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Nature Activities: From Screen to Green:

Join WXXI Education to get involved in community science by observing and participating outdoors in activities. Here are some resources to get you started.

Enjoy this list of FREE nature-exploring activities and resources that families and educators can use.

Exploring nature is a great opportunity to infuse some curiosity and science learning into your day! We’ve collected some great resources from our community partners, like New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, as well as our PBS family, to share with you. Now, choose one and get outside and explore! 

What to do:

Participate in the ongoing WXXI Community Nature Observation Challenge This project is ongoing! So get outside (yes, even in the winter!), explore, observe and participate as many times as you’d like!

. NYS DEC Nature Activities 
Our friends at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have created a stellar list of nature-exploring printable activities! From outdoor observation journals, to seek and find hikes, to New York State bird profiles, and so much more!

Find all of their downloadable and printable nature activities here: https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/education/kids-go/nature-activities

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

3. PBS Nature 
This collection of science videos and media-enhanced lesson plans draws from PBS Nature. The collection can be viewed via PBS LearningMedia NY, and includes topics such as: American Spring LIVE, Earth Science, Human Impacts on Earth Systems, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Science and Engineering Practices, and more. 

Find the full collection here: https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/nat/

PBS NATURE

4. Outdoor Family Fun with Plum app
Want to go outside with your kiddos but not exactly sure what to do out there? Check out the free app from PBS KIDS Plum Landing that is full of fun, free outdoor exploring ideas.

  • 150+ unique missions to explore your neighborhood’s plants, animals, weather, and more
  • Hundreds of tips to help your family talk about nature and science
  • New missions and achievement badges that unlock as you use the app
  • Digital tools to help your family observe and interact with nature
  • Daily sets of suggested missions to try
  • Progress tracker to look back on missions and achievements

Did we mention…it’s FREE? Download the Plum app here: https://pbskids.org/apps/outdoor-family-fun-with-plum.html

PBS KIDS Plum Landing App with a picture of a child observing a lady bug

5. Bird Cams
Our friends at Cornell Lab Bird Cams connects viewers worldwide to the diverse and intimate world of birds. They have created a virtual opportunity to watch birds all over the world, from wherever you are! 

Bird Cams

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™: Songs, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™ on https://pbskids.org/catinthehat

“The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™” is designed to spark a love of learning and an interest in science and engineering in preschoolers. The Cat in the Hat takes his friends Sally and Nick on a variety of science adventures in the Thinga-ma-jigger! Together, they explore the natural world, ask questions, make discoveries, create solutions, and work together!

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™” Activities

Create Leaf and Bark Art

Measure Things Without A Ruler

Make a Periscope with a Milk Carton

Find More Activities with Ready to Learn: “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™” PBS LearningMedia Collection

Find More Games, Articles and Hands-on Activities At PBS KIDS for Parents “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™” Page

SciGirls Resources

SciGirls is a show for kids ages 8-12, showcasing bright, curious, real tween girls putting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to work in their everyday lives. In each half hour episode you’ll meet a new group of girls, whose eagerness to find answers to their questions will inspire your children to explore the world around them and discover that science and technology are everywhere.

See the Season 7 Trailer:

Check out the SciGirls websites:

Engineering & STEM Challenges

Are you sharing STEM challenges with your students? Creating maker or tinker days? Here’s a list of resources, by grade level, focused on engineering and STEM challenges. 

Engineering and STEM design challenges are great opportunities for students to shine – there are many roles for all different kinds of learners, there are lots of opportunity for problem solving, students can work independently and collaborate, and they work great with same-age and mulit-age groups.

Engineering is a process of developing solutions to problems. Engineers use creativity, problem-solving skills, and knowledge of technology, math, and science to design and build products, machines, and structures for a better world. They explore why and how things work, and try to figure out how to make things work even better. STEM & engineering design challenges do the same.

Engineering & STEM Challenges:

Preschool – 2nd Grade

3rd – 5th Grade

6-8th Grade 

9-12th Grade

What is the Engineering Design Process?

