Autumn Adventures: FableVision's 2022 Back-to-School Guide

After a sunny and spectacular summer vacation, returning to school or starting school for the first time can be scary. Whether your family traveled, relaxed, spent time outdoors, or simply had a different schedule, it takes time to shift back to your school and fall routines. To help your children combat the “school scaries” and enjoy the fall, we’ve compiled a list of resources to ensure that they have a fantastic year full of educational and engaging learning. 

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International Dot Day

Empower kids to make their marks by celebrating International Dot Day on September 15-ish. Based on FableVision’s Co-Founder and New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot, International Dot Day encourages kids to connect and collaborate as they re-discover the power and potential of creativity in all they do. This year, join Peter at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or watch the livestream of the event. September 15 doesn’t work for you? Here’s a little secret: you can celebrate Dot Day whenever you want! 

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UCAR’s SkySci for Kids

As we gradually add sweaters, scarves, and fuzzy hats to our wardrobe, check out UCAR’s SkySci for Kids to learn about weather, climate, and sky science. With humor, bright colors, and a clear breakdown of topics, FableVision-made animated videos and minigames featuring Yolanda the palm tree, Jeff the yeti, and Snacks the dog will teach kids about tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, and more. Visit the website to encourage your child to fight climate change.

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Cyber Fashion Challenge

Another great way to fight climate change – upcycling! Based on Cyberchase’s season 13 episode “Sustainable By Design,” born-accessible Cyber Fashion Challenge, created in partnership with FableVision, The WNET Group, PBS KIDS, and Bridge Multimedia, teaches 6-8-year-olds about avoiding fast fashion and encouraging the creative reuse of materials. Practice counting and shape identification by creating a sustainable fashion line for Fabio DeZine.

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Museum of Science “EiE Families” Website

Spark your child’s interest in engineering and computer science by checking out the Museum of Science “EiE Families” microsite, built by FableVision, with interactive features to support STEM learning at-home and on-the-go. Play Bye Bye Bug and create a way to lead a ladybug to safety, or explore the other activities, in both English and Spanish. Bonus: if you’re in Boston, take a field trip to the Museum of Science to see science in action.

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“Our State and the Nation: A Georgia Studies Course”

History fanatics – we have a treat for you. FableVision created a host site for Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB)’s online textbook, developing an online experience for eighth-grade students. In the revamped George history course, students can examine images, define vocabulary words, watch videos, and go on virtual field trips from the classroom or the comfort of their homes. 

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Pinna Original Yes No Audio Adventures

One of the best parts of fall? Halloween! Immerse yourself in spooky season by answering yes or no to questions in Escape the Haunted House, a Pinna Original Yes No Audio adventure, produced by FableVision’s audiyo-yo. Listeners are the main characters as they interact with the show and create their own story. If your kids aren’t fans of haunted houses, they can listen to Escape the Marshmallow Dream Forest or Escape the Sinking Ship. The 5-minute, voice-activated audio adventures provide a perfect, creative outlet during car rides, before bedtime, and more.

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Boston vs. Bullies Academy for Internet Champions

Join Bobby the Badger and his friends Ivy, Jordan, and Felix to score a touchdown, make a basket, and hit a home run with The Sports Museum’s bullying-prevention game. As kids continue to use the internet at younger ages and run into in-person and online bullying, Boston vs. Bullies Academy for Internet Champions, created by FableVision, helps kids navigate tricky situations, make smart choices online, and combat bullying. Learn how to stay safe by checking out the free game.

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“Friendlets” Animated Shorts

Besides stopping bullying, children should also see the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships to avoid abuse, love better, and find true friends. Created in partnership with One Love Foundation, “Friendlets” animated shorts showcase familiar, humorous scenarios to help elementary-aged kids understand the importance of communication and appropriate responses in healthy friendships. Visit One Love’s Education Center for the shorts and associated resources.

Welcome to FableVision’s Summer Camp!

