Sid the Science Kid’s Super Duper Ooper Schmooper Big Idea About Water’s Journey!
Saturday, February 25: 9am to noon

Each day, Sid and his friends practice doing what scientists do.  Now you can join Eight, Arizona PBS at Herberger Park, 58^th Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix, to observe, ask questions and record your ideas about water. At this special FREE event along the banks of Arizona Falls, the whole family can learn about water in all different ways – looking at it under a microscope, watching a Sid the Science Kid episode, finding out what a hydrologic engineer does, making their own canal maps – and of course, meet the kid who wants to know everything about everything – Sid the Science Kid!

Arizona SciTech Festival
February 2012

Looking for an awesome event to attend to learn more about science, technology and innovation in the great state of Arizona?

Schedule in English/ Spanish         

Related resources to extend the excitement in az.pbslearningmedia.org

Eight-Arizona PBS Educational Outreach will provide a series of six FREE Family Literacy Workshops at various locations throughout North Phoenix. These 2-hour workshops will enhance your understanding of reading and language development of children birth to 5 years of age. Parents will be provided many FREE materials to enhance literacy with your young child.

Go to Workshops

Eight-Arizona PBS Educational Outreach will provide a series of six FREE Family Literacy Workshops at various locations throughout Yuma. These 2-hour workshops will enhance your understanding of reading and language development of children birth to 5 years of age. Parents will be provided many FREE materials to enhance literacy with your young child.

Go to Workshops

The APEX Project: Arizona Providers Engaging in Excellence (APEX)

Rio Salado College, in collaboration with KAET/ASSET (Arizona State University), offers a coaching model for early childhood professional development. Arizona's Providers Engaging in Excellence: The APEX Project has as its primary goal to advance the quality of care and education for Arizona's children by developing and sponsoring educational opportunities for childcare personnel to improve their knowledge and skills when working in any settings (e.g., family day care homes, centers, schools). APEX serves childcare personnel in the Northwest Maricopa and Central Maricopa Regions.

All Great Seminars will be in available in 2 locations: 

• CENTRAL Maricopa: Rio Conference Center, 2323 W. 14th Street, Tempe, AZ
• NORTHWEST Maricopa: Communiversity @ Surprise, 15950 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, AZ, 85374

Workshops are from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Registration available Here

The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!

& Other PBS STEM Early Childhood Adventures for Early Childhood Settings

Participants will learn strategies to develop a child's natural interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through play, song, questioning, storytelling and literacy activities that are aligned to Arizona Early Learning Standards. Learn all about encouraging inquiry, questions and problem-solving with these free resources from Eight -Arizona PBS. Complementary online and offline activities encourage families to read and explore their environments together.

• CENTRAL Maricopa: February 18, 2012 (9:00-11:00)
• NORTHWEST Maricopa: February 18, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available Here

PBS KIDS Super WHY! Learning Adventure Tool Kit

Wonder Red with the power of words… Alpha Pig with the power of the Alphabet… curious and want to learn more?  Participants will each receive the SUPER WHY! Learning Adventures Toolkit and explore how to make use to this critically acclaimed curriculum within their own center or home based care setting. Review each of the critical reading skills identified by the National Reading Panel, including alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and reading comprehension. Through the games and classic storytelling, participants will enjoy adventures and skill building first hand they can then try with their children!

*ECERS-R dramatic play, language, books, tv/video, and interaction are addressed in this workshop content

• CENTRAL Maricopa: April 28, 2012 (9:00-11:00)
• NORTHWEST Maricopa: April 21, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available Here

Arizona Director’s Academy (AZDAC)

Rio Salado College, in collaboration with KAET/ASSET (Arizona State University), is initiating professional development coaching model for early childhood directors and administrators. Named the Arizona Director's Academy (AZDAC), the goal of this program is to advance the quality of care and education for Arizona's children by developing and sponsoring educational opportunities for childcare personnel that improve the administration and management skills of current early childhood program administrators, directors and supervisors. The proposed design for AZDAC will serve childcare personnel in the South Phoenix Maricopa Region.

All Great Seminars will be in available in 1 location: 

• South Phoenix: Rio Salado Conference Center, 2323 W. 14th, Street Tempe, AZ 85281 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available here.

