Academics & Enrichment Archive
From field trips to science programs to music and plays, we know parent groups support all sorts of activities to make learning more exciting for kids. You'll find tons of enrichment ideas in the articles below. Find more helpful tools and info on the Academics & Enrichment resources page. (For articles about planning great teacher appreciation programs, go to the
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A Classroom Without Walls
From fundraising to design to construction, here's what to know to create a beautiful and functional outdoor learning space for your school. -
PTO Problem-Solver: Support Student Enrichment by Growing Involvement
Low parent participation hasn’t stopped you from getting things done, but the PTO’s impact will be even greater with more help. Check out these stories and tips to increase involvement, promote participation for all abilities, and enhance enrichment and learning. -
How To Book a Guest Speaker for Your Next School Program
Thinking of bringing in a speaker or enrichment program for your next school assembly? Start by asking a potential guest speaker these questions. -
10 Easy STEM Activities for Kids To Try at Your Next Family Night
No Bill Nye the Science Guy around? No problem. -
Makerspace Basics
These fun and flexible areas can help students develop creative and analytical thinking skills. -
10 Ways To Bring Art Appreciation to Students
Painting, drawing, and other art forms are the basis for awesome enrichment activities from school parent groups. -
9 School Store Setup Tips and Ideas
School stores can be a great way to serve students and earn money for your group, too. Here are some key points to consider when setting yours up. -
Deconstruction Zone
Tech Take-Apart event required only donated electronics, a few tools, and students’ natural curiosity. -
How To Run a School Readathon
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Experimenting With STEM
Learning opportunities abound during a Massachusetts school's Crazy for Science week. -
Adding Fun and Learning to the After-School Hours
Students get a chance to explore art and robotics in after-school clubs. -
33 Ways To Spark Some Fun at Family Science Night
You don’t have to be a Ben Franklin or a Bill Nye to host a Family Science Night! -
It’s Academic! 10 Event Ideas Tied to the Curriculum
There’s nothing more powerful than a fun event that involves lots of learning. Steal some of these ideas or use them as a springboard to create your own. -
Starry, Starry Night
Maine elementary students enjoy an out-of-this-world astronomy event. -
Author Interview With Corinne Demas
The Massachusetts children's author talks about getting kids excited about literacy. -
Author Interview With Chris Barton
The Texas children's author talks about getting kids excited about literacy. -
6 Craft Projects for Young Readers
Help kids get excited about reading with these fun and simple craft ideas. -
12 Ideas To Get Your School Reading
PTOs and PTAs can play an important role in promoting and encouraging literacy. -
Cool Enrichment Ideas for PTOs
Try one (or all!) of these parent-group-tested ideas to make learning more exciting for kids. -
Young Chefs Promote Healthy Eating
An annual recipe contest at a Minnesota elementary school gets students excited about trying new foods. -
100th Day of School T-Shirt Ideas
11 interesting ways that students can decorate a shirt. -
100th Day: Say It With a Shirt
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5 Ideas To Help Kids Love Reading
Fun ideas to help support literacy at your school. -
PTOs and the School Technology Gap
Parent groups are a major source of technology funding at schools. How can you help without breaking the bank? -
How Your PTO Can Help Raise Test Scores
Boosting test scores is a priority for many schools. Here are academic project ideas to help students prepare for standardized testing. -
How PTOs Can Help on Testing Days
Seven ideas to help support students before, during, and after big tests. -
One Year, 2 Million Minutes Spent Reading
A PTO program that inspires students to hit the books earned this group the 2014 Parent Group of the Year award for Outstanding Focus on Academics & Enrichment. -
Family Event: A Science Night for the Whole Community
PTO Today's 2014 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event brought together school and community members with its free Family Science Night. -
New England's Best School Field Trips
Parent groups often have a big hand in executing successful school field trips. Here are some of the best that New England has to offer. -
How PTOs Make Their School Music Programs Sing
From paying for teacher time to organizing performances, parent groups help bridge the gaps in music education. -
Racing To Read
The Iditarod, a major hometown event, serves as the inspiration for a schoolwide literacy program. -
17 Ways To Mark 100 Days of School
Is your school approaching the 100th day of school? Here are simple ways to celebrate the occasion. -
Create a Teacher Grant Program for Your School
From technology to music enrichment, an effective PTO-run teacher grant program can help increase a school’s offerings and close budget gaps. -
How Parent Groups Support Academics
From helping with basic needs to providing academic enrichment, there are many ways PTOs and PTAs work with teachers to help students learn. -
Teaching Gardens Help Expand the Landscape of Learning
PTOs and PTAs around the country are helping schools take their learning experiences outdoors, where kids get lessons they can use in and out of the classroom. -
Student Gardeners Enjoy Fruits of Their Labor
At a school garden club in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a parent volunteer finds that students are fans of fruits and veggies when they help with the planting. -
Academics & Enrichment: A Community STEM Effort
A yearlong effort to provide science enrichment as well as a communitywide STEM event earned this group the award for Outstanding Academics & Enrichment Effort in the 2013 Parent Group of the Year search. -
Family Event: A Creative Approach To Learning Science
