Community of Learning
Connect live with field specialists from renowned museums, zoos, science centers, historic sites, aquariums, and more to chat about topics in art, literacy, STEM, and history.
FREE SERIES. Register for an easy one-click connection link.
This live educational series airs at 1:00 PM ET. Can’t make it? Catch up on CILC’s YouTube channel and access free activities here!
Thank you to the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC), who has been supporting families with children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing since 1967, for their partnership in providing American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation for select livestreams. If you need ASL interpretation for a program, please contact us at info@cilc.org.
Upcoming Community of Learning Programs
Storytelling and Writing: Empowering Children to Write and Tell Stories
Two fun and easy ways to write using art! If your students are 'reluctant writers,' create excitement by using the unique writing methods of paper-cutting and drawing. Your students enjoy a paper-cutting story and a draw and tell story. Then they can create their own fiction, nonfiction or personal narratives using these hands-on techniques!
(We adapt this program to your grade level.)
Valerie's books include True Tales of Heroes and Heroines, A Treasury of Trickster Tales, Paper-Cutting Stories for Holidays, and Tangram Story Puzzles.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Dive into Dot Day
Discover the wonders of creativity, imagination, and connection as we celebrate Dot Day with a visit to see the dots and spots of the sea. Explore the patterns and colors of nature's underwater artworks while you make a masterpiece of your own with our guided artivity.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
A Digital Learning Experience with Monticello
On this 45-minute FREE digital learning experience, students will work with a Monticello guide to examine different sources like documents, images, videos, and our 360° virtual tour to explore the history of Monticello.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Animal Adaptations
Explore the diversity of adaptations with live animal guests! Your students will meet Ambassador Animals as they discover the importance of adaptations for survival. The Lee Richardson Zoo's Distance Learning Studio offers a multitude of environmental programs to students all over the nation. Our programs include 2-4 live animals. However, we are currently unable to give programs from actual exhibits around the zoo.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 Minutes
Movement and Motion
This program examines the relationship of science and the game of professional football. Straight line movement, zig-zags, circular motion, back & forth, pushing & pulling - all movements that influence the sport.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Museum Live!: Hispanic Heritage
The Durham Museum will discuss Hispanic Heritage as it relates to Omaha and on a larger scale!
Thursday, September 19, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Latino Art and Culture
The concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge in the
mid-20th century. Explore how Latino artists shaped the artistic
movements of their day, often using their work to communicate with a
larger public about social justice and themes of diversity, identity,
and community.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Feed Me! Cooking Up Meals for an Entire Zoo
With hundreds of different species and thousands of individual animals, the dietary needs of these creatures keep the staff at the zoo busy! Learn how a dedicated team of keepers, nutritionists, and scientists work together to plan, prepare, and deliver thousands of different meals every single day.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Los Veteranos: Latinos in WWII
An important part of U.S. history long before WWII, the war gave Latinos new opportunities and presented them with new challenges. Because Latinos did not serve in segregated units, as African Americans did, their WWII history is sometimes overlooked. Was that history unique, and if so, how? Students learn about Latino WWII heroes and average soldiers, as well as issues of ethnicity and acculturation on the Home Front.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Plant Parts and Pumpkins
Squash, pumpkins and gourds originated in Central and South America. Join Karin as we explore what pumpkins (and other plants need to grow) and how they grow from seed. Have your pencil and paper ready to draw a pumpkin plant and more. Questions are welcome.
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Marine Mammal Adaptations
Observe and discuss how blubber, fur, teeth, whiskers and other adaptations help Alaska's Steller sea lions, arctic seals, and sea otters survive in their icy habitat!
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Latinos in Baseball
For over 150 years the game of baseball has created many opportunities for players from around the world. Today, the "National Pastime" is more culturally diverse than ever before. More than 30 percent of players on big league rosters were born in the Caribbean. In conjunction with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, “Latinos in Baseball” examines the history of the game’s Latin American pioneers, including Armando Marsans, Minnie Minoso, Roberto Clemente, Hector Espino, and Fernando Valenzuela.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Book Launch - Izzy Wong's Nose for News
Join author Marty Chan for a mystery extravaganza. He'll introduce the title character of his new novel and he'll challenge kids to solve a mystery in this virtual book launch. This session will work best for grades 4 and up.