The Engineering Process: Crash Course Kids

The Engineering Design Process: A Taco Party

Engineering Design Process Explainers

The Design Process Explained on PBS LearningMedia

Engineering Resources

A project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment. In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs. The project culminates with students producing videos about their solutions to share with the community. Connect to Engineering for Good

A one-stop shop of STEM and digital making resources that focus on the problem, technology, or process behind object creation. Teachers can use the collection, which is categorized into design, how to (DIY), arts and crafts, robotics, and engineering subtopics, in conjunction with hands-on activities to further this initiative. Like the Maker Party, this collection is designed to encourage hands-on engagement in science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts.
Connect to Makers

Teaching Engineering in New York is a collection of resources that shows real-world applications of engineering concepts and practices and is correlated to New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS). These media-rich resources and accompanying support materials cover disciplinary core ideas from ecosystems to energy. Use the resources to help your students gain a stronger understanding of how the engineering design process seamlessly melds with science concepts from life, earth, and physical sciences. Connect to Teaching Engineering in NY

Scavenger Hunts with PBS KIDS

Here are some scavenger hunts from your favorite PBS KIDS friends to do while you’re out and about! Have fun with scavenger hunts to use outside, inside, or while playing pretend. We’ve created a few and shared some from your favorite PBS KIDS series. 

Click on the name of the scavenger hunt or the image to open the full activity. Feel free to save, print, or use on your mobile device!

Daniel Tiger’s Color Hunt
Daniel Tiger loves learning about his neighborhood and looking for colors! Go on a walk in your neighborhood with Daniel Tiger and look for the colors below. Make up your own color walk on the back!

Peg + Cat’s Count & Seek
Peg + Cat have a REALLY BIG PROBLEM! They need YOUR help to find things outside…like A LOT of things! Can you help them by finding the items on their list?

Daniel Tiger’s I Spy
Play “I Spy” with your kiddos while you’re out and about. A simple activity like this can help build vocabulary and promote curiosity! What do you spy?

I Spy with Daniel Tiger

Wild Kratts Wild & Seek
The Kratt Brothers love learning about animals and nature! How many of these animal friends and nature items can you find?

More Scavenger Hunts from PBS KIDS

Take A Family Break Videos, Activities & Songs

Sometimes you need to take a quick break to help calm down and give your brain an opportunity to reset. That’s exactly what WXXI’s Family Breaks are!

WXXI partnered with University of Rochester Medical Center’s Dr. Elizabeth Murray to create this series of Family Breaks – short, brain breaks that show grownups and kids how to de-stress and play quick games inside (or outside!). 

These special Family Breaks can be seen on WXXI-TV and WXXI KIDS 24/7 channels, as well as right here. WXXI Education has also pulled together some additional resources (below each video) in case you’d like to try some more connected activities. Check them out!

Stretching:

More resources:

Belly Breathing:

More resources:

Go on a Color Hunt:

More resources:

Counting Game: 

More resources:

Play Freeze Dance:

More resources:

Play I Spy:

More resources:

Storytelling: 

More resources:

Build a Fort:

More resources:

Watch the Full Playlist Here

Bright By Text: For Parents of 0-11 year olds

Parents and caregivers can join Bright by Text to get custom age specific texts for  their child (0-11 years old) Bright by Text, a national parent texting program, to put expert tips, games, activities, child development and media use information directly into the hands of parents and caregivers based on their children’s ages.  

This unique resource supports children and families.The texting service includes topics like brain development, games and activities, health and wellness, STEM, safety and more. Bright by Text partners with experts like PBS KIDS, Vroom, Sesame Street, CDC, and others to develop content for families with children aged prenatal to age eleven. 

What: FREE texting service with activities, videos, and resources to support children. Receive 2 to 4 text messages per week, and each message includes a link to a landing page with more detail, short videos, and related resources.

Who: Parents and caregivers with children prenatal to 11 years old. 

Where: Families in WXXI’s viewing area in Rochester and across the Finger Lakes.

* * * SIGN UP * *

 To sign up, text the word PBSKIDS to 274448

More Information About Bright by Text

Bright by Text helps parents and caregivers make the most out of time at home with their children by illustrating fun and easy activities, providing positive parenting tips and resources, and even video content to guide a child’s development. The program is proven to build nurturing caregiver-child relationships, and positively impact a child’s healthy development and school readiness. Innovative services like Bright by Text help provide equitable solutions to early education while schools remain closed. 

