FAMILY CREATIVE WITH RUFF RUFFMAN
Family Creative Learning is a series of four sessions which are two hours long spanning four consecutive weeks. The Ruff Ruffman Family Creative Learning Workshops are designed for families with children ages 4-8 however; siblings of all ages are welcome.
The Ruff Ruffman Show is a series designed to help kids learn core science concepts through videos, game-play, and hands-on activities. The series stars canine host extraordinaire Ruff Ruffman, who, along with his assistants, Blossom and Chet, answers questions from real kids, takes on challenges, and learns the value of failure—all while modeling science inquiry skills.
The workshops’ content and structure are designed to support and foster collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills within the families. The hands-on nature of the projects is an alternative way for families to engage with their children as opposed to the more technology-focused PBS KIDS Scratch Jr Family Creative Learning Workshops.
The workshops are designed to be in a familiar setting and have a routine structure:
- Eat provides dinner for the families so they don’t have to worry about making dinner, and can focus on family bonding. It also gives families the chance to build a sense of community with one another.
- Explore during each session includes an opportunity for hands-on exploration of the week’s theme; it is a time to ask questions, build vocabulary, and foster curiosity to promote scientific inquiry.
- Make is when families work together on the week’s Ruff Ruffman prompt.
- Share lets families learn from one another, share ideas, build confidence, develop vocabulary to discuss their projects and process, and continue to build a sense of community.
Facilitators are available to support the experience by discussing and pointing out the STEM learning as it happens, while providing caregivers the experiences and tools that they can use to support their child’s learning throughout the workshops and beyond.
