Education

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science Resources

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science
Play with shadows, control the weather, roll and slide objects down a ramp, choose the best materials for an umbrella – all while building science inquiry skills and learning core science concepts. The games in the app encourage kids to see the science in their world. They are intentionally designed to serve as catalysts for real-world exploration by modeling real-world locations and experiences. The related hands-on activities and parent notes prompt families to “try it” at home and provide tips for engaging in conversations.

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science for Parents App

Ramp and Roll explores how objects move, roll, slide and/or stay put on ramps and other surfaces.

PBS Play & Learn Science Mini-Games: Play the following games in the app: “Explore the Roll”, “Hit the Target”, and “Surface Challenge”
Hands-on Activities:
- Create a ramp using recycled materials (cardboard tubes, cereal boxes) or using items you have around (books, pillows, clipboards).
- Test different objects (balls, marbles, blocks) to see if they roll down your ramp.
- Add different materials to your ramp to change the surface (bubble wrap, a blanket, sandpaper). Does your object still roll? Does it roll the same?
- Race different objects to see which object rolls the farthest?
- Go on a ramp hunt – look around inside and outside for different kinds of ramps.
Connected Book:
- Oscar & the Cricket a Book about Moving & Rolling by Geoff Waring
- Ramp & Roll books
Videos:
- Ramp-n-Roll (0:51) – George must figure out how to build a ramp so that Hundley, a little dachshund, can get out of a basement window in this video excerpt from Curious George: Hundley’s Great Escape.
- Building Ramps (1:28) – In this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World, real kids explore what types of objects will slide down ramps of different materials.
- Rolling Down a Hill (1:28) – Real kids discover what types of round objects will roll the fastest down a grassy hill, a piece of cardboard, and a sidewalk in this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World.
- Homemade Hills (1:27) – In this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World, real kids explore what types of objects will slide down ramps of different materials.
- The Watchamacallit (8:50) – Peep, Quack, and Chirp discover how ramps and slides work by using angles and round objects, in this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World.
- Super Grover 2.0 Digital Ramp (0:27) – Join Super Grover to learn about ramps. Ramps help you go from low to high.

Explore light and shadows by making and observing shadows, making and interacting with shadow puppets, and playing with flashlights.

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science Mini-Games: Play the following games in the app: “Exploring Shadows”, “Shadow Scenes”, or “Guess the Shadow”.
Hands-on Activities:
- Use a flashlight or another light (lamp, cell phone or tablet flashlight) to create hand or full body shadows.
- Use the PBS KIDS Shadow Puppets to make shadows.
- Move objects closer to the flashlight and then further away, what happens?
- Tape a piece of paper to a wall or door. Use a flashlight or lamp to create a shadow, try tracing the shadow on the paper with a pencil or crayon.
- Play “Guess the Shadow”. Use different objects (try using the PBS KIDS Puppets) to make a shadow and then try to guess what or who the shadow belongs to.
- Host a shadow puppet show!
Printables:
Connected Books:
- Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch
- The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers
- Shadow Play books
Videos:
- My Shadow Goes Where I Go (1:30) – In this short video from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, children learn about energy and light. Nick and Sally create shadow puppets and sing a song about where your shadow can go! No matter where you go, you’re shadow will be there!
- Shadows Can be Scary (2:23) – Daniel Tiger sees a scary shadow on the wall, but Dad shows him that shadows can be fun. Teach kids that being brave and investigating scary things together helps make things seem not as bad
- A Thing or 2 About Making Shade (1:30) – This short video from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, teaches about physical science, energy, and light. Thing 1 tries clear, tinted, and opaque glass, to create a shade for Thing 2. He decides that opaque glass provides the best shade, and relief from the sun.
- How to Make Shadow Puppets (2:11) – Make your own shadow theater with just a few household items! Mya shows your how to make some neat shadow puppets, and tells the story of the dinosaurs in her own low-lit play.

Explore the weather by observing, matching appropriate gear and clothing for certain weather, and experimenting with thermometers and temperature.

