Four Vermont-based science museums have teamed up to create FourScienceVT, an association of likeminded organizations aiming to provide STEM education for homebound students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations are the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, the Montshire Museum of Science and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

With a goal of  providing a variety of resources for at-home learning while Vermont's schools are shuttered, the consortium has rolled out various online offerings, such as live broadcasts via services including Zoom and Facebook Live, virtual museum tours, and downloadable materials. Eager learners can obtain instructions on how to build a volcano, get tips on constructing a marble run from cardboard, and download a slew of coloring pages, among a vast assortment of other assets.

"Working together, we are able to provide a greater variety of learning resources, each leveraging our core collections, science experiences and expertise," Montshire Museum of Science executive director Marcos Stafne said in a press release. "Our ability to reach multiple audiences with high-quality STEM content and to direct people to local science content happening in our state helps give Vermont families and teachers a place to turn for inspiration and intellectual stimulation."