Contents of one of the STEM-themed backpacks.

Getting kids to spend time outside isn’t usually a challenge that libraries embrace. But at three systems across southeastern Massachusetts, librarians have launched the My Own BackYard (MOBY) program, designed to encourage children and their parents to discover the world around them by checking out kid-friendly backpacks full of STEM-themed goodies for them to take along on their exploring. “Sometimes parents aren’t entirely comfortable getting outdoors,” says Susan Pizzolato, library director of the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, one of the three systems that run the MOBY program. “So if they take a backpack, it shows them things to do and becomes a learning experience for the entire family.” The Mattapoisett library was joined by the Plumb Memorial Library in Rochester and the Elizabeth Taber Library in Marion in launching MOBY last year. To make it happen, they applied for—and won— a $10,000 LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and received the funds in October 2014. The money went into programs, hiring a science educator, Michelle Cusolito, and 50 backpacks—24 of which are already circulating—individualized for each of three regions and their local ecosystems. One of the backpacks available at the Elizabeth Taber Library helps children explore local saltwater areas by including a net for catching fish and other ocean life, as well as a plant press. At Plumb Memorial Library, students can check out a stargazing kit with binoculars, star charts, and books that identify the phases of the moon. Mattapoisett patrons can use a snow-themed backpack oriented to the winter months to help identify different types of snowflakes. Backpacks also include laminated information sheets, relevant books, and journals so that students can write their observations and share them with the next person who checks out the backpack. In order to create the kits, librarians had to do some exploring themselves—by researching the subjects they were introducing to the kids. “We’re librarians, not scientists, so we had to learn about these topics,” says Gail Roberts, library director at Plumb Memorial Library. “I felt [that] if the topics were stimulating to me and my friends, they would be stimulating to others.” Students also had a say in what went into each pack: one young explorer suggested a pencil be included. (His request was fulfilled.) Each backpack can be checked out for up to two weeks at a time. Those who can’t make it to the branch can still get in on the fun by visiting Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest to uncover nature-related activities in Massachusetts—and their own backyards. “We believe libraries have a role to play in getting families outdoors and comfortable with nature,” says Pizzolato, noting that time out-of-doors fosters curiosity, risk-taking, and better health. Children who explore "grow up [to be]…better stewards of the environment.”