Kelli Chaney remembers the day she discovered the Remake Learning Days festival in Pittsburgh in 2018. More than 270 educational events were happening all over southwestern Pennsylvania during the month of May that year, connecting kids of all ages and their families with a wide range of hands-on experiences — everything from discovering puppet-making inside the workshop at WQED, where “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was filmed, to navigating their way out of an escape room at Duquesne Elementary School.
This celebration of learning was happening literally everywhere throughout the Pittsburgh area — schools, museums, libraries, parks, businesses, churches, non-profit organizations, community centers and more — helping local families discover that learning really can happen anywhere. And nearly all the events were free.
Chaney saw parents and kids learning together, bringing to life the research that Remake Learning Days was becoming known for: After surveying hundreds of attendees at past Remake Learning Days events, the Global Family Research Project (GFRP) found that family engagement in STEAM learning makes students more likely to succeed academically, more likely to take advanced STEAM courses, and more likely to pursue STEAM-related careers.
“When I moved to Knoxville, I just knew… we had to figure out a way to have Remake Learning Days in the Knoxville area,” says Chaney, who serves as president of Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in Knoxville.
Chaney wasn’t alone.
“I still vividly remember traveling to Pittsburgh to experience firsthand what this festival was all about — seeing the energy, the creativity, and the joy of learning in action,” says Becky Russell, coordinator of community engagement at TCAT. “That experience inspired me to help bring Remake Learning Days closer to home, first as part of the inaugural festival in my hometown in Eastern Kentucky, and now to Knoxville, where it continues to grow and thrive.”
Chaney, Russell and their team are hosting Remake Learning Days in Knoxville once again this year, as they have since 2019. From May 5 through May 16, Knoxville area families will be able to experience more than 50 hands-on learning events.
Among the experiences families can have:
- On May 6, Zap Lab: Introduction to Electricity will introduce young scientists to the magic of static electricity as they make their hair stand on end, separate salt and pepper, and create tiny lightning bolts with everyday objects. Through these fun, interactive experiences, they’ll discover how static electricity works and why it makes things zap, stick and spark.
- On May 8 at Forging the Future, local Eagle Scouts will earn their merit badge in welding, getting creative while building this valuable skill at TCAT’s Anderson County Campus.
- On May 13, a group of 700 seventh-graders will be bused to the Blount County TCAT campus for the TCAT RLD Festivall. The college will showcase all of their programs and help these middle-schoolers discover four career clusters, with help from Pellissippi Community College.
- On May 16 at Making Fun with the SHORA Foundation, kids and their grownups can learn the art of tie dying and make their own bath fizzers.
And there is so much more, from Color My Ride, where young artists and car enthusiasts will come together for a hands-on airbrushing experience, to a fragrant DIY Body Scrub Adventure.
“We’ve intentionally ensured that there’s something for everyone, regardless of age, background, or experience,” Russell says. “Collaborating with so many incredible organizations and individuals who share the same vision for creating opportunities for lifelong learning has been especially rewarding during the planning process.”
The Remake Learning Days festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and it has now grown to be a global event each fall. Knoxville is a key part of this global community.
“Being part of the journey of Remake Learning Days has been nothing short of incredible,” Russell says. “To see this movement evolve from a local initiative in Pittsburgh to a national celebration and now a global phenomenon is truly humbling. Knowing that the same spark of curiosity and innovation that started locally is now igniting learning experiences in places as far away as New Zealand is inspiring. It’s a reminder of the universal power of hands-on, engaging education to transform communities and connect people in meaningful ways.”
Knowing that communities around the world are celebrating Remake Learning Days at the same time, Russell says, “reminds us that we’re part of something much bigger. It’s a powerful feeling, and I can’t wait to see it all come to life.”