This post is brought to you by Remake Learning Days and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
Today I’m excited to share about Remake Learning Days Across America and the special events happening around the country, including here in Chicago, this weekend. From Remake Learning (which began in 2007), the festival Remake Learning Days was developed to provide opportunities for parents and caregivers to experience learning with their children. The festival, now in it’s fourth year, lets families with children from pre-k through high school have hands-on, relevant, engaging educational experiences. The mission is to inspire youth to find their passion and learn important skills like creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration that will help them navigate the rapid social and technological changes that are happening. I believe that offering opportunities like this is vital in preparing our children for the future and the fact that the majority of these events are free and accessible to all families helps close the equity gap in education.
This festival is supported by the lead sponsor, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and presenting sponsors, The Grable Foundation and Schmidt Futures but features several hundred innovative learning events that are hosted by a variety of organizations and schools. The events are designed to be hands-on and relevant educational experiences that let kids and their families learn alongside one another and encourage youth to develop their sense of creativity, perseverance and curiosity. The events are organized by different learning themes such as Arts, Maker, Outdoor Learning, Science, Technology and Youth Voice. In addition, there are Professional Development sessions for school, out-of-school, childcare and non-traditional educators.
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- Arts features hands-on learning and expression through all kids of art including: theatre, dance, visual art, music, photography, and more!
- “Making” is about taking things apart and putting it back together. Tinker, build, and create with all kinds of materials. Try a 3D printer, take apart a toy to see what’s inside and then rebuild it, or create a marshmallow tower!
- Outdoor Learning is about experiencing and learning about the natural world. How can we think about the environment, sustainability, and more by exploring our very own back yards?
- Science is all about experimentation! Kids and adults can explore chemistry, biology, geography and more. How does our world work? What can we test and explore in the world around us?
- Technology gives kids the chance to explore their digital world. Want to try coding? Build robots? Learn circuitry? Look for technology events that help you discover new things.
- Youth Voice is about youth leadership and amplifying youth voice. Youth have the ability to express themselves in so many ways such as: through audio, video, art, music, and more. Youth voice-related events highlight how youth express themselves in their own ways.
Remake Learning began in 2007 and this year is providing opportunities for parents/caregivers to experience learning with their children through festivals in nine regions thanks to national partnerships with PBS and Digital Promise (an organization that aims to close the digital learning gap). Eastern Kentucky and Knoxville, TN already had their events in April but here are the ones happening this weekend still:
- Southwestern Pennsylvania, May 9-19
- Southeastern Pennsylvania, May 15-24
- West Virginia, May 9-19
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 11-18
- Chicago, IL, May 16-19
- Triangle Region (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), North Carolina, May 17-18
- Northeast Ohio, May 15-19
Want to find events near you? Check out the map of events here. What I love most is the variety of opportunities there are. Looking at events around Chicago I see workshops where kids can learn about electricity, a puzzle club, a chemistry class where kids can make bath bombs, and a career development opportunity to learn from a scientist about their job. There really is something for everyone! I’d encourage families to check out all the events and then choose some that interest your child and some that might introduce them to new concepts or careers. You never know what will spark an interest!
RLDAA events not nearby you? New regions are welcome to join Remake Learning Days Across America and host their own version of Remake Learning Days! Learn more here on how you can share your event as a RLD Pop-Up event.