KBTC Hits the Road- PBS Annual Meeting in Austin

There is a certain level of pride in the work that we here at KBTC do in the community. This year, we had the opportunity to share the work that we have been doing with a group of our public media peers at the PBS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

The KBTC team met up with colleagues from other PBS stations across the nation to share best practices and work around the Ready To Learn initiative in our local communities. KBTC joined forces with WVIZ ideastream from Cleveland and KLRU from Austin to present Using RTL to Bridge the Digital Divide Through Housing Authority and Public School Partnerships.

The presentation illustrated ways that these three unique PBS stations have leveraged Ready To Learn resources to create deep and meaningful partnerships with local schools and housing authorities. The full presentation can be seen below, along with a case statement from the participating stations.

Through work around the Ready To Learn initiative, stations have been able to:

• Identify and elevate connections between early childhood education to high school graduation and carer readiness
• Facilitate early childhood professional development trainings and parent workshops
• Form partnerships with local organizations to provide educational support and resources
• Make technology accessible through online and mobile resources and  Mobile Technology Labs 
• Create out-of-school-time programs to reach at-risk youth 
• Increase funding opportunities around education and community outreach programs

Check out these videos for a more in-depth look at the Ready To Learn work that is being done with community partners across the nation.

Derek Kilmer Visits Salishan

Congressman Derek Kilmer visited Salishan today to take a look at Brown Bags and Books and the activities that KBTC brings twice-a-week to kids ages 2-10. He got a chance to see The Electric Company in action with a great game of hop-scotch that taught kids how to change the endings of words to change their meaning, and played with the PBS Kids apps that help supplement the hands-on activities. 

Congressman Kilmer helps Nate learn about dodecahedrons.

Congressman Kilmer and Summer Learning Assistant Danay Jones help lead kids in educational games from PBS Kids.

Camp Celebration

Our last week of camp brought fun activities, lots of learning, and an end-of-camp Celebration with parents and siblings. The Comcast award allowed us to purchase a suite of iPads that the kids could use in their classes for games and research, and it was the first time that many of them had used one.

The Camp Celebration started with a workshop for parents on finding and using PBS Kids resources online, both for games and hands-on activities. They were also invited to sign up for Digital Connectors trainings and Summer Family Digital Literacy classes through the Tacoma Urban League. You can see Victoria Woodards, President/CEO of the Tacoma Urban League, talking about their program here:

We're all sorry to see the end of camp, and hope to be back next summer!

Games in the Electric Company

Awards for all of our campers!

Even Ben the Beaver got one...

And we played lots of games.

Join us for the rest of the summer at the Family Investment Center in Salishan for Brown Bags and Books: Mondays and Fridays, 12:00 - 12:45 Lunch, 12:45 - 1:45 Activity, 2:00 - 4:00 Mobile Technology Lab.

And at Wright Park for the Mobile Technology Lab: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 2:00 - 4:00pm

Halfway Through Camp

We're at the halfway mark now at the KBTC Kids Camp, and we're all wishing that it could be longer. One of the things that is most striking about this camp is how genuinely happy the kids are to be there. With friends, excited teachers, interesting lessons, and their favorite characters, the KBTC Kids Camp is a joy to see and experience. As the activities continue, our teachers are also adding their own experience and expertise to the plans, adjusting them as they learn more about the kids and interests in the room. While the lessons are always engaging, fun, and educational, it's a great benefit to have the ability to personalize them for each class,  camp, and camper.

Here's a look from the first half of camp:

Charades and Challenges

Another great day at KBTC Kids Camp! Today brought us some challenges: Can you get a hula hoop from one end of a line to another? Can you collect bird food (dried kidney beans) using only a toothpick? Can you act what it's like to be a wall? We answered all of these questions!

Learning about Hispanic Heritage from Maya and Miguel

Aaliyah demonstrates the word "wall," from the Word Charades Game in Super Why

Who can get the most food with their beaks?! Eat Like a Bird keeps us on our toes.

KBTC Kids Camp!

Today was the day! The KBTC Kids Camp at Lister Elementary School, funded by an award from Comcast, kicked off in grand fashion. With three teachers, a Camp Manager, and a boatload of fun, we got into lots of PBS Kids activities.

We started off by choosing group names (and some group chants) for each grade level. These are our Bucket Filling Buddies, the third grade class. They're committed to filling their buckets full of fun and learning.

All of our groups became engineers with Fetch!, figuring out how to make a boat powered by wind. This group of second graders did a great job creating their sail.

And finally, we have a table full of wind-powered boats!

Next up: Computer time! Wild Kratts, Daniel Tiger, and many other PBS favorites are enjoyed during this time.

After begging us to let him dance, we played a song from the Electric Company at the end of the day.

We'll be at Lister for the next three weeks - hope to see you there!

Peg + Cat brings Summer Counting

KBTC Kids in Salishan learned to count to 100 today with the help of Peg + Cat! Using the Learning Resources about numbers and counting, we found chickens and fed Space Creatures, practiced counting up to 100 by counting by tens, and helped Peg to solve her big problems. Practice more counting skills by:

• Making a list of 100 things you can learn this summer;
• Making a paper chain 100 links long, writing something that you're grateful for on each one;
• Drawing a picture of 100 of something;
• Visiting PBSKids.org to play counting games.

Summer in Salishan!

Welcome to summer!

We're spending time each week in Salishan as part of Brown Bags and Books. This daily program starts at noon with lunch for all kids ages 18 and under, and then invites the kids to take part in an activity. KBTC is on site on Mondays and Fridays, offering hands on PBS Kids activities for anyone who would like to join. We also have some time set aside for the Mobile Technology Lab, a drop-in session for kids to play PBS Kids games on our computers.

Miss Danay helps a student get started on a Word Girl game.

Almost ready to fly this kite...

It works!

The weekly schedule for Brown Bags and Books is:

Monday: KBTC Kids

Tuesday: Tacoma Public Library or Write@253
Wednesday: (none scheduled at this time)
Thursday: Write@253
Friday: KBTC Kids

Family Celebration at Spring Break Camp 2014

The final day of Spring Break Camp 2014 was a great success, with the afternoon our Family Celebration. There was dancing from each grade level and a performance from the DASH Center, a movie of the campers learning Star Wars (led by Write@253), awards for each camper, and lots of food. The Press Pool distributed their newspaper to all the families, campers, volunteers, and staff - they did a great job!

Dancing during recess

Watching the Star Wars/Shakespeare movie

Dance routine from the third graders

Parents watching the performance

The Spring Break Times was published on Friday, April 4th, and distributed at the Family Celebration. Our campers researched newspapers; chose topics; researched camp; interviewed campers, volunteers, and staff; wrote and edited all of their own content; and took pictures of camp. The computers and cameras used are a part of KBTC's Mobile Technology Lab. Read all about it!

Alyssa Urish (left), from Peace Community Center, helped lead camp.

Barb (right) is a wonderful volunteer with the K/1 group.

Jim Brandt (left), from Umpqua Bank has led the Press Pool for three years.

Brendan Nelson (right), AmeriCorps member with Peace Community Center, joined the Press Pool for the first time.

Day 4 at Spring Break Camp 2014

The Press Pool is finishing up articles and putting together The Spring Break Times... Kites have been designed, decorated, and tested... Today was the dress rehearsal for Shakespeare's Star Wars...

Another great day at Spring Break Camp, our campers are ready for their performances at tomorrow's Family Celebration.

Decorating a kite

Figuring out the kites...

Finished!

Costumes for Star Wars