F
or the past few years, Lincoln and
William Penn Elementary families
have been partnering with WQED
to offer a module from the PBS Family
Creative Learning Series, and this
year the partnership has expanded
to include all Bethel Park elementary
schools.
The Family Creative Learning sessions
are designed to bring children and
their parents together after school for
four weeks, focusing on a particular
subject. The purpose of the program
was to provide parents and students
the opportunity to learn, explore, make
and share together, with the word,
“tinkering” an apt description of many
of the activities that occurred during the
sessions.
Each week began with dinner together,
followed by some games and ice-
breaking activities, before embarking on
the week’s theme.
Franklin, Memorial and Washington
families learned how to create
presentations on iPads by using the PBS
Scratch Jr coding program.
To better understand what it meant
to code, they participated in some
fun exercises, such as trying to teach
someone how to make a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich with just verbal
commands. What the students quickly
learned was, it’s more than just saying,
“Spread some peanut butter and jelly
on two pieces of bread and eat.” They
learned that details are important, and if
you leave out a step such as “Take a knife
out of the drawer,” you can’t make the
sandwich.
The same goes for coding. Students
learned they have to tell the computer
specifically what they want it to do.
Memorial students oftentimes showed their
parents how to complete tasks, rather than the
other way around, during the Family Creative
Learning Series.
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After four weeks, the
students were able to share
their presentations with all
of the participating families.
The final projects were
entertaining and as diverse as
the students who participated!
The teachers who
shepherded the program
saw that in many cases the
students were the teachers,
showing their parents how
to use the technology.
The families agreed that
the program was a great
opportunity to learn together
and that it was OK to make
mistakes, because the
Students and parents really enjoyed making and tasting their
mistakes facilitated the
own salsa recipes.
learning
William Penn families have
hosted this program for a couple of
Pazuchanics wouldn’t cancel the sessions.
years, focusing on the Scratch Jr coding
Instead, they developed their own
program. This year 20 families had fun
curriculum centered around the Lincoln
learning about the Science Inquiry and
Community Garden, which provides fresh
Engineering Design Processes with
vegetables to the South Hills Interfaith
PBS characters Ruff Ruffman and his
Movement’s Food Pantry.
assistants, Blossom and Chet.
Students and parents were able to
Each week, families explored a new
learn how gardens not only sustain
concept, such as such as mixtures,
communities, but they also help
material science, force and motion, and
the environment. Some of the fun
structures.
things attendees were able to work
In the force and motion unit, parents
on included, developing their own
and students built three ramps out of
salsa recipe, making a butterfly feeder,
materials such as aluminum foil, plastic,
decorating pots for plants, creating worm
sandpaper and play dough to see on
composting bins, making wild seed
which surfaces a Matchbox car could
dumplings and container gardens.
travel farthest. Before they sent their cars
PBS was so impressed with the
down the ramps, they first had to make
curriculum developed by the Lincoln
predictions in their journals. They also
teachers, that they are considering
had to use their observation skills once
adapting it for nation-wide rollout.
they sent their cars down the ramps,
The focus of the Family Creative
as well as use their measuring skills to
Learning Series is to build community,
determine how far the cars traveled on
learn together and focus on the students.
each of the ramps.
The structure centers around the meal
Lincoln families have enjoyed
together, followed by exploration,
participating in the Family Creative
making and sharing.
Learning Series for several years, offering
Feedback from students and parents
both the Scratch Jr. and Ruff Ruffman
has been overwhelmingly positive, with
series.
one parent saying on social media, “This
This year Lincoln was going to be
is the best program ever! It’s so much
one of the first schools in the country
fun!”
to use the newest PBS program, but the
The Bethel Park School District is proud
curriculum wasn’t ready in time for the
to partner with WQED and PBS and looks
Spring Session.
forward to expanding its partnership to
Never fear! Lincoln First Grade Teacher
provide students and families with more
Dawn Douds and Librarian Denice
learning programs.