Become a Volunteer
Leah and Beckett from City Mission explain how volunteering can help you learn new skills and become connected to a community while making a difference.
Season 2
The Importance of Being Organized
Nancy Martin, youth services assistant at the Bethel Park Public Library, talks about the importance of organization not only in the library but in our everyday lives.
Modeling Mistakes
Jen Ford, guidance counselor at Wylandville Elementary School, explains the power of talking about mistakes, and how this can be a valuable tool in teaching children how to approach their own missteps in life.
Putting your Dreams into Motion
Vida Kuhns, the owner of Saving Grace Country Store and Consignment in Bakerstown, PA, shares her tips on what you can do right now to achieve your goals.
Kindergarten Readiness
Getting ready for school is an exciting time. Did you know you can practice skills at home to get ready for the school year, and it is never too early to start?
Girls of Steel
Girls of Steel is a robotics program based at Carnegie Mellon University for children and young adults in grades K-12.
It’s Okay to be Silly!
Being silly can help reduce stress, improve mental health, and is overall just fun! Gab Bonesso teaches us how to bring some silly into our everyday lives.
Body Percussion
Amanda and Michael from the Slippery Rock University Music Education Department teach us how to find and create rhythm in our everyday lives.
Biking at Night
In this Teachable Moment, BikePGH’s Ted King-Smith teaches us how to stay safe and be seen while riding at night.
Intro to Interviewing
Larry Berger and Morgan McCray of SLB Radio Productions share interviewing tips.
Dirt Dessert
Maybe you have seen cups of dirt dessert before. But did you know they represent the 4 layers of soil?
Best Books for Babies
Because learning begins at birth, it’s never too early to start sharing books with your baby.
How to Make a Stress Ball
Stress balls can help promote mindfulness, increase focus, and ease stress. Ja’Nya and Jackson, students from WQED Film Academy teach us how to make one using the supplies that we have at home.
How to Learn the Age of a Tree
Joe Stavish, the director of education at Tree Pittsburgh, explains how to estimate the age of a tree using the tools you already have at home!
A Healthy Snack
Erin Spangler, a nutritionist with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, explains the proper ingredients for the perfect trail mix with the help of her friend Makayla.
The Power of Wind
There are plenty of ways for you to discover the power of the wind. Teaching Artist, Dennis Garner shows us how to create a wind tunnel.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Librarian Tiffany Harkleroad points out all of the hidden surprises in a mural and shows how kids can create their own scavenger hunt at home.
Finding Your Center
Felicia Savage Friedman of Yoga Roots on Location teaches us a simple exercise to practice when we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
Dumplings Around the World
Cultural food traditions are preserved by handing them down from one generation to the next. Rachel Sew shares a quick recipe of her family’s tradition of making dumplings.
Circus Science
Constellations are pictures we draw using stars in the night sky. Lindsay Surmacz, aka “The Starry Messenger,” teaches us a few constellations using the art of circus performance.
Season 1
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.”
A Thyme-ly Lesson
Gardener Boaz Frankel shows us common herbs found in our gardens and explains some more unusual uses.
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.
Collage Creations
Nora Peters, director of the Millvale Community Library turns catalogs into colorful, original pieces of art by creating collages.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Webinars
WQED Education has created two Teachable Moments Webinars with veteran educators and longtime WQED Education partners, Denice Pazuchanics and Elaine Volpe. Join us as we talk about ways you can engage your child at home with simple everyday moments.
Watch Teachable Moments Webinars