Monday, October 7, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Diversity of the American West: Culture, People, & Environments
Learn about different cultures that contributed to the American West through artwork in the Booth collection. Includes: Latino cowboys (vaqueros), black cowboys, Chinese-American immigrants and indigenous cultures.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Illustrating Poe
Students will listen to and read a selection of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry
including "Alone," "Annabel Lee," and "Eldorado.” Throughout the
reading, students will pay attention to the imagery in the poems. Then, students will create their own artwork inspired by the poems and
showcase their creations to their fellow classmates.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Ghost Stories
Author and storyteller Marty Chan shares eerie ghost stories and tips on how kids can write their own creepy tales. This session will work best for grades 4 - 7.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Draw with Us: Spooky Seas
Join us on a deep dive into the darkest parts of the ocean. Together we will explore the unique creatures that call this habitat home, the adaptations they use to live in this challenging environment, and draw some of our favorite deep sea friends!
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Spy School 101
In this skill-based program, interactive challenges with real-world stories are woven together to explore the shadow-world of espionage and answer the question…do you have what it takes to be a spy?
Thursday, October 17, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Pumpkins & Pop Culture
Learn all about October's favorite gourd...the pumpkin! Explore how the pumpkin has influenced popular culture as seen in films, comic books and children's tales.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Spiders! Participate in A Folktale Using Sign Language! Do Action Science - Webs, Food, Body Parts
Use sign language and participate in a folktale story about spiders and their webs! Then become an arachnologist (spider scientist) and learn some fun spiders facts with Miss Liz the Science Wiz. Your students will simulate real spider behavior while exploring a spider web that they have created! Students will be able to retell our sign language story and do our science experiments at home.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Thomas Alva Edison: Man vs Myth
Mr. Edison is sometimes credited with inventing the twentieth century. If he did not, he certainly pushed it in a new direction. Mr. Fincken has been portraying Edison for more than twenty years. He hopes to show why Edison the man is so much more interesting than Edison the myth.
"I feel it was a unique learning experience to be involved with a person who re-enacts another's life. He was so knowledgeable and efficient that at the end some of my children asked was it really Thomas Edison."
Educator New York State
Thursday, October 24, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Harrowing Halloween on the CMA Screen
Come with us to explore the CMA’s artworks related to Halloween and the Fall Season. Together we will explore the museum’s spookiest artworks, learn about how and why artists made them, and create spooky artworks of our own! Join us if you dare
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Happy Shalloween
From ghost sharks to zombie worms, the ocean is full of creepy creatures that slither and slime, wiggle and wind through the deep sea. Dive into a Shalloween celebration of spooktacular creatures like skeleton shrimp, vampire squid, hagfish and more as we learn what lurks under the waves. It's a time of fish, fun, and delightful frightfuls for buoys and ghouls of all ages inside Mote's A-SCARE-IUM.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Supernatural Stories from Japan
For grades 4-6. How does art communicate how we imagine the supernatural? Students will meet scary ghosts, powerful demons, and comical monsters in works of art from Japan. Students will learn about theatrical plays and folktales that feature these supernatural beings and the heroes, guardians, and everyday people they menace.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
African Modern Dance with Oiada International
Jump into the rhythm of African as you connect live with dancers in Ghana, learn choreography to discover cultural connection between African and modern dance forms.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Animal Myths Busted!
Can an owl turn its head all the way around?
Do porcupines shoot their quills?
Can turtles leave their shells?
Find out by joining us as we present and analyze some myths
and misconceptions about animals found at the zoo!
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Wolf Reintroduction
From Yellowstone to North Carolina and beyond, wolf reintroductions have been part of conservation efforts for decades. Join us for this interactive presentation to learn all about these reintroductions and the methods scientists use for them, as well as dispel some misconceptions and myths along the way!
Thursday, November 7, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
The Three Sisters:
Learn about The Three Sisters through American Indian oral tradition and artmaking! Participants will learn about the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois and Cherokee people's dependency on three important crops while examining the science behind these resources. Participants will discuss the message of the story of The Three Sisters and act out the story with simple, guided movements-- using artwork as an inspiration. Participants complete the program with their own artwork! Original illustrations and hands-on interaction bring this program to life for younger students!
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Whales of the West Coast
Explore the Whales of the West Coast of Canada ans become a Ocean Wise whale researcher. Explore how to identify common whale species, what makes them different from one another, The connection they have with Indigenous communities and how we can learn more from them like a scientist!
