The U of A Center for Math and Science Education offers free checkout of teaching materials to homeschooling parents, private and public school teachers, or community groups.

"Anyone can check out our STEM and other educational resources, including students, faculty, staff and community members," said Shawn Bell, the center's director.

Jenny Gammill, a STEM specialist with the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative, said she regularly checks out resources from the center's extensive inventory. "The Co-op is very grateful for the partnership we have with CMASE," she said. "I typically check out their AIMS, NASA and Engineering is Elementary (EIE) resources, as we don't have access to those."

Gammill said she also borrows Picture Perfect kits, tools for observation walks — like bug boxes, nets and binoculars — rocks and mineral collections and weather instruments.

"There are 16 member districts in the co-op. Having access to a larger quantity of items allows me to support multiple districts at one time," she said. "For example, we have Ozobots, but only two sets. I can check out CMASE's bots, and more districts can use them at once."

Laurie Voss, a teacher at Farmington Junior High, also takes advantage of the center's wide range of resources. "It is incredible to have such an Aladdin's cave of treasures for teachers with little to no budget for their classrooms," she said.

She noted that the center's director taught science for years and knows what lab kits and resources work best for teaching state standards to various ages. "Last year I taught three different grade levels and three different science classes," she said. "I love doing lots of labs and hands-on activities to teach science concepts, but I was at a loss on how to plan and put together that many labs all year long. CMASE has so many fabulous activities that teach multiple standards with labs, which come with lesson plans that frequently integrate math and literacy skills."

Voss said the center not only stocks multiple rooms of materials but also provides storage, so teachers only have them when the materials are in use.

In addition to lending resources, the center helps organize local school events focusing on STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It serves multiple counties in Northwest Arkansas and is a NASA Educator Resource Center. Some training is required before checking out robotics equipment and other technology. The center also offers professional development for preservice and in-service teachers and hosts the annual Northwest Arkansas Regional Science Engineering Fair.

To reserve resources or visit CMASE, call 479-575-3875 or email Stuart Reaves at streaves@uark.edu.