality at a time when they are developing life-long habits. More information about Kids Making Sense is available on the Kids Making Sense website, www.kidsmakingsense.org.

The Build a Sensor Maker Kits and curriculum allow students to use simple electronic components to build a working air sensor and subsequently design and conduct their own indoor air quality experiment. This kit, geared towards students grades 8-12, allows participants to learn about electronics, engineering, experimental design, and basic coding in addition to air quality.

The Advanced Air Quality Curriculum complements the standard curriculum for honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

Each activity in the Advanced Curriculum has been designed to expand on an activity in the Standard Curriculum. As such, many of the core concepts are introduced in the Standard Curriculum and build the foundation for successfully completing the Advanced Curriculum activities. With this advanced level add-on, students can dive deeper into complex topics.

Looking for engaging NGSS-aligned STEM curriculum for your 3rd through 8th grade students? Our Weather Kits offer a collection of fully developed weather lessons for elementary and middle school students. Your students will learn about the weather around them through comparative information as they experiment with the mobile WEATHERmeters and stationary Tempest weather station. All of the hands-on science tools included in our Weather School Kit are reusable.