As sunlight fills the days after 15 months of COVID-19, we’re looking forward to an engaging and exciting summer. To ensure that your children continue to learn while they’re on break, we created FableVision’s Summer Camp—a compilation of resources, including educational animated series, games, softwares, and videos.

Help your children have a fun summer by supporting their creativity, sparking their imagination, and encouraging their interest in new things. Whether they enjoy animals, engineering, or meteorology (just to name a few)—we’ve got you covered with a variety of free/low-cost activities that can be enjoyed by your family! 

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PBS KIDS Parent Activities Videos
Saturn’s rings, puzzle boxes, Yup’ik dance fans, and more—these live-action videos produced for PBS KIDS’ website for parents provide fun and educational crafts to create with your children using household materials and art supplies. In tandem with their favorite PBS KIDS shows, like Molly of Denali or Elinor Wonders Why, families can complete hands-on activities, while learning about central themes of the shows and discussing important questions. Grab your crayons, glue, and scissors and follow the easy steps in the videos—it’s time to make butterfly costumes and periscopes.

The instructional videos are available for free on PBS KIDS for Parents.

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The Paper Girls Show
How about a summer trip to Confetti, a beautiful world built entirely out of paper? In the FableVision and Global Tinker animated series The Paper Girls Show, best friends Cailey and Reese travel to Confetti to visit their paper friends Kami and Dev. Together they creatively invent solutions applicable to the real world. Each episode features a new type of technology, such as 3D printers and robots, and the series infuses STEAM curricula that inspires young girls to explore arts, science, programming, and engineering. 

Watch the series for free on YouTube.

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UCAR Animated Atmosphere
As summer brings heat waves and hurricanes to New England, help your children understand the weather by watching Animated Atmosphere videos, created for University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). To describe extreme weather and how to stay safe, the animated videos feature a weatherman yeti showing cold weather conditions, a dog demonstrating how to take care of pets, and a palm tree illustrating the effects of tropical storms. Humor, cute visuals, and an approachable script allow children to understand weather phenomena and get introduced to discussions on climate change.

The videos are available on UCAR’s YouTube.

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FableVision Games
FableVision Games, a research- and educational-game-based platform, engages students and improves their learning outcomes in STEM, social studies, literacy, and social-emotional skills. Math, history, puzzles, and more—FableVision Games has something for any child’s interest.

• Cyberchase Fractions Quest: Deepen your understanding of fractions by embarking on an adventure to save Cyberspace from the villain Hacker. Created in collaboration with THIRTEEN/WNET New York Public Media and Educational Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology, the immersive math game uses a series of quest-like challenges to keep students engaged.

• Zoombinis: Help small, blue creatures escape evil Bloats and return to Zoombiniville by playing Zoombinis. Created in partnership with TERC, a not-for-profit leader in K-12 math and science education, the math and logic game teaches computational thinking through a series of puzzles.

• Civics! An American Musical: In preparation for the Fourth of July, brush up on U.S. history and create a Broadway musical from scratch in Civics! An American Musical. By teaming up with the Library of Congress, Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), FableVision created a game where middle-school students have fun analyzing primary sources while learning how to become responsible citizens. 

The games are available on the FableVision Games website—play for free through June.

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Echo Explorers
Speaking of Cyberchase, Hacker is up to his usual tricks. He trapped some bats and the CyberSquad needs your help to free them. Created in partnership with THIRTEEN/WNET and Bridge Multimedia, Echo Explorers, a born-accessible game, follows guidelines from child disability, math, and environmental science content experts. It can be tailored to each child’s unique learning needs and sensitivities through settings in sound, captions, background visuals, difficulty, and control modes. Children of all abilities learn about echolocation and coordinate mapping with their favorite characters from the PBS KIDS show.

The game is available on PBS KIDS.