  • Available in English and Spanish
  • Developmental tips based on the due date or age of a child
  • Curated content from partners such as PBS, Vroom, and Sesame Street in Communities
  • Timely information about local resources and events from community organizations
  • Extended learning materials, short modeling videos, and related resources
  • Help parents (including expectant parents), grandparents, babysitters, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends, teachers and anyone else supporting young children
  • Provide developmental tips based on a child’s age (families may sign up multiple kids!)
  • Link to more online learning materials, including videos you can access on any smartphone
  • Deliver info on challenging behaviors (sleep, eating, potty training, tantrums) when you need it most
  • Give you encouragement! Caring for little ones is hard. Sometimes a “you got this” goes a long way.
  • Build confidence. More than 95% of Bright by Text subscribers indicate they feel more confident and informed about their child’s development as a result of our messages.

¿Estás cuidando a un niño pequeño?

Bright by Text es para cualquier persona que cuide y ame a un niño, desde la etapa prenatal hasta los 11 años de edad: padres, futuros padres, abuelos, niñeras, tías, tíos, vecinos, amigos, profesores y más.

Bright by Text puede ayudar!

Enviamos mensajes de texto gratis con consejos y actividades fáciles y prácticas directamente a tu teléfono móvil. Nuestro contenido es de colaboradores de confianza como PBS y Barrio Sésamo. Los mensajes están orientados a la edad de tu hijo e incluyen información sobre el desarrollo, el lenguaje y la alfabetización temprana, la salud y la seguridad, consejos para el comportamiento y mucho más.

Inscríbete aquí:

Sólo te pedimos la fecha de nacimiento y el código postal de tu hijo. De este modo, recibirás mensajes adaptados a su edad exacta e información sobre eventos y recursos locales. Nunca compartiremos tus datos. Bright by Text es completamente gratuito, pero pueden aplicarse tarifas de mensajes y datos.

Podcasts to Listen To With Your Kids

Need some fresh ideas for things to listen to with your kids?

Podcasts are great because you can listen whenever you want. Need something during the day? Before bed? During ‘quiet time’? While driving or riding the bus?

WXXI pulled together a list of kid-friendly podcasts that promote curiosity, tell stories, answer weird questions, and add some spark to your day:

CURIOSITY

  • Work it Out Wombats Podcast, join your favorite Wombats on eight super fun podcast playdates! The Work It Out Wombats! Podcast invites YOU, the listener, to join Zadie, Zeke and Malik as they sail a pirate ship through the Crashing Cliffs, fly to the sky in a make-believe Cloud Ship, enjoy a spooky campout, and build a super-strong fort that NO wind can blow down. You won’t just be listening to the fun, you’ll be having fun – singing, dancing, jumping, clapping, making, and creating right alongside your favorite Wombats. The Work It Out Wombats! Podcast is produced for PBS KIDS by GBH Kids and Cultural Whisperers and distributed by PBS KIDS and PRX. It will be available to listen on pbskids.org/wombats or wherever you get your podcasts!
  • Wow in the World – Hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz guide curious kids and their grown-ups on a journey into the wonders of the world around them. We’ll go inside our brains, out into space and deep into the coolest new stories in science and technology.
  • But Why — But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world.
  • Brains On! – Brains On! is an award-winning audio show for kids and families. Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world.  Our mission is to encourage kids’ natural curiosity and wonder using science and history…but there’s no age limit on curiosity, and episodes of Brains On can be enjoyed by anyone.
  • Kids Listen Activity Podcast – Kids Listen member podcasts will bring you a podcast and an activity based on the episode. Listen and learn about science, history, animals, music, and language, and then make that learning active with hands-on projects and activities. 
  • Smash Boom Best is a debate show for kids and families from the makers of the award-winning podcast, Brains On! Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together and lets you decide which is best. Our debaters use facts and passion to make their case — teaching listeners how to defend their own opinions along the way.
  • Forever Ago®, a history show for the whole family! Every episode looks into the surprising and fascinating history of things we think are ordinary, but they’re not — like ice cream flavors, video games, baths and more. We make learning about the past fun while teaching listeners to think critically about history. From Brains On.
  • Moment of Um: Bite-sized answers to big questions! From Brains On
  • Charm Words: Charm Words is a daily affirmations podcast for children of diverse backgrounds that will help to inspire and bring self-worth to the forefront of young minds at the start and end of their day. Help your kids deal with feelings of emotional distress while learning new self-care abilities. These simple Ph.D.-approved charming affirmations free kids from invasive troubling thoughts, build resilience to stressful situations and help them develop positive ways of coping. Also a perfect classroom meditation for students.