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science Mini-Games: Play the following games in the app: “Read the Temperature”, “Weather Controller”, “Thermometer Picking”, “Photo Weather”, “Gear Up”, and “The Amazing Umbrella”
Hands-on Activities
- Roll the weather cube. Use Del and Dee Dress Up Characters and Gear to put different outfits ont the character that matches the weather.
- Track a week’s weather using the “Today’s Weather” printable or a sheet of paper.
- Hot vs. Cold weather experiment: Use a thermometer to test something really cold (ice cubes or snow) vs. something warm (hand warmers, something put in the microwave). What happens to the thermometer?
- Roll the weather cube. Find items in your house (winter hat, goggles) that you can wear to match the weather on the cube.
Connected Books:
- Weather by Jill McDonald
- All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids by Huda Harajli MA
- Weather books
Printables:
Videos:
- Poem: “Big Snow” (0:18) – This video segment from Between the Lions is an animated poem that rhymes. Snow falls all over the city and then a snow plow pushes snow.
- Bert is All Dressed Up for Winter (2:51) – Get your galoshes on your head, your gloves on your ears, and get those earmuffs around your waist. Earmuffs around your waist? No, no, no, they’ve got it all wrong. Hopefully, Bert can figure out how to get dressed for winter so he doesn’t end up with a cold.
- Clouds & Weather (2:15) – This video, featuring original stop-motion animation, is a fun way for children to learn about different types of clouds and their relationship to weather.
- What is Weather? (2:16) – Abby Brown loves to help kids have fun while learning! In this segment, Abby teaches kids about weather. Kids learn to observe the air and and sky as well as a thermometer in order to evaluate the weather.
- Meet the Helpers: Meterologist (2:35) – Dive deeper into a meteorologist’s career and find out how this Helper assists in emergency situations.

Explore how different objects float or sink and notice how water moves through different kinds of spaces.

PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science Mini-Games: Play the following games in the app: “Water Wall”, “Thirsty Doggie”, and “Sink or Float”
Hands-on Activities
- Use aluminum foil or recycled containers to create boats. Test whether they float in the sink, bucket, or bathtub.
- Add pennies or washers to your boats to see if they can hold weight.
- Find a variety of objects (pennies, pencil, crayon, ball, race car) and use a sink, bucket, or bathtub to test whether objects sink or float. Make guesses before testing.
Printables:
- Water Play Matching Cards Set 1 and Set 2
- What Floats Your Boat?
Connected Books:
- Hey, Water! by Antionette Portis
  Water Play books
Videos:
- Do Try This At Home: Make a Boat (1:30) – In this short video from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, children learn about motion and stability: forces and interactions. Nick and Sally test some objects in their backyard wading pool, to see what will float and what won’t.
- Sink or Float (1:33) – Show students how easy it is to experiment while introducing them to the concept of buoyancy, in this fun video demonstration. Students are asked whether they think an item will sink or float, the item is then dropped into a fish tank, and the results are charted.
- Sink or Float Experiment (1:03) – Learn about household objects that sink and float in this easy-to-prepare activity with The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
- The Fish Museum (8:52) – In this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World, Quack learns about what objects float and sink as he tries to add objects to his underwater fish museum.
- Making Things Float (1:27) – In this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World, real kids explore what types of objects float in water and how to keep sinking objects from staying afloat.
- Make a Boat (1:28) – Real kids learn how to make their plastic bottle boats sink and float by adding different objects and water to them in this video segment from PEEP and the Big Wide World.

Other Support Resources

Books & eBooks: There are also LOTS of books available from our local libraries for you to borrow:

Water Play books

Classroom Uses for Genealogy, History and DNA

WXXI Education has pulled together educational support resources related genealogy, research, history, DNA and storytelling.

PBS LearningMedia Genealogy & Ancestry Resources

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr Collection: The basic drive to discover who we are and where we come from is at the core of the 10-part PBS series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the 12th series from Professor Gates, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Lessons in this collection are appropriate for 6-12 grade level students.

Connections Podcast: ‘Finding Your Roots,’ and the challenges African Americans face in tracing ancestry: Discussion with lead genealogist from “Finding Your Roots” about the challenges African Americans face in tracing their ancestries, about resources available in the process, and we hear from two women who found their roots. Listen Here:

Nick Sheedy, lead genealogist for “Finding Your Roots,” season seven
Cheryl Wills, award-winning journalist, anchor for Spectrum News NY1, and author of “Emma,” “The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills,” “Emancipated: My Family’s Fight for Freedom,” and “Die Free – A Heroic Family Tale”
Teej Jenkins, Teej Jenkins, Rochester resident who researched her genealogy with her family. Teej is also a host of WXXI’s Arts in Focus and a producer for WXXI-TV of such series for the City of Rochester as Cultural Expressions and What’s Good Rochester.

