On-Demand

Norm & Company: Jack Garner On-Demand

In 2017, the then retired chief film critic for the Democrat and Chronicle and the Gannett newspaper chain, joined WXXI President Norm Silverstein for Norm & Company. Jack talked about growing up in Williamsport, PA, his college days at St. Bonaventure for undergrad and Syracuse University for grad school, and how he landed his job with the D&C and Gannett. He also shared one of his proudest moments, his all-time favorite movies, and stories of interviewing some of Hollywood’s most famous actors.

Norm & Company is hosted by WXXI President & CEO Norm Silverstein, who speaks with long-time Rochesterians as they recount fascinating stories about their lives in the community.

Odd Squad: Games, Videos, Podcast & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Odd Squad on https://pbskids.org/oddsquad

Explore the PBS LearningMedia Odd Squad Collection & Ready to Learn: Odd Squad Collection

From recapturing a gallon-sized blob that has separated into smaller pieces, to dealing with magical creatures who have escaped from books, there is no occurrence that is too strange for the Odd Squad! “Odd Squad,” a series for children ages 5 to 8, features a team of kid agents as they face off against various villains wreaking havoc, all while using math concepts to solve each case. In other words: Odd is the problem, math is the solution.

Watch the Playlist from Odd Squad:

Odd Squad Playlist from PBS KIDS

Listen to the Odd Squad Podcast: Also here:

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite Activities:

Get Ready with These ODD activities!

Activity: Find YOUR Odd Squad Agent Name and Badge Number
Game: Build Your Mission Skills! Play Odd Squad online games . Try the new Agent Academy!
Activity: Create and design your own Odd Squad Agent Badge.
Book List: 12 Books to Excite Your Child’s Mathematical Imagination
Article: 8 Easy Ways to Add Math into Your Daily Routine
Article: Kitchen Math: How Mealtime Can Support Kids’ Number Sense

Activity: Come up with your own ODD popcorn seasoning (that you like) !!
Activity: Make something ODD out of your own DIY Silly Putty

Learn more at the PBS KIDS for Parents Odd Squad

Code Switch Podcast from NPR

What’s CODE SWITCH? It’s the fearless conversations about race that you’ve been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we’re all part of the story. Learn More:

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: Games, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum on https://pbskids.org/xavier

Explore the PBS LearningMedia Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Collection

Inspired by the best-selling kids book series, Ordinary People Change the World, by New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos, XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM follows the adventures of Xavier, Yadina and Brad as they tackle everyday problems by doing something extraordinary: traveling back in time to learn from real-life inspirational figures like Marie Curie, Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson when they were kids. Each adventure will help young viewers make the connection between the skills that made these historical figures heroes and those same qualities within themselves, helping them discover that they, too, can change the world.

Watch Playlist of Full Episodes:

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite Activities:

Online games: Hero Maker or Hidden Heroes .
Printable: Coloring can be a great activity to do while watching! Print out Yadina or Xavier for your child to color!
Puzzle: We are big fans of the Florence Nightingale Word Search or the Amelia Earhart Word Find!
Activity: Make a list of traits that great heroes have.
Puzzle: How about an Xavier Riddle maze?
Activity: Beef up your kiddo’s self esteem with the Make a Hero Self Portrait activity.
Activity: Play a Storytelling game using these Xavier storytelling dice (or make up your own version!)

Learn more at the PBS KIDS for Parents Xavier Riddle & and Secret Museum

Let’s Go Luna: Games, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Let’s Go Luna on https://pbskids.org/luna

Explore the PBS LearningMedia Let’s Go Luna Collection

“Let’s Go Luna!” is a show for kids ages 4 to 7 that follows the adventures of three friends as they travel the world with their parents’ traveling performance troupe, “Circo Fabuloso.” At each of the Circo’s stops, Luna the Moon guides the trio – Leo, a wombat from Australia; Carmen, a butterfly from Mexico; and Andy, a frog from the United States – as they get to know the local region and its people. Their adventures take them through cities around the globe where they explore the food, music, art, architecture and other features that make each place unique and wonderful.

