EDU Hero

WQED Education is bringing the classroom — and the fun — to you! Watch and learn with our collection of stay-at-home videos full of stories, activities, cooking, and more!
Teachable Moments
Books & the Pursuit of Dreams
Children's Literacy expert Dr. Nosakhere Griffin-El finds power in books, especially in helping youngsters explore their dreams for the future.
Download Resources
Intro to Jazz
One cool component of jazz is "composing on the fly," says Howie Alexander, artistic director of the Afro-American Music Institute. You need to listen and practice every day.
Download Resources
Painting with Nature
Make a beautiful painting - with just the materials you find at hand outside! Amber and Lydia from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy show us how to draw using outdoor objects!
Download Resources
An Active Adventure
Can you follow instructions to get to Fen and Ivy’s house for a tea? Let’s Move Pittsburgh’s Sarah Cullo from Phipps Conservatory gives us some strenuous and fun activities that get us to our destination.
Download Resources
Signing the Alphabet
There are many ways to recite the alphabet -- and in this Teachable Moment, Delaney Gara, shows us how to do it with our hands.
Download Resources
Your Voice Tells a Story
Pittsburgh Festival Opera singer Emily Gallagher gives us a "melodious" lesson on the many ways you can use your voice!
Download Resources
Coding Step by Step
Stem Coding Lab Program Director Jason Hivner explains what the term "algorithm" means. He uses an "algorithm" to teach his partner to complete a simple task.
Download Resources
Acting Out Your Feelings
Jim Scriven from the Pittsburgh CLO Academy explains how to use all your emotions in an acting game called, "These pretzels are making me thirsty."
Download Resources
A Thyme-ly Lesson
Gardener Boaz Frankel shows us common herbs found in our gardens and explains some more unusual uses.
Download Resources
Make a Dance
Attack Theatre dance company members Sarah Zielinski and Allison Popieski show us how to choreograph a dance that reflects our own personalities.
Download Resources
Collage Creations
Nora Peters, director of the Millvale Community Library turns catalogs into colorful, original pieces of art by creating collages.
Download Resources
Your Voice, Your Vote
It’s all about choices: Joe Harmon, a civics teacher at Redbank Valley High School, teaches us how to prepare to vote by using the game “Cast Your Vote.” The more you learn, the better informed you are!
Download Resources
A Photography Lesson
Charlene Foggie-Barnett, community archivist at the Carnegie Museum of Art, shows us how to take exciting family portraits. Charlene takes her hints from Teenie Harris -- one of Pittsburgh's top photographers who chronicled the Black community for decades.
Download Resources
Staying Fit Indoors
Take common items around the house and transform your home into a sports arena. Mike Schall, a phys-ed teacher from the Bethel Park School District, shows us how to use items for sport, while staying fit and having fun!
Download Resources
What's Up? Finding Polaris
Science communicator Ralph Crewe takes us on a trip "up". In this Teachable Moment, "Up" is the night sky and Ralph teaches us how to always locate Polaris, the North Star.
Stars & Space Activity
A Tangram Puzzle
Do you like stretching your mind? How about a neat way to learn shapes AND construct dozens of different puzzles? Try making a Tangram with help from Integrative Media Artist and TEKStart owner Shimira Williams.
Download the Puzzle
How to Draw a Rabbit
Cartoonist Joe Wos takes you through the process of drawing a rabbit, using only a few letters of the alphabet!
Building a Survival Shelter in your Backyard
Lo Zemanek, an educator with Venture Outdoors, shows us how to build a survival shelter using materials scattered around outside like sticks and leaves. And even if there isn't enough to build one for a human being, you could still create one for a furry little stuffed animal!
Download Resources
Searching for Critters
Are there are exotic critters in your backyard? Andrea Redinger is a biology teacher “extraordinaire” at Greensburg Salem High School. Mrs. Redinger, AKA Mrs. Frizzle, gives us a “hands-on” look at two exotic critters that can be found in her classroom, and encourages you to look for other wild life in your own backyard.
Download Resources
A Paper Workout
Can a piece of paper hold up a stack of books? Melissa Unger, South Fayette Elementary School STEAM teacher, gives it a try. Basic concepts like building and distribution of weight are demonstrated in this fun lesson that can easily be done at home.
Download Resources
Create an Obstacle Course
Amanda Stein, a summer camp counselor at South Hills Interfaith Movement, builds an obstacle course in her driveway using chalk and some items she found around her house.
Download Resources
Learning to Sort
Will Tolliver Jr., Early Learning Expert and PBS Kids Early Learning Champion, takes a walk outdoors to find and gather natural materials.
Download Resources
Science and Slushies
Jasmine Hamilton, a middle school science teacher at Propel McKeesport demonstrates a cool scientific phenomenon using a bottle of water and a homemade freezer.
Download Resources
Home Alphabet Lesson
Joe DiLucente and Susan McKeever, from the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, select a letter of the alphabet and then find things around their homes that start with that letter.
Download Resources
History and Street Names
Joe Welch, North Hills Middle School American History and Social Studies teacher, shows how a neighborhood walk observing street name signs can lead to a history lesson.
Download Resources
Family Style
WQED Education is your classroom at home, even in the kitchen!
Reading & Activities
Enjoy these fun stories and activities that you can try at home from our team and your favorite PBS Kids characters!
We're so excited about the 2020 Summer Reading Program from our partners, ACLA Youth Services!
Encouragement Jar | Xavier Riddle
Xavier, Brad, and Yadina visit the Secret Museum where they travel back in time to meet inspirational figures when they were children, like Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
PBS Kids Encouragement Jar ActivityXavier Riddle website
Hero Maker, online game
Jackie Robinson video clip
Xylophone | Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That explores all different science and engineering topics through crazy adventures.
PBS Kids Xylophone ActivityCat in the Hat website
Sound-a-palooza, online game
Sound and vibration, video clip
Hummingbird Feeder | Wild Kratts
The Kratt Brothers love observing and learning about all kinds of animals and their creature superpowers.
PBS Kids Hummingbird Feeder ActivityWild Kratts website
Hummingbird Powers video clip
Animal Match, online game
Bubbles | Hero Elementary
Meet the super students of Sparks’ Crew – Lucita Sky, AJ Gadgets, Benny Bubbles, and Sara Snap – have at their disposal the Superpowers of Science to help them figure out solutions.
PBS Kids Bubble Mix ActivityHero Elementary website
Color in Sparks crew
Geometric Mod Art | Peg + Cat
Peg and her sidekick Cat go on lots of adventures together, which always involves using LOTS of imagination and a messy funny crisis they must somehow solve.
PBS Kids Geometric Art ActivityPeg + Cat website
All About that Shape, video clip
Magical Shape Hunt, online game
Bioluminescence | Splash and Bubbles
Some creatures have the ability to make their own light, like fireflies and glowworms. They are bioluminescent.
PBS Kids Glow in the Dark Water ActivitySplash and Bubbles website
Gallery of bioluminescent animals
Color your own bioluminescent fish