Here are a few of our favorite FYR lessons and activities:

What is a Genealogist and a DNA expert? (lesson by National Science Teaching Association)
DNA and the Human Variation (lesson by Personal Genetics Education Project)
What is DNA and DNA Fingerprinting? (lesson by National Science Teaching Association)
Mitochondrial DNA Analysis (lesson by National Science Teaching Association)
What is Admixture Testing? (lesson by Personal Genetics Education Project)

Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings: Inspired by the popular PBS series “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” and shot on the campus of Penn State University, “Finding Your Roots: The Seedlings” follows 13 young people in a genetics and genealogy camp as they explore their family history and DNA ancestry with techniques never before used in an educational setting.

Download Full Curriculum: Resources include an introduction to genealogical research from prominent genealogists, clips from the show demonstrating how personal stories connect to larger events in history, and brief historical introductions to key people, places, and events in U.S. and World History. Fill out the form at fyrclassroom.org/curriculum/ and you will be forwarded to a Box folder where you can download the full curriculum.
Download At-Home Activities: Here are free eight activities for families and future genealogists to do to begin learning about their own family history. Activities include: family tree, family interviews, family migration, observable traits, DNA extraction, and more!

Faces of America: What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The lesson plans and media resources based on the series address a wide range of topics including historic waves of immigration, anti-immigrant sentiment, family genealogy, and state-of-the-art genetic research. Through this collection, students will gain a broader perspective of America’s immigrant history (both past and present) and learn what it really means to be an American.

Ken Burns’ The Gene: An Intimate History: This four-hour documentary weaves together science, history, and personal stories to create a historical biography of the human genome. It tells the story of the rapid evolution of genetic science from Gregor Mendel’s groundbreaking experiment in the 19th century to CRISPR, and the hope that newfound powers to alter DNA with pinpoint precision will transform the treatment of some of the world’s most complex and challenging diseases. The series also tackles the daunting ethical challenges that these technologies pose for humankind.

NOVA Cracking Your Genetic Code: What will it mean when most of us can afford to have the information in our DNA—all six billion chemical letters of it—read, stored and available for analysis? NOVA’s Cracking Your Genetic Code reveals that we stand on the verge of such a revolution. But what are the moral dilemmas raised by this new technology? Will it help or hurt us to know the diseases that may lie in our future? What if such information falls into the hands of insurance companies, employers or prospective mates? One thing is for certain: the new era of personalized, gene-based medicine is relevant to everyone, and soon you will be choosing whether to join the ranks of the DNA generation.

Other Historical Resources for Schools

Black History in Two Minutes: It’s Black History delivered in short, lively, fact-packed stories accessible to people of all ages and education levels. It’s fast, accurate U.S. history available in free video podcast recordings describing major historical events and introducing less well-known experiences involving Black Americans. The series is narrated by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Also accessible on YouTube Black History in 2 Minutes Channel

Rochester Voices: From the collections of Local History & Genealogy Division of the Rochester Public Library, this interactive, mobile-friendly website is designed to engage a K-12 audience, as well as the general public, in the study of local, state, national, and even global history, by allowing users to explore the stories of Rochesterians who experienced the past first-hand. Combining the features of an online special collections catalog and interpreted digital exhibits with those of an exploratory learning laboratory, this site enables diverse users to interact with unique historical materials in a variety of exciting new ways. The original letters, diaries, interviews, and other primary sources that make up the Rochester Voices digital collections are held in the Local History & Genealogy Division’s special collections and those of its partners.

