The Remake Learning Days Festival is growing in Southeastern Pennsylvania: The original four counties are participating this year, along with two add two counties. Dozens of virtual and in-person events will be happening across Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Berks and Philadelphia Counties from May 12 -23.

“After some virtual events last year and not a lot going on the year before, we’re really excited,” said Kammas Kersch, STEM services coordinator at Chester County Intermediate Unit and the local Remake Learning Days lead. “While we wanted some virtual events this year, what we are really excited about is seeing our virtual events come back in-person.”

Kersch and the rest of the Remake Learning Days Southeastern Pa. team have focused the events on family-engaged learning. The festival events will make sure students get the opportunity to engage in learning experiences alongside their families.

“Learning starts at home,” said Kersch. “The first things that students learn are from those that surround them, those they grow up with. When we get to school age, sometimes those people aren’t quite as involved in the 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. learning process. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t really important members of our learning communities.”

Families will benefit from a range of different partnerships and hosts this year, including lots of participation from colleges and others from the region’s STEM ecosystem. In Berks County, the Berks STEM Ecosystem, Penn State University and Birks County libraries came together to host multiple events.

Outdoor education is also popular for this year’s festival. Kids can discover the lifecycles of amphibians found on the preserve at Riverbend Environmental Education Center, and enjoy a range of other outdoor learning activities.

5 Events to look forward to in Southeastern Pa this May 12-23

1. 5/19- Science and Stories with the Franklin Institute: Make STEM approachable, fun and interdisciplinary by pairing it with your favorite children’s books at the Franklin Institute.
2. 5/7- Tadpole Transformation: Join Riverbend’s Educators for this fascinating annual rite of spring that happens each year to learn about lifecycles of amphibians found on the preserve at Riverbend Environmental Education Center.
3. 5/14- Family Hike Series with Berks Nature: On the 2nd Saturday of the month come to hike Angelica Park with a naturalist.
4. 5/14- Cavity Nesting Trail Walk and Box Building: Enjoy a day of learning all about cavity-nesting bird species and how you can help protect them at Delaware Canal State Park.
5. 5/16- Sciencing 101: Join Dr. Evan Esquire virtually in this hands-on STEM assembly to explore science concepts and see exciting experiments.

“As a STEM specialist, STEM pathways are one of my favorite aspects of Remake,” said Kersch. “It really encourages and engages students to participate in STEM and STEAM.”

To help point kids toward STEM-focused careers, the region is also participating in the Career-Ready Backpack Challenge. This challenge allows students to earn badges as they engage in STEM activities with their classrooms. Through these activities, they discover and prepare for future careers.

Kersch says the region’s growing STEM ecosystem, which includes PA Seed, Philadelphia STEM ecosystem and Berks County STEM Ecosystem, has made this festival of learning so valuable this year.

“We’ve really been able to collaborate and bring a lot more people to the table, [including] partners, students, families, community members,” said Kersch. “I’m really grateful for our partnerships, because it is through them that we are able to continue to grow this to a new level.”

Click here to discover more events and details about Remake Learning Days in Southeastern PA.