PHOTO BY BEN FILIO

This spring, you might find children constructing their own rope courses at Dragon’s Den in Homestead or exploring river habitats in Verona with the Steel City Rowing Club. You might find them practicing “artivism” in Lawrenceville or coding drones in Norwin — and then flying those drones through an obstacle course.

It’s all part of Remake Learning Days: a festival that, from May 2 to 22, celebrates creative learning opportunities in neighborhoods across the region.

Now in its eighth year, this will be the largest Remake Learning Days yet, with more 350 local partners planning events for kids and families.

PHOTO BY BEN FILIO

The festival is a project of Remake Learning: a Pittsburgh-based network of educators, librarians, artists and others who’ve taken a page from Fred Rogers’ playbook.

“Fred used to say that the best teacher in the world is the one who loves what he or she does, and loves it in front of you,” says Yu-Ling Cheng, a co-producer of the festival.

In that spirit, Remake Learning Days’ partners share whatever they’re passionate about with the region’s kids and families, whether it’s building robots, making paint from local plants or helping kids turn their likenesses into holograms.

Events — most of which are free but require registration — include:

Stream Keepers

May 4, 2024 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. | North Park

This free program is designed to teach STEM and the arts through an action-packed day of fly fishing at a local stream. Youth will leave with a better understanding of what makes a stream healthy, and maybe catch a fish or two as well!

Photography as Art Workshop

May 4, 2024 | 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Carnegie Library of Homestead

This family-friendly workshop will teach adults and kids ages 7+ how to take photos on mobile devices and transform them into physical art they can take home with them. Sick of just taking photos for social media? Is your child interested in photography, but not sure where to start? This event is for you!

Play with your Food!

May 10, 2024 | 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. | Neighborhood North Museum of Play

Families will rediscover the magic of food through cooking workshops, maker activities, imaginative play, and exploration of the natural world!

Penny Arcade

May 11, 2024 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Arcade Comedy Theater

Arcade Comedy Theater presents Penny Arcade, an interactive comedy experience ideal for kids 4 to 8(ish) years old. This 45-minute show encourages kids and their grown-ups to unleash their imaginations and sense of humor. Through a hands-on approach to theater, Penny Arcade fosters collaboration, listening skills, and silliness for everyone at any age.

Ready for Robots

May 15, 2024 | 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Sto-Rox Upper Elementary School

STEM Coding Lab has partnered with the Sto-Rox School District and Google to provide an evening of robotics activities for K-8 kids! They’ll learn important computer science and digital literacy skills while playing with a variety of robots designed to make robotics fun.

Ultimate Play Day

May 18, 2024 | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Riverview Park Activities Shelter

Join Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together and CitiParks for a fun-filled day celebrating the importance and power of play for all people of any age! This free event will be held and hosted at the Activities Shelter at Riverview Park. There’s bound to be something for everyone to enjoy!

Registration for these events — and hundreds more — is now open.

You can search for events by neighborhood, age appropriateness, accessibility accommodations and themes, which include everything from science and technology to art and outdoor learning.

PHOTO BY BEN FILIO

The festival’s events aren’t limited to Southwestern Pennsylvania, either. This year, there are 820 events and counting across the state.

There are virtual events, too, including a live video podcast with the hosts of “Everything Antarctica,” during which kids and families can ask about life on our coldest continent. Another virtual event is an animatronic workshop and puppet show held in Chicago that centers on disability and automation.

Remake Learning Days is funded locally by The Grable Foundation, The Buhl Foundation, PNC Bank, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, along with national sponsors like Learning Heroes, Common Sense Media and ParentPowered.

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