Kids & Education

Vermont Public partners 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 periodically with timely suggestions and materials. For more info, contact:
- Emily Leute (AOE) - emily.leute@vermont.gov
- Heather Duhamel - hduhamel@vermontpublic.org
Latest Recommendations
ECHO Science & Stories: Sink or Float?
Who sank the boat? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, to find out as we explore the sink and float properties of different objects. Can you design your own boat that will float even when loaded with heavy cargo? Featured book is: Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen. Published by the Putman and Grosset Group.
Do More, Learn More Activity Links: Recycled Boats – Sink or Float – Science Experiments for Kids Sink Float Water Science Experiment in the Kitchen
Enjoy Elizabeth and Science and Stories all Summer Long at 7:00 a.m./on Main Channel. Find out more!
Media Literacy for Teens
Junction Arts and Media will offer JAM Media Arts Camps | CREATIVITY + MEDIA LITERACY for teens.
Vermont Public’s very own Lexi Krupp as guide. Find out more at https://uvjam.org/media-camp_2023/
Enjoy this Vermont Edition story by Anna Van Dine, Mikaela Lefrak, and Ethan Gann, 9th grader at Hazen Union School in Hardwick.
Listen and learn along with Vermont Public’s special episode of But Why a Podcast for Curious Kids. Kids ask, “Why do people find TikTok so addictive?” -Nate, 10, Queensland, Australia
Media Literacy Learning Guide (pdf)
Learn about our Educator Ambassadors | View video testimonials from our friends Janet and Marlon as they share their stories from Burlington and Plainfield, Vermont.
Summer of Possibilities
Great literacy resources for anytime, anywhere playful learning! It is the summer of possibilities with Vermont Public and PBS Kids!
PreK/K-3
Summer Activity Booklet (Printable)
Empathy-Building Books for Kids
Follow the sound waves with Ready Jet Go!
Article: Ways to Nurture Interests That Inspire Their Passion
PBS Kids Science games for everyday (FREE & safe APPS)
Meet Zora Neale Hurston with Xavier Riddle and the Night Museum to learn how she shared stories
Riddles: Eureka because words are super powers with Wordgirl
Storytelling Packet with PBS Kids!
Grade 6-12
Watch and use resources in PBSLM for A Gardener’s Poem
Summer of Science (English/Spanish)
Summer Learning Collection (English/Spanish)
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.
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.