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Go Wild! With Ranger Rick
Who can better excite children about wildlife than the beloved raccoon Ranger Rick? The FableVision-created mobile app for National Wildlife Federation (NWF)’s Ranger Rick teaches 4-8-year-olds about animals through three activities. In “That’s Wild!,” children engage through jokes and riddles about their favorite animals. In “Mystery Animal,” a set of clues helps children guess the unknown animal. Lastly, in “Rick’s Pix,” children create a scrapbook of animal photos decorated with stickers, frames, and nature backgrounds. The app excites children through fun activities, vibrant colors, and NWF’s extensive database of information. Next time you’re at the zoo, aquarium, or backyard, learn more about the animals you see through Go Wild! With Ranger Rick.

The app is free to download with a Ranger Rick subscription.

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Reach Every Reader Apps
Help your young children begin their literacy journey! FableVision-created mobile apps, Photo Play and Animal Antics, for Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)’s Reach Every Reader initiative, turn everyday routines into learning opportunities for 2-4-year-olds. In Photo Play, children decorate their own photos with stickers, emojis, and talk balloons, which helps them facilitate conversations with caregivers about the photo memories, locations, and details. In Animal Antics, children and caretakers use their imaginations to role-play as different animals. Reach Every Reader works to bridge the literacy gap by providing learning opportunities and word acquisition in low-income families.

The apps are available to download for free.

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FabMaker Studio
Spark your child's interest in engineering through FabMaker Studio, an easy-to-use, web-based program that allows children to engage in STEM and STEAM learning. From idea to reality, children build paper prototypes and final designs with this researched-based application. FabMaker Studio is part of the national Make To Learn research initiative, a unique for-profit/non-profit collaborative founded by Glen Bull, Co-Director of the Center for Technology and Teacher Education at the University of Virginia and The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity. 

The online-tool provides a low-cost, accessible way to design and invent 2D and 3D projects. As children progress through the program, they transform their creativity into building their own working machines. FabMaker is perfect for creating at home, in the classroom, and summer programs. 

 If you click here for more information, you can also receive a free activity!

Catch FableVision's 2021 Summer Tour!

Summer is almost here, and we’re just getting warmed up for all of the exciting events we have on the horizon. You’re all invited to make a splash with us at a number of virtual conferences and events throughout the season. Don’t miss out on the fun—keep reading for more details on how to catch us along our virtual summer road trip!

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BostonFIG Talks and Learns (May 29 - 30)

BostonFIG Talks and Learns are back, and we’re gearing up for two days of sharing, learning, and networking! FableVision is proud to sponsor this year’s conferences, featuring industry experts, educators, students, and more. Industry professionals and aspiring students or hobbyists are welcome to join us on May 29 for BostonFIG Talks, an annual game-creators conference that will include expert talks on game design, methodology, technology, and more. And come back the day after talks on hands-on learning games, academic research, classroom topics, and more at the annual Learns conference. Learns is perfect for educators, students, and professionals interested in the learning games space.

When: May 29, 30
Click here to register for free.

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ED Games Expo (June 1 - 5)

Next stop is the ED Games Expo! The expo is the Department of Education’s annual showcase of game-changing education technology. At this year’s conference, FableVision will showcase three of our learning games and tools. Join us at the expo to learn more about Cyberchase Fractions Quest, our award-winning fractions learning game based on the popular PBS KIDS show Cyberchase, Civics! An American Musical, our civics learning game that invites middle school students to produce their own hit musicals based on United States history, and FabMaker Studio, FableVision Learning’s digital fabrication software tool that inspires STEM and STEAM learning in the classroom! 

Check out the FableVision Learning website now to learn more about the products and how you can access all three for free through the month of June.

When: June 1-5
Click here to access the events.

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Tech + Social Studies LIVE! (June 5)

While you’re at the ED Games Expo, stop by the Tech + Social Studies LIVE! free virtual conference for innovative civics and social studies teaching resources and techniques. Whether you teach online, in person, or a hybrid, the demos and talks featured at this conference will show you new ways to engage your students. And join us later in the day to hear from FableVision communications director Sarah Ditkoff, Maryland Public Television director of PreK-12 learning design Karla Thompson, and educator Joshua Pleasant as they present on how you can use Civics! An American Musical to encourage creativity and primary source analysis in your classrooms.