 MATH & FINANCES

  • Million Bazillion is a podcast from Marketplace that inspires families to talk about money. Hosts Ryan Perez and Bridget Bodnar take listeners on an awesome adventure to answer the awkward, complex and sometimes surprising money questions from real kids


MUSIC

  • Classics for Kids — Naomi Lewin brings classical music’s great composers to life through music and stories. Find Classics for Kids on the radio, listen to our podcast or listen to the programs online. Have fun online with classical music games.
  • From the Top — NPR’s From the Top showcases the music, stories, and unique humor of America’s best young classical musicians.  

  • Hear Here! – Hear Here! is a music appreciation podcast for kids (K-5)! In this 5 episode season, we’ll explore different genres of music and the various ways music affects our lives. Hear the music and accomplishments of a boy born with autism, meet professional musicians from our region that started playing as kids, make music using found objects, and more on Hear Here! Each episode will be accompanied by classroom activities, discussion prompts, and additional resources for parents and teachers.
  • Pinkalicious & Peterrific podcast: Sing along with Pinkalicious and her little brother Peter on the Pinkalicious & Peterrific podcast, a delightful musical companion to the hit series on PBS KIDS. Ten pink-credible episodes are hosted by the brother and sister duo as they sing their favorite songs from the “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” series. Each episode will take listeners on creative adventures, encouraging kids to dance, sing, make believe, and more.



SCIENCE

  • Nature Guys –Nature Guys podcast connects you to the exciting natural world right in your own neighborhood. These nature connections will help you be cool, calm, collected and ready to make a positive difference in the world. 
  • Tumble Podcast –Tumble is a science podcast for kids, to be enjoyed by the entire family. We tell stories about science discoveries, with the help of scientists!  Join Lindsay and Marshall as they ask questions, share mysteries, and share what science is all about. 
  • Radiolab for Kids — Radiolab, one of the most beloved podcasts in the world, reaches into its archives to create Radiolab for Kids. It’s a place where we’ve collected Radiolab’s most family-friendly content. (Because we all know that over the years, some of the content has been…er…NOT so family friendly!) From “What do dogs see when they look at the rainbow?” to “Do animals laugh?” the topics are squeaky clean (mostly) and all about curiosity. Radiolab for Kids is sure to delight and engage the most curious minds. 



STORIES

  • Odd Squad: Odd Squadcast! Spinning off from the “odd-ventures” of “Odd Squad” is the Odd Squad: Odd Squadcast! This seven-episode podcast follows The Big O as she hosts a weekly radio address for agents all over the world — and tries to stop an odd invasion on headquarters at the same time!
  • Arthur Podcast Series: Arthur Read is back with The Arthur Podcast! Listen in as he shares his favorite adventures with DW, Buster and all their friends from around Elwood City. Each episode is an audio adaptation of a story from the classic television series with some new commentary from Arthur himself as well as some submissions from listeners everywhere!
  • Circle Round — WBUR’s Circle Round is a podcast that adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.
  • Molly of Denali Podcast –Meet Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl growing up with her parents, family and friends. Over eight episodes, Molly and her friend Tooey discover the identity of a mystery creature that has stolen Molly’s birthday cake. Join Molly and the gang and discover what life is like for a typical kid on big adventures in Alaska!  
  • Eleanor Amplified – Eleanor Amplified is an adventure series for the whole family. Listen together as our hero, the world-famous radio reporter Eleanor Amplified, foils devious plots and outwits crafty villains, all in pursuit of the big story…  Like all the public media shows you love, Eleanor Amplified is entertaining and informative.  Eleanor will spark laughter and conversation the whole family will enjoy, while preparing kids to appreciate journalism and make smart media choices in the future.
     
  • The Creeping Hour — Beware, these scary stories will transform you! The Creeping Hour is a horror anthology series hosted by the Creeps, three friends who listened to so many scary stories that they turned into monsters themselves. Gather your whole family to shiver with fright as you listen to the terrifying tales of The Creeping Hour. Listen if you dare. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! It is appropriate for all ages and recommended for kids ages 8-12. 

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