PHOTOS BY BEN FILIO | REMAKE LEARNING

Looking for something to do this summer? Remake Learning Days has you covered. 

Remake Learning, established in 2007 as a network of more than 600 organizations — schools, museums, libraries and more aiming to make learning more equitable and fun for young people — will once again host its annual hands-on learning festival. 

According to Dorie Taylor, Remake Learning Days producer, events planner and master coordinator, about 150 events — ranging from art workshops to coding classes and other STEM-focused initiatives — are slated for Southwestern Pennsylvania from May 12-23. 

About 130 are in-person, which Taylor says was not the case in 2021. 

“We are excited for families to go to these open houses and showcases and be able to feel comfortable outside of their spaces and their homes,” she says. “It’s wonderful to have so many in-person choices.”

One event is a “superhero science”-themed open house at the Sarah Heinz House on the North Side. Students from kindergarten to 8th grade will learn the science behind their favorite superheroes and villains by making kryptonite slime, learning about the force of a Hulk smash, testing indestructible Wolverine claws and more. It, like most of the events at Remake Learning Days, is free.

Another offering is a songwriting workshop, held at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA through the Lighthouse Project. Local singer-songwriter and producer INEZ will host.

“She’s going to be teaching 7th grade through young adults how to write your own song and use your voice,” Taylor says. 

Some of this year’s events will also let students earn points toward the statewide Career Ready PA initiative through Remake Learning Days’ Career Ready Backpack Challenge. The brainchild of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Career Ready PA initiative prepares students throughout the commonwealth “for meaningful engagement in postsecondary education, in workforce training, in career pathways, and as responsible, involved citizens.”

Remake Learning Days partners with the state to allow students to earn badges and get career portfolio credit for attending some of the festival’s events — learning to fly a drone, marketing a product or planting a garden.

“If students go to any of these events that have a career-ready badge near them, they can earn the points,” Taylor says. “They get a badge, and if the school gets so many events, the school can earn a banner. It supports schools, it supports students.” 

While most of the events are in person, there are also virtual events — both synchronous and on-demand — that will be posted on the festival’s website. The website will also provide families with a one-stop shop to learn about what events are happening near them — both during the 11-day festival and beyond.

The first Remake Learning Days event was held in the spring of 2016. It has continued to grow from there; once a local initiative, there are now events held across the U.S., all of which hope to support children and families from all walks of life.

“We really want to uplift youth and families in rural communities, in urban communities, learners of color, learners in poverty, learners with disabilities, girls in STEM,” Taylor says. “It’s a celebration. It’s a way to honor all of the learning that happens in a school year and have families understand what opportunities exist for summer.”