Resources from KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media clips to use:

Dinosaurs Have Feathers! (Grade PreK-1)
This clip highlights a few different types of dinosaurs that had feathers and shows that each of their feathers were different!

How a Dinosaur Became a Fossil (Grades 3-8)
In this interactive resource adapted from the University of California, Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology, see an animation about how organisms, such as dinosaurs, become part of the fossil record.

Dinosaurs Were Not Special, Just Lucky (Grades 7-12+)
Columbia University paleontologist Steve Brusatte thinks dinosaurs might have been 'just lucky' to have ruled Earth for so long

The Smithsonian Dinosaur Site (Grades K-12+)
Listen to a teacher explain why he thinks the Smithsonian Web site is a good resource.

News from KLRN Education



Photo Credit: Britt Reints

Parents Are a Child's First Teacher
Valerie Rios
Education Activities Coordinator, KLRN


As summer comes to an end, I look back to the quality time spent with my 10-year-old daughter, Naomi. As we prepared for a new school year, I was excited and looking forward to my daughter continuing her educational journey. But I must say she had quite a few jitters, as she just started 5th grade at a new school. Her jittery feelings of going to a new school meant not only a new campus, but also new teachers, and new friends.

Some of her concerns were, “What if I can’t make friends?” “What if I get lost on campus?” There's been a lot of “What if?” conversations around my house lately. I reassured her that everything would be OK by letting her know she would do great, she has such as sweet personality, and that she would have no problems making friends. We attended a “Meet the Teacher” night. I also took her to walk around the campus the evening prior to the first day so she could get a feel for the school.

I know that as a mother, I want my child to receive the best education she can get, to be around other students her age, and have a teacher who she learns from. I also know that as a parent it is my job to guide and direct her in the right path, sit down with her in the evenings to do homework, and talk about what she learned each day. 

I want my daughter to become a leader and to share her knowledge and wisdom that she obtains during her years in school. I want her to be able to give back to the community.

We continually remind our families at KLRN that we are the first teacher in our child’s life. We should remember that we, the parents, are the role models and setting examples are more important than just words. I like to encourage our families that attend our workshops and to read to their children every day, spend time with them, and that learning time is anytime.

Resources from KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media clips to use:

Ice Cream (Grade K-5)
In this video, watch as children experiment with a recipe that makes homemade ice-cream

3D-Cube (Grade 2-6)
Interactive game that helps students name concrete objects and pictures of three-dimensional solids (cones, spheres and cubes)

Mission US: For the Crown and Colony (Grade 6-8)
This interactive adventure games put players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a 14-year-old printers apprentice in 1770 Boston.

Documenting Glacial Change (Grade 3-12)
This collection of comparative glacier images adapted from the National Snow and Ice Data Center shows substantial changes in five Alaskan glacier positions over periods of 60 to 100 years.

News from KLRN Education

We Are Always Learning
Yvonne Yates
Director of School Services, KLRN

Summer is nearly upon us and as the last tests are taken and students are saying their goodbyes, KLRN encourages teachers, students and parents to remember that learning does not stop during the summer months.

There are many opportunities around San Antonio to continue the thirst for knowledge. Check out a few of these this summer and let us know about what you learned.

• San Antonio Botanical Garden Education Events
• Witte Museum Education
• San Antonio Children’s Museum Education
• McNay Museum Education
• San Antonio Zoo Education
• Sea World Educational-Programs
• San Antonio Public Library Educational Programs

Have a wonderful summer! Enjoy the fun in the sun, and see you all in August!

Resources for KLRN Education

KLRN PBS Learning Media Clips to use:

Summer Is Fun in Alaska (Grade K-2)
This video segment from Between the Lions features kids from Alaska who show their favorite summer games and activities.

Summer Treat Wave (Grade 1-5)
It’s a sweltering hot day, so the Lunch Lab gang makes a summer treat that is full of calcium. Professor Fizzy explains how dairy products are good sources of calcium and great for growing bones.

Capital Building in Summer (Grade 6-12)
This Building Block video shows trees and building lining the edge of a reflecting pool. The camera pans right to reveals the Capital Building and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial around which distant tourists wander under dark skies.

News from KLRN Education

Fiesta Gives Back
Yvonne Yates
Director of School Services, KLRN

This month has flown by and as I look at my calendar, I notice downtown bustling with Fiesta spirit. Looking out the window of our building on Broadway and McCullough, I see Fiesta signs up and the assembly of the parade bleachers. I can taste the chicken on a stick and the oyster shots.
Last year I gave you a brief history of Fiesta San Antonio but did you know that many of the 100 Fiesta member organizations give scholarships? My alma mater, St. Mary’s University, holds the annual Fiesta Oyster Bake, which opens Fiesta, as a way to raise funds for scholarships. The University of the Incarnate Word's Cutting Edge Fiesta Fashion Show is another example of a Fiesta event hard at work to help students receive a higher education.

Other organizations involved with Fiesta give back in different ways. For example, the Alamo Exhibition Bird Club takes exotic birds to schools for a Rainforest Education program. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Alamo Couriers Chapter (Children’s Texas History Forum) sponsors free living history programs for San Antonio-area schools.

These are just a few of the many charitable contributions that organizations in our fair city do during Fiesta. With the STARR on the horizon for many and the school year coming to a close in less than two months, take some time to have fun and challenge your students to research other organizations and see what ideas they have to give back to our city during this 11-day celebration. As I wrote you last month, in 2010 Fiesta San Antonio started to make strides to make Fiesta GREEN. What a great way to talk about Earth Day and Fiesta San Antonio.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" -- Mahatma Gandhi

Visit fiesta-sa.org/about-2/community/ to see a list of organizations that are giving back.

Resources for KLRN Education

KLRN PBS Learning Media Clips to use:

Kid Musician: Mexico Guitar Town (Grade K-5)
Visit with Andres during fiesta time at Paracho Michoacán, Mexico’s “guitar town.”

Water Conservation: Mexico (Grades 3-12)
This video segment adapted from Last Oasis shows the challenges Mexico City faces in providing enough water for its growing population. As a result of over pumping of its ground water, some parts of the city are sinking 12 inches a year.

We are the Music: Mexicans (Grade 3-4)
In this “We are the Music” segment, learn about the 700-year history of the Mexican culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico.