This week our host Cynthia Whittaker Putman celebrates Summer 2020 with WCTE PBS KIDS. PBS’ nearly 350 member stations are locally owned and operated, and are dedicated to meeting the needs of their communities.
Putman shares the free resources that WCTE provides for families to help stop the summer slide. Check out these activities for families that are completely free!
Have a Summer Family Movie Night:
Molly of Denali Mini-Marathon - Get ready to sled into fun with Molly of Denali! Join Molly, an Alaska Native girl, her dog Suki, and friends Tooey and Trini on their adventures in epically beautiful Alaska. Along the way, Molly’s life is enhanced, kept on track, and flat-out saved by maps, guide books, websites, weather reports, and more.
Enjoy PBS KIDS Family Night every Friday from 7 to 9 pm, and repeating on Saturday and Sunday evenings on PBS KIDS 24/7 Channel.
Whether you’re looking for music and dance activities, science experiments, family-friendly adventures, or learning about dinosaurs (plus more!), you will find media and activity resources in the Camp PBS LearningMedia collection.
Avoid the summer slide and keep the spirit of curiosity alive with these informal, anytime learning resources. This Summer Learning collection of videos and activities encourages students in grades Pre K-12 to spend the summer asking questions, spinning stories and exploring all the ways that learning can be fun.
For more resources, check out WCTE’s Connection Zone!
Free Messages to your phone:
WCTE is partnering with Bright by Text and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to provide text message tips for parents and caregivers of children under 5 (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, babysitters, and nannies). Messages are targeted to the specific age of your child and include information on child development, early literacy, health, and safety, as well as local events happening in your community.
To get free learning games and easy-to-understand tips texted to you, text WCTE to 274448.
It’s free and so easy!
1. What do you notice about…? You can find out how your child observes and experiences objects using their five senses. So from the example with my daughter, I asked her: “What do you notice about those berries?”
2. What do you notice when…? You can find out how your child interprets a cause and effect action. “What do you notice when you pull the berry off the tree?”
3. What do you think…? You can hear how your child connects the current experience to other experiences. Or find out how your child predicts based on what they already know. “What do you think will happen when the berries fall? What do you think happened to the berries that are on the ground?”
4. How does this remind you of…? You can help your child connect to a memory or something they learned before. When your child connects new experiences to older ones, they tend to remember things better. “How does this remind you of the trees we saw on Hero Elementary?”
5. Why? The king of all questions! This question helps your child think about the reasons behind what they think.
For other ways to ask engaging questions, watch Hero Elementary on PBS KIDS! which premieres June 1 st . HERO ELEMENTARY is a school for budding superheroes, where kids learn to master their innate powers, like flying and teleportation, while exploring science along the way. The newly launching series will give children ages 4 to 7 important tools to help them solve problems by encouraging them to think and act like scientists, igniting their natural curiosity.
HERO ELEMENTARY also showcases character and social-emotional concepts such as kindness, empathy, and commitment to working together to solve problems.
The stories in HERO ELEMENTARY center around a diverse group of super students, led by their quirky and enthusiastic teacher, Mr. Sparks. The team works together to help people, solve problems, and try to make the world a better place. When their imperfect powers aren’t up to the task, they look to their other powers – the superpowers of science – to help them investigate, observe, make predictions, and figure out a solution.
The “Sparks’ Crew” includes Lucita Sky, an empathetic natural leader with the power to fly – and a fear of heights; AJ Gadgets, a superhero who is passionate about all things “super” and has the ability of thought projection and making super gadgets – and who also happens to be on the Autism spectrum; Sara Snap, who’s tiny, but mighty, with super strength and the power to teleport; and Benny Bubbles, a loyal and protective animal lover with a heart of gold, who can create amazing bubbles that double as forcefields and more. Both Mr. Sparks and Lucita are bilingual Spanish/English speakers. Rounding out the Crew is Fur Blur, the class hamster with an epic appetite and super speed.