19th Ward Oral Histories: This oral history collection project was initiated in 2018 by the 19th Ward Community Association (19WCA). The 19WCA is one of the oldest neighborhood associations in the United States, having been established in the 1960s as a response to redlining and blockbusting, with a mission to “create, foster, and maintain a multi-racial community where individual and cultural differences are celebrated and where people share a sense of community.”
African American Oral Histories: Dr. James Wright, manager of the Rochester Public Library’s Phillis Wheatley branch, commissioned a project to record the oral histories of African American Rochesterians in the 1970s and early 1980s. The project was designed to highlight the public contributions of African Americans in the greater Rochester area and to make that information available to the community. The interviewees represent a wide range of occupations, attitudes, and roles in the community, and they discuss a variety of topics from housing discrimination, segregation, and barriers to employment to the importance of community involvement and advances in civil rights.
Latino American Oral Histories: In 2011, Dr. Isabel Córdova, Associate Professor in History & Political Science at Nazareth College, initiated a student project to record and preserve the oral histories of Latinos in the Rochester area. Her colleague in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, Dr. Hilda Chacon, contributed similar student projects to the collection. Shared with the Rochester Public Library and available here, the Latino Voices collection comprises 66 interviews of Rochesterians with roots in a variety of Latin-American countries, including Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
The Frederick Douglass Voice: The Frederick Douglass Voice began publication on October 6, 1933. The newspaper, published by Howard Wilson Coles, was devoted to the activities, aspirations, and ideals of Black people in Rochester and the vicinity. Howard Coles used the newspaper to call attention to critical issues in the Black community.
Classroom Connections: Here you will find a variety of activities and resources designed for students and their teachers. Developed with help from local educators, Rochester Voices follows the Common Core State Standards. The content of this site, which is differentiated by grade level, allows you to examine primary sources and explore humanities themes, while interpretive elements foster thoughtful analysis of these materials.

Genealogy and Local Partner Resources

Monroe County Library System (MCLS):

The Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County boasts one of the premier collections of local historical and genealogical materials in western New York, while smaller municipal member libraries such as the Ogden Farmers’ Library in Spencerport, the Henrietta Public Library, and the Penfield Public Library have built collections of materials relevant to their particular towns. MCLS libraries have developed collections and finding aids that try to make sense of the past in an effort to better serve local residents as well as visitors who come seeking their roots.Resources including the New York State Vital Records Index, Life Records, City and Suburban Directories, high school and college yearbooks, microfilmed newspapers dating back to 1818, and subscriptions to e-databases are held by the Central Library’s Local History and Genealogy Division, where Rochester Genealogical Society members volunteer as docents some evenings and Saturdays to provide extra assistance to researchers. (not currently during the pandemic) Connect with your local library to locate electronic services licensed for the public that you can use in your genealogy searches.

To learn more at the Genealogy Resources section of the MCLS website:

OWLL Library System Local History Resources: For Those Living in Livingston, Ontario, Wayne and Wyoming Counties

Rochester Genealogical Society (RGS):

The Rochester Genealogical Society began in 1938 when several people at a meeting of the Rochester Historical Society formed an informal group to preserve their family heritage. The Rochester Genealogical Society became an independent organization in 1977.

The organization sponsors regular educational activities and encourages member-to-member support as well as community awareness of genealogy and family history. Its membership is comprised of people from all walks of life, who freely offer help or guidance to other members and the community whenever asked. Some members also volunteer at the Local History & Genealogy Division of Central Library and local Family History Centers to assist researchers or serve as speakers on particular topics.

Whether you are a well-seasoned genealogist or family historian, or are just starting out, we are confident that you will find your membership in the Rochester Genealogical Society beneficial.

Meeting and Events

Monthly programs are announced with information on the RGS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYRocGen, and at the Society web site, nyrgs.org There are also a writers group, and a DNA interest group.

Other Family Search Sites for the Greater Rochester Area

WXXI Discussion Conducting Family History Research By People of Color with Rochester Public Library and Guests about conducting their ancestry research (Youtube WXXI Education 2021)

WXXI Video Spot About Local Search Resources at Monroe County Library System for Conducting Genealogical Research

FamilySearch: FamilySearch is dedicated to preserving important family records and making them freely accessibly online.

PBS LearningMedia Resources >

Coming Together: Sesame Street Resources on Racial Literacy

Sesame Workshop continues its major commitment to racial justice with new resources and content called “Coming Together” to help families talk to young children about race and identity.

All kids need a strong individual and group identity, but racism hurts the healthy development of both, as well as our entire society. Whether you and the children in your care are directly affected by racism or you’re allies of those who are, engaging honestly and directly with little ones is the beginning of building racial literacy (the skills needed to talk thoughtfully about race and to identify and respond to racism).

Please note: All of the resources listed below and available through Sesame Street in Communities are designed for co-viewing, co-learning, and co-participation – meaning that to create the most meaningful experience and takeaways, adults and children should use them together.

