Brought to you by Common Sense Media and Wide Open School, this site offers creative ideas/free activities to move, learn, relax, and connect as a family.

Find tons of activities, games, worksheets and videos in lots of areas: reading and writing, math, social studies, science, offline friendly, emotional well-being, arts/music/DIY, fitness, digital citizenship, life skills, English-Language Learners, virtual field trips, videos and events.

Family History Inquiry Project in action.

In this Grade 1 inquiry project, the students compare past and present. They make personal connections and are engaged in the process of finding out what life really was like in the past, as well as find similarities to their own lives. Through the use of technology, iPod Nanos and mini-camcorders, students will not bogged down by their limited writing abilities. For English language learners, the use of technology permits them to gather stories in their families' native language.

This site has an introductory video to Family Literacy Week, events, resources and even a contest!

The following presentation can be used to explain literacy at home and the PeBL connection.

After reading a short memoir and reviewing the genre, students choose how to create a memoir of a family member who is at least a generation older. Students first select a family member to interview, and then craft a set of interview. Students create written memoirs, focusing on one or two unifying themes, and can be presented as a photographic collage, a series of panels telling a story, a painting, a video, a musical composition, a sculpture, or another creative way. Students accompany their work with an artist̍s journal, explaining why they have chosen the particular method of presentation and analyzing their own successes and shortcomings.

In this facilitator’s guide, you will find:
-A comprehensive Read and Rise program overview.
-Helpful tips for planning your program.
-A list of program materials and resources.
-A step-by-step outline and talking points to help you conduct a successful program.

"A family yoga practice can be a fun, dynamic way to enjoy moments together that turn into memories. Designed for families and groups of all ages, this 25-minute yoga practice features partner work and imaginative play while teaching the value of connectedness."

Creating a place for all parents.

This article by Debbie Pushor looks at parent engagement, school community and well-being.

This is a great video to introduce the idea that failure isn't failure if you keep on trying. It's only failure if you quit.
This can be used to introduce PBL, genius hour, or any time your students are struggling or want to give up easily.

Consider having the students watch the film, then give them a reflection question. Have them re-watch the video with your question in mind and then respond.

Students use the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem shoe engineering! Working in small teams, they design, build and test a pair of wearable platform or high-heeled shoes, taking into consideration the stress and strain forces that it will encounter from the shoe wearer. They conclude the activity with a "walk-off" to test the shoe designs and discuss the design process.

Students design, build and test shoes to develop new styles and improve existing designs.

Students learn about fossils what they are, how they are formed, and why scientists and engineers care about them.

Students will learn about medieval manuscripts and artistic representations of fantastical creatures. They will create their own fantastical creature using complementary colors and write a paragraph describing it.

Play with a bar magnet and coils to learn about Faraday's law. Move a bar magnet near one or two coils to make a light bulb glow. View the magnetic field lines. A meter shows the direction and magnitude of the current. View the magnetic field lines or use a meter to show the direction and magnitude of the current. You can also play with electromagnets, generators and transformers!

Light a light bulb by waving a magnet. This demonstration of Faraday's Law shows you how to reduce your power bill at the expense of your grocery bill.

Students will identify characteristics of farm animals including differentiating between mammals and oviparous (egg laying) animals.