In today’s fast-paced world, it is often a challenge for families to spend time together around a meal or have a conversation concerning the day’s events, much less take advantage of a teachable moment. We frequently are looking for “real” opportunities for adults and their children’s to slow down, enjoy the moments and be life-long learners together both in and outside of school.
Such was the case when sixteen families gathered at Lee County Elementary on a series of Monday evenings to participate in the Creative Family Learning Workshops in November and December. These sessions were a product of a U.S. Department of Education grant which focuses on early learning and family engagement with science content as its focus.
“This series of workshops has helped Aiden so much”, said grandmother Robin Phillips who is raising her eight-year-old grandson. “It’s like these activities gave him permission to explore and experiment with different ideas and see what would happen without the fear of failure. His confidence and excitement toward learning have grown tremendously. These last four weeks have brought us closer as a family. Now he wants to extend his learning beyond the classroom when he gets home.”
The five-year Ready to Learn initiative is being led by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) via its numerous public media stations across the country. Kentucky Educational Television (KET), is one of those, partnered with the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) and its Appalachian Renaissance Initiative to extend this learning opportunity and quality resources in our rural communities.
“As adults, we are guilty of just going about our daily lives and not talking a little extra time to question, explain or explore with our children concepts from the more basic to most complex”, cautioned KET Early Childhood Director Amanda Wright. “We are truly consumers from that standpoint. This project provides time for families to learn together, building a foundation for inquiry, problem-solving and teamwork, skills necessary for children’s success. ”
During the weekly sessions, children had a chance to hear from the popular animated cartoon character Ruff Ruffman to discuss everyday STEM-related concepts illustrated by the award-winning PBS KIDS content. Following Ruff’s explanation of the evening’s topic, the cafeteria erupted with excitement as adults and children began their hands-on activities.
Research reminds us family engagement makes a big difference in student interest, performance, and long-term outcomes. The Family Creative Learning Workshops are designed for children ages five to eight. However, the content is offered in a fun and interactive fashion so children younger and older benefit from the activities and discussions. In fact, children from age two to twelve were actively involved in the Beattyville sessions.
Each night, participating families enjoyed a light meal prior to delving into the selected topic. Weekly themes ranged from mixtures, materials, force & motion and structures. After learning about the key concepts and common vocabulary, families utilized the scientific method to design, test, and evaluate their task. Time was devoted to recording predictions and observations in the families’ journals and to talk about important findings, just as scientists do on a regular basis.
“A highlight for our family was making Playdoh together”, said Dennis Johnson, a father of 2-year old Corey and 4-year old Andrew. “Sure, you can go to the store and buy it which is quicker and less messy, but watching them and hearing the conversation was invaluable. These will remain memories for all of us that cannot be bought, all while teaching and learning informally.”
When asked about the recruitment of the families to participate, Sherry Lanham, Lee County Family Resource Center Director, confirmed,
“It was no surprise to me that they (our families) responded so positively to this type learning experience. Actually, we had to limit our numbers based on available space and resources. We are so grateful to KET and KVEC for bringing this unique approach to us which can be used in a variety of settings.”
Jim Tackett, KVEC ARI Readiness Lead, and Forward in the Fifth Executive Director summed it up this way.
“Equipping our children and families for the future is one of the greatest responsibilities we have as educators. KVEC’s Appalachian Renaissance Initiative focusing on early childhood and family engagement aligns so nicely with many of our partners’ missions, including KET’s Ready to Learn work. By collectively providing the knowledge, skills, and networks for our families and communities, rural lives are being transformed stronger than ever.”
Every family attended all four sessions of the workshop and received a PBS Kids Playtime Pad, preloaded with age-appropriate apps and content for continued learning and exploration.