I Am Somebody Song:

I Am Somebody (Giant Song) #ComingTogether

You and Me Makes We Song #ComingTogether

#ComingTogether Playlist

Coming Together is rooted in extensive research and consultation with experts to develop a groundbreaking Racial Justice educational framework and curriculum for young children. Like the science-based whole-child model that Sesame Street is known for, this framework will help guide and inform the creation of new Sesame Workshop content going forward—including future seasons of Sesame Street. This collection of resources are designed to provide families with the tools they need to build racial literacy, to have open conversations with young children, to engage allies and advocates to become upstanders against racism, and more, Coming Together includes a racial justice educational framework, ongoing research, and a rolling release of new content.

Where to Find Coming Together Resources: You can find all of the resources connected to Coming Together and Racial Justice by following the below links.

All of the resources live within Sesame Street in Communities’ Racial Justice topic page (all of these materials are available in English/Spanish)
- Explainer Article: What is Racial Literacy?
- Never Too Young Article: Ages & Stages of Racial Understanding
- Parent/Caregiver Article: Raising an Upstander
- Meet Real Families: The Preston Foster Ogletrees Family and The Marañas
- Grownup Workshop: Helping Parents/Caregivers Talk About – And Stand Up Against – Racism
- Explainer Video: Explaining Race

Learn More: Sesame Street in Communities Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Resources

Parenting Minutes

Parenting Minutes is a series of short videos from the WNET Group/Channel THIRTEEN (WXXI’s sister station serving New York City) that focuses on key topics related to early childhood learning and raising children.

Parenting Minutes are short videos that focus on key topics related to early childhood learning and raising children. Videos are available in multiple languages, including: English, Spanish, Bengali, and Chinese.

Explore the full collection of Parenting Minutes videos and resources here.

Here are a few of WXXI Education’s favorite Parenting Minutes videos in English and Spanish:

Family Discovery Walks:
See how one family spends time together and promotes curiosity on a “discovery walk”.

Sharing Feelings:
Hear how one family makes time to share feelings each day to promote a healthy dialogue around emotions and mental health.

Routines:
See how one family creates a family schedule to help set a routine for the week.

Explore the rest of the Parenting Minutes videos and resources here.

Parenting Minutes is a production of The WNET Group. ©2016-2021 THIRTEEN Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved. Major funding for Parenting Minutes has been provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Learning Heroes with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Additional funding is provided by Helena Rubinstein Foundation, The V & L Marx Foundation, and The Henry and Lucy Moses Fund.

PBS KIDS for Parents in English & Spanish! / ¡PBS KIDS para padres en inglés y español!

PBS KIDS for Parents is a website that provides valuable information and resources to help raise happy, healthy, smart and kind kids. In an effort to provide inclusive, relatable, and valuable content to families of all backgrounds, PBS KIDS for Parents launched a Spanish version of the site. Click on the Button on the Right (Español)

Check it out in English at PBS.org/parents and in Spanish at PBS.org/es/parents.

PBS KIDS para padres es un sitio web que proporciona información y recursos valiosos para ayudar a criar niños felices, saludables, inteligentes y amables. En un esfuerzo por ofrecer un contenido inclusivo, relevante y valioso para las familias de todos los orígenes, PBS KIDS ha lanzado una versión en español del sitio web. Haga clic en el botón de la derecha. (Español)

Compruébelo en PBS.org/es/parents.

Free PBS KIDS Apps

WXXI Education pulled together a list of FREE PBS KIDS apps that promote learning, curiosity, play, and help kids activate their brains with fun and learning anytime. Find additional PBS KIDS apps at pbskids.org/apps!

PBS KIDS Video App:

The PBS KIDS Video app gives kids and parents access to thousands of free videos, including full episodes and clips from top PBS KIDS series. With this app, kids can watch their favorite PBS KIDS shows anytime, anywhere! PBS KIDS, the #1 educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and worlds through media. Stream the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel on the app for free (no subscription or login required). Tap the “LIVE TV” button to watch what’s airing on your local PBS station right now. The app provides a safe, child-friendly viewing experience for all ages. Kids can easily browse and watch videos at home, on the road, or anywhere with a mobile or WiFi connection. New full episodes come out every Friday from your favorite PBS KIDS shows. The app also includes features that parents can access through the Grownups tab:

Access your local PBS station TV schedule.
Learn more about a TV series, such as intended age and learning goals.
Download related PBS KIDS apps.

The PBS KIDS Games App

The PBS KIDS Games app makes learning fun and safe with amazing games featuring favorites like Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, Donkey Hodie, Alma’s Way, and more! Play hundreds of free educational games designed for your child and watch as they learn with their favorite PBS characters. FREE games for kids 2-8 will be added all the time, encouraging your child to engage in skills related to science, math, creativity and more in gameplay alongside their favorite characters! The app provides a safe, child-friendly playing experience for all ages. New games are regularly added. Kids can easily browse and play games at home, on the road, anywhere! PBS KIDS is focused on providing safe, educational quality games that are ad free and protect children’s privacy.

Other PBS KIDS Apps & Games

1. Nature Cat Great Outdoors
Based on the hit PBS KIDS show, Nature Cat’s Great Outdoors is the on-the-go toolset that will inspire your child to explore nature – in the backyard, at a local park or even looking out the window. Every day, Nature Cat has a set of new daily adventures that lets kids use tools to record and share their observations in fun, creative ways!

100+ adventure prompts given daily to get kids using tools, thinking about nature and recording their observations
Daily Nature Adventures are saved in a special journal so kids can go and revisit what they have explored
Take photos and selfies with Daisy’s camera
Record sounds with Hal and his microphone
Use journal art tools to insert photos, sounds, stickers in addition to drawing, stamping, and painting.
Create an endless amount of journals filled with your own nature adventures

2. Ready Jet Go Bot Builder
Design and build a robot and travel through space with Jet and friends. Build new parts to help you get through obstacles as you go from Earth to the moon to Mars and beyond. Each planet has a new challenge for your robot. Kids can build new parts and swap them around to find the best way to solve each level, learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they do. Jet’s Bot Builder adapts to your young learner’s progress. Children will learn STEM concepts at their own pace while they have fun building and designing robots.

Collect bolts and parts to build a bot
Paint the robot in your favorite colors
Choose the right robot parts for the job
Craft wheels, booster arms, rockets, wings, x-ray heads and more

3. PBS KIDS Scratch Jr.

With PBS KIDS ScratchJr, kids can create their own interactive stories and games featuring their favorite characters from Wild Kratts, Nature Cat, WordGirl and Peg + Cat! The storytelling possibilities are endless with this creative coding app for children ages 5-8. By snapping together colorful programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance and sing. In the process, kids will learn to solve problems, design projects and express themselves creatively on a tablet. With PBS KIDS ScratchJr, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn.

Snap together the color-coded motion, sound, look, trigger, and control blocks to create sequences of actions that cause characters to animate and interact in fun and exciting ways.
With 150+ PBS KIDS characters, children can create projects based on their favorite shows and can mix-and-match as much as they’d like!
Create your own characters and backgrounds.
Use the recording tool to add sounds and your voice to projects.
There are 8 story starters in the app, featuring a different set of characters and designed to encourage children to edit and complete the story however they’d like.

4. The Cat in the Hat Builds That
Based on the PBS KIDS series, “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That,” this app introduces pre-k kids to science inquiry and engineering (STEM) concepts through games tailored to their learning progress. Kids can build bridges, explore friction through slides and sort fun objects and tools in fantastical lands along with the Cat in the Hat, Nick and Sally.

3 entertaining games focusing on key science concepts
Learn measurements and how sturdy materials are in Bridge-a-rama
Develop organizational and identification skills with Sorta-ma-gogo
Learn about physics, momentum, and surface tension in Slidea-ma-zoo with Thing 1 & Thing 2

Cat In The Hat Builds That App from PBS KIDS

5. Ready Jet Go Space Explorer
The Ready, Jet, Go! Space Explorer app allows players to immerse themselves in the world of Jet and his friends as they explore and play in space in endless ways! Incorporating expert curriculum backed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, kids are encouraged to not only learn about space, but visualize planets, stars and constellations in the context of the world around them.

Dive deep into 300+ planet and constellation facts with Face 9000 by exploring or check out the Solar Encyclopedia
Point your device to the sky and explore to see real world positions of constellations and planets
Play Hide-n-Seek with Jet and Sunspot and earn all the Ready Jet Go! space badges
Add color to the night sky! Paint and color stars and constellations. Your artistic masterpieces will stay visible as you continue exploring.
Play with favorite Ready Jet Go! characters and listen for silly space facts with Jet and his friends!

6. Outdoor Family Fun with Plum
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

7. Molly of Denali
Go on adventures with Molly of Denali from PBS KIDS! In this app, kids ages 4-8 can play with Molly and friends in her Alaskan village, Qyah. Children can go on dog sledding missions, fish, create beading projects or help run the Denali Trading Post. The Molly of Denali app teaches children to use familiar texts such as books, diagrams, and captioned photos to solve problems, accomplish tasks, and help Molly’s friends! The educational games in Molly of Denali support foundational literacy skills in using and understanding informational texts.

