Kids & Education
Vermont Public continues our partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education and Vermont Department of Libraries to meet the anywhere, anytime educational, social and emotional needs of Vermont children. This page is updated monthly with timely suggestions and materials.
Latest Recommendations
Music Host/Producer
"In my role as host for Vermont Public Classical, I see myself really as a music educator with a classroom that includes all of Vermont and beyond. Behind every piece of music that we play on the station there are a multitude of stories; stories about the composer who wrote the music, the musicians that performed it and the historical and societal context surrounding it. The part of my job that I love the most is bringing these stories out for our listeners. Timeline is a project that was born out of this desire. Each episode of the podcast is a short, in-depth look at a composer, a piece, an artistic movement; telling stories that relate to history, philosophy, art, expression and so much more.
Be sure to check out this episode on Scott Joplin, “The King of Ragtime”. We look at Joplin’s music, legacy and struggles as an artist of color in the early days of the 20th Century in the U.S. You’ll also find a handy learning guide, perfect for students in grades 6-8, with activities that will teach students that music is inspired by the people and places around us.
And if you want to go even deeper, there is a new ten-part series of Timeline episodes about composer Julius Eastman, an openly gay, Black composer active in New York City in the late 70s and early 80s who died penniless, homeless and almost completely forgotten in 1990; forgotten that is until now!"
Young Writers Project has been inspiring, mentoring, publishing, and promoting teen writers and visual artists since 2006. Our website, youngwritersproject.org, is a hive of creativity, a community of young people sharing their stories, poetry, opinions, and visual art in a civil and supportive space. Membership is free and open to anyone, ages 13-18 (12 with parental permission), who wants to connect with other teen creators and experience the joy and affirmation of getting published. We receive more than 10,000 submissions a year, most from Vermont, but we welcome youth from across the U.S., who find our unique arts community on the web. Be sure to check out the submissions to our most recent writing and visual art contest, Teenager. We asked, “Who are you? What is your life like as a teenager in 2023?” Winning submissions will be announced this month with prizes and publication to follow in Vermont media and Young Writers Project’s digital magazine and annual printed anthology.
Susan Reid
Executive Director, Young Writers Project
Learn about our Educator Ambassadors | View video testimonials from our friends Janet and Marlon as they share their stories from Burlington and Plainfield, Vermont.
Vermont Public and Agency of Education recommend
- PBSLM: Creating a Caring Classroom Community
Molly of Denali: Indigenous Cultural and Informational Text - PBSLM: Expanding the Narrative Using Media: A Planning Kit (All Grades).
- PBSLM: Find new SEL resources for your classroom (English/Spanish) with Alma’s Way (PreK-Grade 2)
- PBSLM: Media Literacy – Teaching Students to Critically Analyze Media: Empowering Young Media Consumers and Creators
For more info, contact:
- Emily Leute (AOE) - emily.leute@vermont.gov
- Heather Duhamel - hduhamel@vermontpublic.org
NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Vermont Public is calling all Grade 5-12 teachers who have students interested in Podcasting! NPR is collecting submissions for their annual NPR Student Podcast Challenge (Gr.5-12). Teacher involvement is required. Deadline for submissions is April 28, 2023.
Learn more and enter at studentpodcastchallenge22.splashthat.com
Podcasting tips and tricks | NPR Student Podcast toolkit
PreK K1
Women’s History Month pays tribute to amazing women! Join Read-Along “I am Harriet Tubman” with Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum’s author Brad Meltzer or MORE check out these other books about amazing woman from PBS Parents.Grade 3-8
In honor World Poetry Day , see Amanda Gorman’s poetry presented by PBS or Poetry in America Collection.
Grade 6-12
Women’s History Month pays tribute to amazing women! Learn about Maggie Lena Walker in the Unladylike Collection. or enjoy this Crash Course: Women in the 19th Century. Find out about Florence Price on Vermont Public’s Timeline Podcast.
For all!
Family fun in March! How to turn screentime into family time from PBS Parents
Accessibility Matters
Spanish Audio Resources are more widely available across platforms.