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Powhatan Indians- an Eastern Woodlands People
Explore the lives and society of the Powhatan Indians, an Eastern Woodlands people inhabiting Virginia’s coastal plain long before 1607. Using inquiry methods and reproduction artifacts, explore the Powhatan Indian culture, including roles of different members of its society, government structure and how the Powhatan Indians used natural resources to produce tools, clothing, houses and food.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
American Indians
American Indians are part of the past, present, and future of the United
States. Explore histories and cultures of some American Indians as
captured by both Native and non-Native artists. Discuss the influence of
geography, tradition, and tribal affiliation on contemporary Indian
artists.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Finding the "Real" Pocahontas
The study of Pocahontas is an excellent exercise testing the strength of primary versus secondary sources. Factually we know very little about Pocahontas. These facts are often interwoven with myth and legend surrounding her life. Depictions of Pocahontas throughout time can reveal as much about the time they were created as they do about the Indian "princess".
Thursday, November 21, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Exploring Impressionism: Art of Claude Monet
Immerse your students in paintings by Impressionist artist Claude Monet. Students learn to identify elements of Impressionism, such as the depiction of everyday life and the study of changing light and weather. Through a guided activity, students will use their senses to imagine a visit to Monet’s water lily garden. Program Length: 30-40 minutes
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Penguins Live!
Go nose-to-beak with more than 80 Antarctic penguins in one of our most popular programs! Become a penguin expert and learn about penguins all over the world, including the three types of cold-weather penguins housed inside the Scott Aquarium.
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
#GivingTuesday: Community of Learning
Do not miss our final celebrations of our anniversary year that is dedicating to supporting the next 30 years of CILC innovation in our #GivingTuesday Pay As You Wish Events!
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Mystery on the Reef
Something isn’t quite right on the reef. Work as a class and talk to local animals, complete mini challenges, and use body movements to get closer to solving the mystery, all while learning how reducing plastic pollution can turn you into a superhero too!
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Nature in our Holiday Traditions
When you think of this time of year, what smells and colours come to mind? Pine, gingerbread, mulled cider, green, and red? These are related to plants that have been used to celebrate our winter holidays for 1000s of years within different cultures. In fact, most of the plants that we use today for holidays have long histories and amazing stories from ancient times. These stories come from all around the world, and are part of many religions and beliefs.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Draw with Us: Arctic Adventures
What does it take to live in some of the coldest habitats in the world? Lets take an icy adventrue to explore, and draw, who lives in the Arctic and Antarctic and what adaptations these animals use to survive.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Pratice of Gift-Giving
When do people give gifts? Why do people give gifts? How do you feel when you give or receive a gift? What do gifts look like in cultures across Asia? Students will explore gifts exchanged for holidays, religious customs, and other rituals with example objects from countries such as China and India.
Thursday, December 12, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Winter Animal Adaptations
Ever wonder what animals do in the winter? Join a ranger to discover the hidden life on animals in the winter in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Jingle Shells
Make a splash with your class this SEA-son by diving into some undersea mysteries. Where do ocean animals migrate? How do they adapt to freezing temperatures? Why does ice float? Does it snow in the ocean? Then meet Sandy Claws and some festive friends as we shell-ebrate with winter craftivities. It's an oceanic adventure that's sure to bring waves of joy and curiosity to your classroom!
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
Chinese New Year from Taipei, Taiwan
Chinese New Year is celebrated by over 1 billion people worldwide. In this trip we take students to local shops and street decorations to see how Taiwanese citizens are celebrating this great holiday. We learn the history of the holiday, the meaning of current zodiac sign, and more. The trip continues with some exploration of the night markets, local temples and other exciting locations.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
1:00 PM ET
45 minutes
I am an elementary teacher from Brazil. I signed up today to see how this would work and see if I could use this in my classes. This is great! The instructor is great, the cameras (with different angles) are helpful. Just wanted to say I love it!
Teacher
In Spring 2020, CILC launched the Community of Learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as an interactive virtual learning resource for learners of all ages. The videos below capture testimonials from learners who continue to enjoy the Community of Learning educational livestream series. The videos below capture testimonials, reactions from some who have enjoyed the programming so far.
Consider helping CILC continue provding FREE interactive virtual learning experiences to students, teachers, families, and lifelong learners by making a donation today!