Fish Camp: learn about fishing and respecting nature
Sled Dog Dash: learn about dog sledding and caring for your dogs
Beading Art: learn the tradition of Alaskan Native beadwork with simple patterns
Denali Trading Post: interact with customers and fill orders

8. The Cat in the Hat Invents

Build a robot and immerse your kids in STEM learning! The Cat in the Hat Invents engages your preschooler in engineering and problem solving. Join Nick, Sally and the Cat in the Hat as they explore the world of science, working through obstacles as they overcome various engineering challenges.

Machinea-ma-Zoo: Pulleys and levers galore let you learn STEM and more! Play with these simple machines and interact with your robot to help him move through each obstacle.
Odds-n-Endsville: Learn how various material properties work. How do soft and hard materials react? Find out as you test and solve problems to help your robot to the finish line.
Windnasium: Discover the strength of wind power with your Robot. Construct and experiment new ways to use wind to move your robot along the course.
Coldsnap Island: Learn how ice is nice for STEM learning. Your child will find out quickly with her robot that things move differently on ice. Find out how to move your robot through the icy obstacles as you design new ways to engineer machines in a different environment.

Cath in the Hat Invents App from PBS KIDS

9. Ready Jet Go Space Scouts
Design and engineer rovers on the Moon, build a mission controller and guide a spaceship through the solar system, problem solve ways to grow vegetables on Mars- play these games and more to earn all your Space Scout badges along with characters from the PBS KIDS series, Ready Jet Go!

Design your own space rover to drive across planets
Build stable bases across different planets to protect your toy astronaut
Build a mission controller to control robots and spaceships
Grow giant vegetables on Earth, Moon and Mars
Design cooking contraptions to make food for astronauts
Explore the lab to create your own designs and inventions

Ready Jet Go Space Scouts App from PBS KIDS

10. PBS KIDS Play & Learn Engineering
Play and Learn Engineering is an educational, fun-filled app that helps your kids learn through play. Explore and learn engineering concepts with games that grow with your child. Design machines and roller coasters, build towers with robots, and problem solve through an obstacle course. Learn STEM concepts with your child as they experiment with simple engineering tools. Early learning games for preschoolers help your child develop a better understanding of the world around them. Our app empowers your preschooler to test engineering concepts and solve problems on their own. Use early learning tools that allow the app to grow with your child.

11. PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science
Play with shadows, control the weather, roll and slide objects down a ramp, choose the best materials for an umbrella – all while building science inquiry skills and learning core science concepts. The games in the app encourage kids to see the science in their world. They are intentionally designed to serve as catalysts for real-world exploration by modeling real-world locations and experiences. The related hands-on activities and parent notes prompt families to “try it” at home and provide tips for engaging in conversations.

12. Daniel Tiger App for Parents

Help your toddler learn life’s little lessons with their friend and neighbor, Daniel Tiger. Daniel Tiger for Parents is a free parenting app that provides parents and caregivers with popular and catchy kids songs and videos from the hit PBS KIDS series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

WXXI Community Observation Challenge

Join WXXI as we continue to be community scientists and observe our community through a special ongoing WXXI Community Observation Challenge!

Let’s explore the biodiversity our region has to offer by sharing photos of wildlife observations in backyards, local parks, nature trails, sidewalks…Participation is easy, free, and open to anyone in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region. Help us see all the different living things in our community and get excited about being citizen scientists.

What to do:

Download the free iNaturalist app onto your device.
Find wildlife – any plant, animal, tracks, bug, etc.
Take a photo of whatever you find (and remember where you found it!).
Upload your picture to the iNaturalist app and choose the project: WXXI Community Observation Challenge

(Not into using an app? Snap photos of your observations and remember the important details [date, time, location] and then upload on the iNaturalist website later!)

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

To participate in the Backyard Observation Challenge, download the FREE iNaturalist app, which works on all devices – Android version and Apple version. Need help learning how to use iNaturalist? Check out some of the video tutorials. Teachers: there’s even an iNaturalist educator guide to help with use in your classroom instruction!

Take your nature knowledge up a notch with Seek! Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. No registration is involved, and no user data is collected. This is a great app for families who want to spend more time exploring nature together. Learn more and download the Seek by iNaturalist app!