Civic Action through Primary Sources in "Civics! An American Musical"
When: June 5 at 5:20 p.m. EST
Click here to register for free.

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Learning Ideas Conference (June 14 - 18)

Next, FableVision is headed to the Learning Ideas Conference to catch up on international innovations in learning and technology for the workplace and higher education. The Learning Ideas Conference brings together researchers and practitioners interested in using technology to improve education and workplace learning.

Join FableVision Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Product Solutions Shelby Marshall for his workshop on June 16. This session will cover ways in which online simulations can support and extend learning in higher education and corporate training. In his talk, Shelby will explore examples at different levels of complexity that have been developed by the studio, including interactives created in partnership with the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Noodle Partners, and Pearson Higher Education. You won’t want to miss it!

Using Online Simulations to Explore Complex Topics and Apply Systems Thinking
When: June 16 at 4:30 p.m. EST
Click here to register.

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Carly & Adam’s Heart of STEM Teacher’s Summit (June 21 - 23)

FableVision Learning is excited to join the Carly & Adam’s Heart of STEM Teacher’s Summit on June 21-23. During this virtual event, attendees will explore connections between STEAM, real-world problems, kindness, and social-emotional learning. Learn from FableVision Learning’s Peter H. Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Sara Smith, and Andrea Calvin.

Keynote: The Hope of STEM with Peter H. Reynolds, Georgie Badiel-Liberty, and Susan Verde
The creative team behind The Water Princess storybook will be kicking off the three-day summit with their Keynote: The Hope of STEM. With new troubling problems challenging the world every day, it’s important to empower the next generation with creative problem-solving skills and hope to make a positive impact across the globe. 

When: June 21

Exploring Creativity with Fabrication and Animation with Andrea Calvin
Andrea Calvin will share her experiences about working with students and educators across the country to implement fabrication and animation tools into their classrooms. Attendees will create bravely by using Animation-ish and FabMaker Studio.

When: June 21

Keynote: Create Bravely - Self Design for a Purposeful Life with Paul Reynolds
Paul Reynolds will share his insights on the power of storytelling and foster your life’s journey purpose with a growth mindset. Educators will learn how stories and creative tools can help students discover their talents and strengths, and how to apply them in life. With courage and perseverance, we can make a change by using our creativity.

When: June 22

The Element of Surprise with Sara Smith
In this session, Sara Smith will discuss the benefits of using the element of surprise in STEM and SEL. Educators will learn how the brain engages with surprises in learning and why surprises help humans during hard times. 

When: June 22

Click here to register.

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The Creativity Symposium 

FableVision Learning and Eduscape have partnered this summer to offer the Creativity Symposium, where educators across the country discover ways to foster creativity into their classrooms. During the three half-day sessions, in June or July, educators will use collaboration techniques to develop practical, achievable, and scalable solutions to challenges. 

When: June or July
Click here to register.

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Serious Play Conference (June 23 - 25)

If you’re serious about serious games, you’ll also want to join FableVision at this year’s Serious Play Conference. The conference features expert changemakers and thought leaders who are reshaping the educational gaming and education technology industries. Don’t forget to check out FableVision’s panel at the conference on accessibility and game-based learning. FableVision lead UX/UI designer Loren Lee-Flynn will join experts from WNET and Bridge Multimedia to discuss how we created Echo Explorers, a born-accessible learning game based on the award-winning PBS KIDS show Cyberchase and designed for children of all abilities to learn about echolocation and coordinate-mapping. The panelists will also share suggestions for game developers to incorporate accessibility into their own games.

Cyberchase Echo Explorers: Exploring Accessible Game Design for All Children
When: June 25 at 1:45 p.m. EST
Click here to register.