Communicating Your Strengths Using Free Public Relations Tools  

Get your toes wet by participating in a hands-on, interactive seminar where you will have an opportunity to reflect on your marketing and public relations efforts for your child care center/business.  What strengths do you provide to children and their parents/grandparents every day?  How do you foster collaboration with your staff and provide leadership in curriculum?

This  seminar will focus on the following key elements of public relations and exploring free tools available to you:

• Benefits of building a Google site

• Who are your key stakeholders in the community?

• Compare various social media PR tools available

• Discuss strategies on managing contacts and timely updates

PAS: Marketing and Public Relations – External Communications

PAS:  Technology – Technological Resources

• South Phoenix: February 18, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available here.

Showcasing Your Program through Online Web Tools                             

Market your early childhood program using online web tools free and easy.  Bring digital photos with you to help promote the wonderful work going on in your center.  Showcase the learning and opportunities that you provide for children within each age group you serve.  Even if you aren’t feeling very creative, digital templates will help tell your story.

This seminar will focus on the following objectives:

• Create a digital online scrapbook or photo album showcasing the benefits of your program

• Learn the basics to begin a Google site

• Begin to gather the success stories to share about your program within the webpage

• Understand the difference between a webpage and a blog

PAS: Marketing and Public Relations – External Communications

PAS:  Technology -  Use of Technology

• South Phoenix: March 17, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available here.

Connecting Resources to Your Site – Implementing Practical Strategies                      

Brainstorm how your center website can offer online resources parents can use with their children at home.  Connect with free resources aligned with Arizona Early Learning Standards and bring ideas to share in discussion to add to your site.

This seminar will focus on the following objectives:

• Learn the basics to begin connecting social media to your website

• Understand real world suggestions and cautions regarding social media tools

• Gain innovative ideas and practical advice to bring mobility and collaboration safely

• Implement practical strategies (i.e. requests for tax credit donations, notices about child care subsidies, employer child care benefits, First Things First announcements, etc.)

PAS: Marketing and Public Relations – External Communications

• South Phoenix: April 28, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available here.

Developing Community Collaborations                                                        

Enhance your early childhood center’s Google site with a wealth of community resources by exploring what is available free of charge to families with children birth to age five.  Many have websites and 1-800 telephone numbers you can link to from your site.  Expand your website so it becomes the place parents want to visit often.

This seminar will focus on the following objectives:

• Explore the types of calendars that can be added to websites or blogs

• Brainstorm specific services and resources for each age group served by your center (i.e. developmental screenings, developmental milestones, age appropriate books, etc.

• Share your center website with other participants

PAS: Family Partnerships – Family Communications

PAS: Marketing and Public Relations – External Communications

• South Phoenix: May 26, 2012 (9:00-11:00)

Registration available here.

This workshop is an introduction to building and programming robots using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT Robotics System. You will practice construction and programming with the NXT intelligent brick with servo style motors and ultrasonic sensor. In groups, participants will build different robots and program them with a computer to move, react, and make sounds in order to solve challenges.

This workshop will introduce to you ways of integrating robotics and STEM into your school or classroom. Come and see what is possible; your students will thank you for this. Join two distinguished Scottsdale Community College professors as they present this hands-on inquiry based STEM workshop. Register soon!

When: Saturday, April 14, 2012
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm, coffee and snacks at 8:30am (Lunch on your own)
Location: ASU Downtown Campus (Room is TBD)
Cost: Only $130.00

This workshop is limited to the first 30 educators who register.

How to Register: Go to http://www.regonline.com/asset_robotics

For more information, please contact Mark Becker at mark.becker@asu.edu.

Join us for one of the following webinars on az.pbslearningmedia.org to learn more about this resource that offers thousands of curriculum and professional development resources from the best of public media and its partners…for FREE! The new media-on-demand service is designed specifically for educators and provides a variety of resource types -- videos, interactives, documents, audio and images -- all curriculum-targeted for classroom use.

Also discover a presenter toolkit providing a comprehensive set of free materials which can be tailored to meet school and participant professional development needs, including a downloadable powerpoint with notes, video descriptions, printable handouts, and suggested activities.

Webinars will be held:

Thursday, February 16, 4:00pm
Thursday, March 15, 4:00pm
Thursday, April 12, 4:00pm
Thursday, May 17, 4:00pm

Click Here to sign up.