For Parents
Information about afterschool and summer learning programs, and educational activities for home.
Afterschool Programs
As we receive information about out-of-school time programs for children and youth in New Mexico, we will post them here. This will not be a complete or comprehensive list of programs for the state, by any means. If you have information about a program you’d like to see posted here, please use the contact form on this site to notify us. If the program in question is deemed appropriate, we’ll post it here.
City of Albuquerque: One ABQ: Youth Connect
Information about out of school time activities and programs for youth in Albuquerque. Out of School Opportunities enrich the lives of youth in Albuquerque by creating a community of safety and inclusion.
Childcare Information: The state has a Child Care Resource site with information on how to find services and support. www.NewMexicoKids.Org
Summer Program Information
Are you and/or your organization preparing for summer programming? NMOST has compiled a list of resources to help individuals, programs, and families prepare for the summer months!
New Mexico Kids Magazine can be picked up at many locations throughout the region. The annual March/April and/or May/June issues include a listing of summer camps and programs in the Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española regions. The 2024 edition is available on-line (summer activities directory starts on page 38). They also have an online directory of Family Resources.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History hosts Rocketeer Academy summer camps.
The City of Albuquerque has a repository of local programs of all sorts, including information and sign up for the lottery to join into their own low cost programs at community centers and playgrounds in the metro.
Albuquerque Public Schools also provide summer learning programs in the metro.
Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum has a range of programs available.
UNM ESS– The UNM Engineering Student Success Center (ESS) has a variety of opportunities for K-12 students.
Clovis Community College has its own Kids College.
San Juan College has a Kids Kollege program in the summer.
The City of Gallup Parks and Recreation Department posts information about programs and facilities.
Las Cruces Kids – Summer Camp directory
City of Las Cruces – Summer rec programs.
New Mexico State University Summer Camp – Sports camps at NMSU.
Lovington Youth Center – Programs and activities.
Educational Activities For Home
General
- 4-H Clover: Check out fun, educational activities for kids and teens while they’re home from school. HERE
- Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Water Authority: educational resources for students of all ages.
- Lakeshore Learning (Printable worksheets)
- PBS is a great source of educational materials and activities, including PBS Kids: lots of great videos and educational games for children.
- PBS Learning Media including interactive lessons. Check here for further information about these interactive lessons.
- Scholastics Learn at Home website
- Smithsonian Learning Lab: Distance learning resources from the Smithsonian. Resources. Training. Support.
- Twirl: Masks are our reality right now. Twirl Taos and partners have taken that reality and to explore deeper into the rich creativity, history, culture and emotional significance of mask-making and wearing. By taking a more expansive view of “the mask”, they hope to add depth and positivity to a topic that is pervasive and at times divisive in our lives today. This project provides a playful, creative, fun exploration of masks, past and present. It offers tools for checking in on our feelings and an outlet for expressing them. It culminates in a community creativity project to connect, uplift and inspire us all in these isolating times! Twirl has created five pathways of learning and creative mask-making for children, parents and teachers.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
- CodeWizards is offering Free classes!
- Cultivating Coders is offering Free online coding workshops for anyone interested (ages 9 – 99)
- Girls Who Code has launched Girls Who Code at Home with free, downloadable activities. They are also offering access to their free Girls Who Code Clubs curriculum. Click here to apply. You do not need to enroll students or launch a Club. This will simply grant access the full curriculum and to prepare in advance if you decide to move forward once clubs are back in session. In the application, please indicate that you want to launch both 3-5th and 6-12th grade Clubs to gain access to both curricula.
- Explora has posted a variety of Printable STEM Activity Cards
- Math Card Games
- Math Snacks is loaded with games that help teach math and math concepts.
- Mystery Science – School Closure Planning
- Nature Conservancy’s Nature Works Everywhere Resources, Lesson Plans & Videos
- New Mexico Game and Fish: New Mexco Game and Fish has been posting activities for children and youth that follow an online curriculum. Go here for more information.
- PBS: 161 science documentaries for at-home learning here.
- Science Buddies: 12 lesson plans which require simple materials that you may already have on hand. They also have 12 Engineering Design Challenges you can do at home.
- ST Math – Free math resources for parents
- STEM Career Coalition: On this site you can explore different profiles of people who are using the skills they learned in school to become the kind of problem solvers that make a difference. Portal HERE
- STEM Enrichment Activities Suitable for Inclusion with Grab and Go Meals (English & Spanish):
- Gravity Drop Activity
- Sensory Trail Activity
- Migration Adaptation Activity
- Make a Cloud Activity
- Daily Nature Activities
- Bird Basics – Feathers (English only)
- Nature Story Activity
- Surface Tension Activity (English only)
- Math Activities
- Backyard Pollinator Activity (English only)
- Lava Lamp Activity
- Don’t Trash our Rio Activity
- Soil Composition Activity (English only)
- Mud Play Activity (Bonus, pre-school focus)
- Speed of Light Activity (involves chocolate!)
- Plant Bingo Activity (English only)
- Hawks v. Falcons Activity (English only)
- Leaky Faucet Activity
Literacy
Albuquerque Public Library Digital Resources
Eastern New Mexico University’s “ENMU Reads” Program: ENMU Reads website with additional information on summer reading, including age appropriate reading lists and links to their partners at the state’s libraries. Also, check out their Facebook page for free lectures, concerts, virtual story times and virtual tours of museums and TV studios.
Free e-Book sources:
Spanish Children’s Stories: For well known children’s stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker, go here
Health and Wellness
Social and Emotional Learning at Home: CDC Healthy Schools has information, resources, and tools on social and emotional climate in schools, including resources to support nutrition education, physical education, and out-of-school time. Below are a few resources listed on their website to help assist families with extending social and emotional learning at home during this time.
APS YouTube Channel – educational programs will be posted on the APS YouTube Channel starting April 6th.
Capitan Municipal Schools: The Internet is bursting with more information than we can possibly comb through in a lifetime. To help you sort through the mountains of information out there in cyber-space,The Capitan Municipal Schools have provided links to some of their favorite websites. They have found these to have educational value and to be safe, secure, and reliable for children to use. Resources for Parents, Students and Teachers
Free streaming and other on-line options: Virtual Field Trips
NM Thrives and the Center for Non-profit Excellence is compiling a list of resources here.