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Connected Learning Summit (July)

And if you’re unable to attend our panel at the Serious Play Conference in June, have no fear! You will still have the opportunity to learn more about Echo Explorers and designing games with accessibility at the forefront of the development process at the Connected Learning Summit. Be sure to catch our expert panel, as well as other influential talks from leaders and innovators at the intersection of innovation, education, technology, and play. The summit aims to support and empower innovators who are using emerging technology to increase access to creative and playful learning. It will feature engaging presentations and workshops all month long.

Cyberchase Echo Explorers: Exploring Accessible Game Design for All Children
Click here to register.

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ASU+GSV Summit (August 9 - 11)

Last stop on our tour is ASU+GSV—and this time it’s in person! The summit connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work, and their north star is that ALL people have equal access to the future. The Summit is a leading platform of innovation and ingenuity that offers a tangible look at the EdTech industry, with groundbreaking research and insights. FableVision’s Shelby Marshall is headed to San Diego to network with and learn from researchers, educators, and practitioners from around the globe. Make sure to connect with Shelby if you plan to attend as well.

Click here to register.

Top 9 FableVision Moments of 2020

2020 has been a year of unprecedented change—but also a time of resiliency in the face of challenge. We have seen innovative educators, creatives, and more step up to the plate to keep the learning going for students of all ages, no matter where they are.

And there is no better way to wrap up our year than with the streaming of “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” at this year’s virtual Holiday Pops Celebration. We’re so thankful for incredible partnerships and projects such as this, and for all those who helped us continue to find safe, fun, and exciting ways to connect this year, even where we’re physically apart.

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1. FableVision Games

Our highlight of 2020 is the launch of our new games platform, FableVision Games! Timely as ever, FableVision Games offers state-of-the-art, research-based games and educator tools, poised for this time of remote and blended classroom learning. Stay tuned for more games launching in 2021!

The FableVision Games lineup includes: 

Zoombinis: a relaunch of the classic, beloved ’90s game “Logical Journey of Zoombinis” created in partnership with TERC and the Learning Games Network. The game teaches Computational Thinking to grades 3-8.

Cyberchase Fractions Quest: an immersive game based on the popular, award-winning PBS KIDS series Cyberchase that combines a high-stakes adventure story with a research-based approach to fractions learning. Created in partnership with WNET and the Education Development Center (EDC) through Phase I and II support from the IES Department of Education’s SBIR program.

Civics! An American Musical: an online game for middle school students that promotes the importance of civics and teaches how to analyze primary sources. Created in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE, as part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program.

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2. Design Principles

On our mission to tell “stories that matter, stories that move” and create positive media that moves the world to a better place, the studio authored our core design principles to share the pedagogy behind our approach. No matter the type of media—educational games, animation, museum interactives, websites, Augmented Reality experience—or the subject matter, our focus is always on the needs of our end-user, the context of their learning, and the impact of our product.

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FableVision President Gary Goldberger (left) and Communications Director Sarah Ditkoff (right) accept the KAPi Award for Keenville at the 2020 CES Convention in January.

3. Award Winners!

We pride ourselves on the quality, creativity, and educational value of our educational media and game-based projects. You don’t have to take our word for it, though! The awards we’ve won speak for themselves.

This year, we were honored to accept an award for Keenville, our literacy and math game-based assessment created in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and Georgia Center for Assessment. Keenville was recognized as a “Noteworthy School Product” in the 2020 Kids At Play Interactive (KAPi) Awards.

Galaxia, a bullying prevention game developed in partnership with the National Health Promotion Associates as a part of their Botvin LifeSkills Training middle school curriculum, was selected as an EdTech “Cool Tool” finalist for 2020.

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4. Amazing Partners

2020 was also a year of innovative collaborations towards a more educated and empathetic world. Here are just some of the incredible organizations we were proud to partner with this year.

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FableVision Executive Producer Peter Stidwill presents at the virtual Games for Change Festival.

5. Thought Leadership

The FableVision team’s insights shone this year as they shared their expertise and best practices at a number of industry conferences. 

Gary Goldberger, FableVision president and co-founder, spoke at the Unity for Humanity Summit about FableVision’s core design principles and how Unity creators can make accessible educational games.