Pbskids.org/video: While the video is playing (following the pre-roll, which is delivered in English audio), click the gear icon in the lower right corner of the video player. The accessibility settings menu will open. From there, you can select from the available audio and caption tracks. “Rosie’s Rules” and “Alma’s Way” have Spanish audio tracks available.
PBS KIDS mobile apps: While the video is playing, tap the gear icon shown next to the “Grownups” button. Choose captions or audio in English or Spanish.
OTT apps
Samsung & Vizio Smart TVs: This feature is not available in these apps.
tvOS/AppleTV: While the episode is playing, tap the remote to bring up the player controls. Click up to select the chat bubble or audio icon which will allow you to select from available caption and audio tracks.
Fire TV/Android TV: While the episode is playing, tap up to bring up the player controls. Tap up to select the gear icon in the upper right corner and tap to open the menu.
Roku: While the episode is playing, tap the * button. Closed caption settings are available in the “Closed captions” menu. Audio track settings are available in the “Accessibility & caption” menu under “Audio Track.”
Chromecast: Support for caption and audio language selection varies by the “Sender” client. The sender is the device from which a user is Casting.
Curious George Exhibit at ECHO
Join Vermont Public and ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain for the “Let’s Get Curious”, January 28, 2023 - May 31, 2023 interactive STEM exhibit inspired by the classic children’s story character Curious George. Be curious together co-view and play! Using the Agency of Education’s Incorporating Curious George document in your classroom (PreK-4).
Meet Curious George on Vermont Public Day on Saturday, March 25, 2023
Vermont Public Podcasts
Join classical host James Stewart on a journey into the events, characters and concepts that shaped our Western musical tradition. We'll start at the very beginning and trace the steps of music through history. This music, and its history, is ours. With Learning Guides.
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.
Curious about how to include podcasts into the classroom or car trip?
But Why is here to help with your education goals! We've created learning guides to complement our recent episodes. After listening to an episode, use the learning guide to deepen your child(ren)'s understanding of what they've learned. You can find our learning guides at the top of our episode pages. We also have transcripts and some episodes are supplemented with coloring pages, experiments or recipes!
Our learning guides were created with students in kindergarten through grade three in mind (ages 5-9) but may be appropriate for other ages. Our learning guides were designed to meet Common Core standards. Here is a handy list to all of our available guides by category.
Browse But Why Learning Guides | But Why - PBS Learning Media Collection
One Small Step is an offshoot of StoryCorps, with a focus on connecting strangers who fall on opposite sides of a political divide. We were one of six stations nationally that have been selected to conduct One Small Step conversations in communities across Vermont.
Mister Chris and Friends videos
The latest videos from our popular Mister Chris and Friends series, are digital shorts that guide children and their families through special daily moments: waking up, brushing teeth, washing hands, cleaning up, and going to bed. This video shorts series welcomes Elephant, a new friend who joins Mister Chris for these activities. Each video has a new original song and features a peek into lives and routines in our community thanks to participation from viewers.
“Routine helps children process what they feel, see, touch and hear each day. Our hope is that these videos help little ones engage with five special everyday moments in a time when many of their routines have been disrupted,” said Chris Dorman. “And we hope our new friend, Elephant, helps families smile, giggle, and maybe even shed a joyful tear or two together.”
These videos are available to watch in the Routine Collection.
See vermontpublic.org/show/mister-chris-and-friends, where families can watch full episodes of seasons one and two!
PBS Learning Media from Vermont Public
Bring the World to Your Classroom. Vermont Public offers curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for educators like you.
Create a free account and access a vast amount of lessons and topics from across PBS nationally.
Local Collection: Saving our Waters
From our Saving our Waters documentary, learn about water quality in Vermont lakes. Appropriate for Middle and High School.
Local Collection: Mister Chris and Friends
From our Mister Chris and Friends series, browse various videos and interactive activities, suitable for Preschool to Grade 2.
Kids & Education on Vermont Public is proudly sponsored by...
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