Go Overboard Challenge Grant

"Youth Venture, Burton Snowboards, and Justina Chen Headley are co-sponsoring the Go Overboard Challenge Grant to fund the best youth-led ideas to change the world by giving away 12 grants, $1,000 each to encourage students to become change makers. Eligibility: students ages 12-20 who have an idea as to how to improve their school, neighborhood, city, country or the world. Students need an adult sponsor, such as a teacher, to endorse their grant application. Deadline: May 1, 2008."

Motorola Offers Innovation Generation Grants for Science and Math Education Programs

"In 2008, the Motorola Foundation will provide a total of $4 million in Innovation Generation Grants to organizations that engage K-12 students and teachers in the U.S. in innovation, science, technology, engineering, and math.

Funding priority will be placed on pioneering programs that engage students and teachers in innovative, hands-on activities; teach innovation and creative problem-solving skills; focus on girls and underrepresented minorities.... Any U.S. nonprofit organization may apply. Schools and school districts may apply.

Grant applicants may request up to $100,000 each. Select organizations may be asked to apply for larger grants. Grants will be for one year of project work, starting after June 2008."

YouthLearn's Mirror Drawing Activity

In this activity you and the kids will draw simple shapes to copy. Once you've introduced the basic compositional forms of drawing--see YouthLearn's guide to Teaching Drawing--this is a fun activity for taking the next step. This resource also serves as a good community-building activity and an excellent step toward preparing kids to draw on the computer.

Valentine's Day Crafts

A special occasion like Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to involve kids in hands-on learning experiences like giftmaking and various crafts. Check out this great collection of arts and crafts, complete with user-friendly instructions and colorful illustrations, hosted by the Kaboose Family Network.

It's Super Tuesday - Spotlight on the Youth Vote

My polling place and my son's afterschool program are actually in the same building, which makes it extraordinarily easy for me to fulfill my civic duty tonight. I'll also take the opportunity to teach my son a little about government and elections, though he has 13 years to go before he can mark his own ballot. Young people who are of voting age have been getting a lot of press this year. A recent article in Time magazine dissects the youth vote and how it's playing for this crop of candidates, noting that "Technology makes it easier than ever to create networks and share enthusiasm. Facebook, the largest of Internet social-networking sites, boasts a market share of more than 85% of four-year U.S. universities, with millions of members averaging 20 minutes per day on-site exploring interests and keeping track of friends."

10th Annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week

"The National Black Family Technology Awareness Campaign, will celebrate the tenth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW), February 10th - 16th, 2008. BFTAW is a national public awareness campaign designed to encourage more African Americans to incorporate technology into their daily lives. Partners and corporate supporters for this year's campaign include the IBM Corporation, EMC, the US Navy, the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the National Black Data Processing Associates and NACME (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering).

Over the past nine years, more than 200 cities across the country hosted activities that not only assisted communities in getting online but also helped African Americans become more competitive by exploring technologies that will enable them to access and leverage key information from virtually anywhere."

Survey: Schools fail to teach innovation

"It's widely believed our ability to innovate and prepare students for careers in science and technology will be key factors in keeping the U.S. competitive in the global economy. Yet, nearly three out of five American teens (59 percent) do not believe their high school is preparing them adequately for a career in technology or engineering, according to the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, an annual survey that gauges Americans' attitudes toward invention and innovation.

The disparity is more pronounced among some groups historically underrepresented in these fields.... The survey's news is not all bad: It reveals enormous optimism among America's youth--provided educators are savvy enough to change the way their schools teach."