Executive Producer Peter Stidwill joined three panel presentations in 2020. He presented at the SXSW EDU Conference and Festival and the Serious Play Conference on how games can teach and assess 21st Century skills. Peter also presented at the 2020 Games for Change Festival, where he shared his knowledge and best practices to make educational games more accessible. 

Creative Director, Leigh Hallisey, also attended the Library of Congress Consortium Meeting to present a poster session on our newly-launched U.S. history learning game Civics! An American Musical.

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6. Resources in the Era of Social Distancing

To support teachers, students, and families in this time of remote and blended learning, FableVision developed a myriad of robust resources to help people stay informed and to keep the learning going through this era of social distancing. 

As students and teachers around the world stayed at home to reduce risk, FableVision compiled a list of our favorite distance learning games, animation, and other resources to make finding engaging, quality digital learning tools easier.

To build awareness during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, we curated a list of FableVision-developed resources that facilitate open and honest conversations about mental health, self-love, and healthy coping skills.

For summer 2020, FableVision invited everyone to join us for a social distanced and educational virtual summer picnic, complete with educational games, animation, and more to help students have fun and keep their minds sharp throughout the season.

We teamed with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) to produce a series of videos educating people on how clinical trials produce new treatments and vaccines.

To support educators and students as they returned to their school routines in the fall, FableVision joined over 70 federally-funded researchers and developers to produce a series of educational technology guides and resources covering a range of topics.

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7. FableVision In the News

In 2020, we were also thrilled and honored to see our work in the news, at festivals, and beyond where it can reach more audiences!  

The Animation World Network highlighted The Paper Girls Show, our new animated series created in partnership with Global Tinker that empowers young girls to play, imagine, make, and learn with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).  

Don’t Mix Us Up, our witty and catchy animated music video series was featured at the Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival, where attendees were able to learn all about the dangers of confusing look-alike objects. 

And last but not least, over 3,500 Lubbock County second-graders read FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds’ book The World Collector as a part of the United We Read initiative! The festivities also featured a special video message from Peter Reynolds, encouraging their reading efforts.

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8. Seasonal Banners

Spring banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

Summer banner designed by FableVision director of art & animation Bob Flynn

Fall banner designed by FableVision lead artist Christina Kelly

Winter banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

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9. Our Incredible Team

The FableVision team celebrates the KAPi Award for Keenville in January 2020.

What a year. We count ourselves lucky to have an amazing staff that not only rolled with the punches but excelled with grace, grit, and a sense of humor. From our virtual offices to yours—the future looks bright from here. Stay safe. See you in 2021!

FableVision Presents "Civics! An American Musical"

Will the next hit Broadway musical come out of your classroom? Taking a page from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s composition notebook, players take on the role of a theatre producer to observe, reflect, and question primary sources taken from the Library of Congress’ archives and accurately adapt true events from American history to the Broadway stage. 

FableVision teamed up with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) to create Civics! An American Musical. A part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources Program, this free online game is designed to teach middle school students how to analyze primary sources and have fun while doing it! 

In Civics! An American Musical, players work with the different theatrical departments to learn about a number of important aspects of creating a musical, such as costuming, set design, writing, and music. As the producer, players select the subject matter for their musical from four historical topics: the desegregation of public schools, the National Parks, the FDA, and the Chinese Exclusion Act. It’s then up to them to create a new smash Broadway musical hit that is historically accurate and celebrates the power of everyday citizens in creating change.

The more students successfully analyze primary sources, the more the game awards the players. The more points they collect and earn in each activity, the more costumes, set design, writing and music options become available. As the players travel through the levels and complete each mini-game, they unlock a scene from their musical on opening night that shows the collective result of the creative choices they made through their game experience. 

Our educator supports also include guidance for implementing the game into a variety of learning settings and a preview of the game topics, mini-games, learning outcomes, and standards alignment. A range of learning extensions will launch later this fall.

Civics! An American Musical is free and available now on FableVision Games. Click the button below to begin creating your own hit musical today!