Watch Playlist of Full Episodes:

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite Activities:

Activity: Write down your family’s favorite recipes with these Luna recipe cards.
Game: Pick a creative game like Carmen’s World Orchestra or Andy’s Art Studio.
Article: A walk around the block can be a grand adventure
Craft: Make a Chinese rattle drum.
Article: How to help your child discover the world.

Learn more at the PBS KIDS for Parents Let’s Go Luna

Hero Elementary: Games, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Hero Elementary on https://pbskids.org/heroelementary

“Hero Elementary” is a school for budding superheroes, where kids learn to master their powers, like flying and teleportation, while exploring science along the way! The series aims to give children ages 4 to 7 the tools to solve problems by thinking and acting like scientists and sparking their natural curiosity and empathy.

Watch Playlist of Full Episodes:

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite Activities:

Game: Play Super Seasons Snapshot
Activity: Make your own BUBBLE mix!
Activity: Print out some coloring sheets: Sparks Crew AJ Gadgets Benny Bubbles Lucita Sky Sara Snap
Article: 5 Engaging Questions to Discover Your Child’s Thinking
Article: Use the Superpowers of Science to Play and Learn
Learning Resources: Explore the Hero Elementary PBS LearningMedia Collection

Learn more at the PBS KIDS for Parents Hero Elementary

Sid the Science Kid: Games, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Sid the Science Kids and friends on https://pbskids.org/sid

Sid the Science Kid uses comedy and music to promote exploration, discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. Sid the Science Kid features a practical in-school science curriculum and celebrates children’s natural curiosity about science in everyday life. The energetic and inquisitive Sid starts each episode with a new question (“Why are my shoes shrinking?” “Why do bananas get mushy?”) and embarks on a fun-filled day of finding answers with the help of family and friends.

WXXI Education Favorites
Here are a few of our favorite Activities:

Game: Play Vegetable Planting or Vegetable Harvest and get your veggie on!
Activity: Print out some Sid coloring sheets to use while you’re watching!
Article: Talking Positively About Scary Weather (from PBS Parents)
Activity: 11 Easy Recipes for Gak, Playdough, and Slime (from PBS Parents)
Article: 7 Creative Ways to Learn About Animals (from PBS Parents)
Learning Resources: Explore the Sid the Science Kid PBS LearningMedia Collection

Learn more at the PBS KIDS for Parents Sid the Science Kid Page

Driving While Black On-Demand

Chronicling the riveting history and personal experiences of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond. Available to watch through 10/12/27.

Driving While Black: Race, Space, and Mobility in America, a ground-breaking, two-hour documentary film by acclaimed historian Dr. Gretchen Sorin and Emmy–winning director Ric Burns. The film chronicles the riveting history and personal experiences of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond. It explores the deep background of a recent phrase rooted in realities that have been an indelible part of the African American experience for hundreds of years – told in large part through the stories of the men, women and children who lived through it.

Drawing on a wealth of recent scholarship – and based on and inspired in large part by Gretchen Sorin’s recently published study of the way the automobile and highways transformed African American life across the 20^th century – the film examines the history of African Americans on the road from the depths of the Depression to the height of the Civil Rights movement and beyond, exploring along the way the deeply embedded dynamics of race, space and mobility in America during one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in American history.

The right to move freely and safely across the American landscape has always been unequally distributed by race and powerfully contested in the American experience. With urgent and powerful relevance to issues and dynamics at work in American society today – of race and class, gender, safety, law enforcement, automobile culture, recreation, personal freedom and national identity – this resonant and deeply moving history is at once revelatory, troubling and deeply inspiring for what it uncovers about the long road to justice in American history, and about the creativity, courage and commitment to change that makes it possible.

Driving While Black utilizes a rich archive of material from the period — including footage, photographs, advertisements, road signs, maps, letters and legal records — and weaves together oral histories and the on-camera insights of scholars, writers, musicians and ordinary American travelers. Program website.