Early Learning

Work It Out @ Your Library builds on Work It out Wombats!, the new animated PBS KIDS series for preschoolers that features Malik, Zadie, and Zeke, three energetic wombat siblings who live with their grandmother in the fantastical “Treeborhood.”

This multimedia library initiative for families with preschoolers takes place both in the library and in families’ homes. Libraries guide families during the library sessions, screening Wombats! episodes and songs and leading them in hands-on activities designed to explore computational thinking. Families then continue the fun at home, using a Wombats! app to do more activities and watch videos.

We believe the key to breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty is intergenerational learning. To that end, 2GEN LABS is an inclusive research and development initiative dedicated to exploring the potential of innovative technologies to promote intergenerational learning among immigrant families with young children. Currently, we are exploring how interactive graphic novels can promote science learning among immigrant parents enrolled in ESOL classes and their young children.

Inspired by characters from the groundbreaking children’s television show MOLLY OF DENALI™, MOLLY OF DENALI™ Family Games consist of four board games, an outdoor game, a storytelling game, a card game, and a BINGO game to play while watching any MOLLY OF DENALI™ episode. The games are geared toward families with children in grades K-2, and promote engagement around informational text and social studies. As families learn about Molly, her community, and Alaska Native values, they are encouraged to reflect on their own family history and culture. The games reinforce literacy, strengthen social studies content knowledge, and give families the opportunity to practice and hone problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

When schools, preschools, childcare programs, and libraries in Massachusetts closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, GBH launched Family Fun at Home/Diversión en familia y en casa. This 12-week bilingual summer learning initiative invited Massachusetts families with young children to do fun hands-on activities, play online games, download and play learning apps, and watch programs—all featuring their favorite PBS KIDS characters.

PEEP and the Big Wide World/El Mundo Divertido de PEEP is a bilingual (English/Spanish) multimedia initiative devoted to preschool STEM learning. The Emmy-winning animated show stars a wide-eyed chick (Peep), a skeptical robin (Chirp), and an irascible but endearing duck (Quack). The three feathered friends live in a large urban park—the “Big Wide World”—a place teeming with science adventures. PEEP features animated episodes and games for preschoolers, hands-on activities for families, and a rich science curriculum and professional development resources for educators.

Early Math with Gracie & Friends™ integrates tablet-based games and non-digital, hands-on activities into traditional preschool routines to maximize young children’s math learning. The curriculum focuses on subitizing (knowing how many without counting) and equipartitioning (also called fair sharing). It also includes a suite of family resources on spatial thinking (navigating, reading maps and diagrams, and following directions). In addition to the eight math apps and almost fifty hands-on activities, the program also includes digital professional development and lesson plans to support teachers.

Early Science with Nico and Nor™ integrates tablet-based games and non-digital, hands-on activities into traditional preschool routines to maximize young children’s science learning. The curriculum focuses on earth science (ramps, force, motion), physical science (shadows), and life science (plants). It features 11 learning apps, which help children prepare to transition to kindergarten with the knowledge and skills they will need to engage in STEM learning.

The Story Emporium is a seven-week preschool program that uses stories and songs to explore computational thinking. Children sing songs and read stories with repetitive, predictable patterns, like “Old MacDonald” and “The Gingerbread Man.” They explore these patterns by making story and song charts, putting on puppet shows and plays, and using a story-making digital app.