This year, NBC Bay Area’s parent company NBCUniversal awarded $2.5 million in local impact grants to nonprofit groups across the nation.

In the Bay Area, one of the grant recipients is the Youth Science Institute in Santa Clara County.

The Youth Science Institute offers programs to 30,000 students a year, giving them a chance to learn about the environment, science and reptiles.

Second graders from Millikin Basics Plus School in Santa Clara took a break from textbooks and computer screens to embrace hands-on science.

“I learned reptiles are cold blooded and mammals are not,” said Anaya Agham, a student.

This lesson goes beyond show and tell. The institute’s curriculum is tied directly to the state’s science standard – a big plus for teacher Holly Nottage.

“Cause they have a connectio

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