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!"
TEENAGER: A WRITING AND VISUAL ART CONTEST FOR VERMONT YOUTH
Young Writers Project invites young writers and visual artists, ages 12-18, to respond to the challenge: Who are you? What is your life like as a teenager in 2023?Cash prizes and publication.
Deadline: March 1, 2023. Find out how to enter: https://youngwritersproject.org/teenager
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 will begin collecting submissions for their annual NPR Student Podcast Challenge (Gr.5-12) on January 6, 2023. 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
Black History Month
Let’s celebrate together and learn together about Black History Month in February!
PreK to Grade 5
Follow or share this article from PBS Parents Thrive: Teaching Your Child about Black History Month.
Tips for Navigating Media in the Classroom
Want to find out more about using Vermont Public or PBS Kids resources? Watch the Agency of Education and Vermont Public OVEE webinar event recorded in 2020 (PBS Kids), Hero Elementary OVEE event-. Watch and listen to our very own Vermont Public (PBS) Education staff, Vermont Agency of Education, and Hero Elementary Creator’s Beth Daniels and Carol-Lynn Parente talk about this inclusive series for PreK-3. What is your science superpower?
Think Local
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
Check out our episode on Skyscrapers
Tell a story about a time that you visited a city? Describe or draw what you remember about the buildings. Listen to the podcast and use our learning guide.
Grade 6-12
Learn about Bessie Coleman in the Unladylike Collection in PBS LearningMedia
Listen local with the Brave Little State Podcast: Check out our special series about Homegoings which includes BIPOC art and perspectives from teens about being young and black in Vermont.
Check out the Timeline Podcast with Vermont Public’s Classical host, James Stewart, to learn more about the life and music of Scott Joplin ,“The King of Ragtime.”
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.
Let’s Celebrate the 100th day of School, computational thinking and number fun!
PreK-Grade 1
Meet our newest PBS KIDS friends in WORK IT OUT WOMBATS! This new series stars Malik, Zadie, and Zeke—three energetic and creative marsupial siblings who live with their grandmother in her treehouse apartment complex.The playful trio will demonstrate computational thinking (CT) for preschoolers, a way of thinking that enables them to solve problems, express themselves, and accomplish tasks using the practices, processes and ideas at the core of computer science. Go to www.pbskids.org.
Grade K-3
Check out these playful math focused PBS KIDS series which include interactive games and activities! Meet the Odd Squad and use the Agency of Education Incorporating Odd Squad into Your Classroom (Gr.1-3) or Odd Squad Resources and Episode Specific Activities. Meet Peg + Cat and investigate number, patterns, shapes and more using this Incorporating Peg + Cat into Your Classroom (PreK-3) and Pet + Cat Resources and Episode Specific Activities document.
Think local with But Why Podcast for Curious Kids! Check out this podcast for Kids about
Numbers. When did you use math to solve a real life problem?
Grade 6-9
Math at the Core is a culturally responsive Math Collection on PBS LearningMedia.
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).
Vermont Public Podcasts
People-powered journalism. Brave Little State, a podcast where you ask the questions, you decide what we investigate, and then you work with us to find the answers. With connections to other PBS LearningMedia resources.
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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