PTO Today's 2013 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event winner created a CSI-style Mystery Science Night that showed science being used in a practical way. -
After Cutbacks, Parents Run School Drama Club
Following budget cuts at a San Diego school, parents decided that the show must go on. -
6 Ways To Get Kids Reading
Help inspire a love of reading with these fun ideas and events. -
A Lesson in the Arts
Students in Lancaster, Ohio, practiced more than just artistic technique for their PTO’s multifaceted art show event. -
Students Learn Business Skills at Ices Shop
A trio of PTOs gives students the opportunity to run a local business for a day. -
Ideas That Raise Students' Social Awareness
These parent group projects help kids learn about community and their place in it. -
Student Book Club Gets Kids Reading
The PTO-sponsored school book club has students excited about reading new things. -
What Kids Learn From Fundraising
Product fundraisers often help pay for enrichment opportunities at school, but students who are involved in sales can also benefit from more direct lessons. -
How PTOs Bring Arts Enrichment to Schools
Budget cuts have taken a toll on arts education in many school districts. But parent groups have found fun and creative ways to promote the arts. -
Art Smart: Parent-Run Art Appreciation Program
How PTOs in one Michigan town bring art education to the classroom with an innovative art appreciation program. -
PTO Tailgating Night: Pep Rally for Academics and Fitness
Families loved this PTO-planned event to promote math, reading, and staying fit. -
Date Book: Pi Day
Have fun with math and celebrate this famous number each spring! -
Do Your Homework Before Taking the iPad Leap
It’s important for parent groups get answers to some key questions before making the purchase. -
Great School Science Events
Science can be fun and exciting for students. Use these ideas and approaches to create engaging science-related activities. -
How To Start a School Garden
School gardens help teach students about nature, healthy eating, and more. PTOs and PTAs can take the lead in starting one at their school. -
Messy Art Night: PTO Family Event for All Ages
An arts-based family event brings out the child in everyone with multiple ways to get creative. -
Solving the "Amazing Case": PTA Family Night
Parents and kids use teamwork, plus their minds and bodies, to take home prizes at this family event. -
Hands-on Arts and Science Education
A PTO's Arts & Science Day makes learning fun and interactive for students. -
Family Event: Astronomy Night Shines
PTO Today's 2010 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event developed a fun, multifaceted evening with an academic theme, a student-led science fair, and lots of support from local organizations. -
PTO Program Puts Art Into Action
Students dive in to art appreciation through in-depth lessons led by parents, then apply their knowledge in a hands-on project involving the whole school. -
After-School Fun With PTO Program
A wide variety of free after-school clubs, run by teachers and supported by parents, keeps students at a middle school engaged and safe. -
Celebrate Presidents’ Day at School
Honor the highest office in the United States by marking Presidents’ Day at school. Here are some ideas to get your PTO started. -
9 Special Event Ideas To Spice Up Your Year
From old favorites like Read Across America Day to new traditions (National Pi Day on March 14, maybe?), these noteworthy dates make learning fun. -
Academics and Animals
One school's 5th grade curriculum uses community service activities related to cats, dogs, and zoo animals to teach kids science. -
Start a Parent-Child Book Club
A book club for 1st graders and their parents sparks excitement and shares the joy of reading. -
Stepping Up to Family Fitness Challenge
A PTA encourages its school families to walk a combined 1 million steps to better health. -
Major Project: Edible Garden Enriches Students and Learning
The 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project created a green space for students with the support of families and teachers as well as school staff. -
Family Event: Crafts Night With a Conscience
PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event combined a focus on fun with environmental awareness. -
Reading Challenge Achieves Results
When a PTO matches elementary readers with NASA astronauts, literacy scores soar. -
Make It an A+ Year!
PTOs can make even more of a difference for schools with good planning, good communication, and a focus on building student achievement. -
Bringing History to Life
Ancient Egypt becomes real again through a month of activities for the whole school. -
Yearlong Travel Theme Makes Learning Fun
Parent group leaders and teachers tied a “world tour” theme to all parts of the curriculum, making it a year to remember for the entire school community. -
How PTOs Are Making Schools Green
PTOs and PTAs are increasingly playing a key role in school efforts related to recycling, composting, and reducing energy use. -
Online Dues Payments Never Reached PTAs
The Greenwich (Conn.) PTA Council has joined other school and athletic groups from across the country in seeking funds due from Count Me In, a Bellevue, Wash.-based company that collects online registrations and donations for nonprofits. -
Field Trip Fees Banned in Iowa
According to the state department of education, schools cannot ask parents to pay field trip costs directly, although PTOs can fundraise for that purpose. -
Higher Fuel Costs Mean Fewer Field Trips
Rising costs are a problem for most school districts, survey finds. -
Science Night, CSI Style
Science is fun when students have to figure out “Whodunit?” -
Community Service: Knitting for a Cause
PTO Today’s 2008 Outstanding Community Service Project turned a fundraiser into a heartwarming event: Students knitted hats in all sizes for patients at the local children’s hospital, then delivered them personally. -
Building Student Readers
Students who read books can earn great prizes from the parent group's Little Red Schoolhouse. -
Teaching Parents To Be Involved
A California kindergarten teacher gets moms and dads into the classroom. -
School Spirit in the Spotlight
Hundreds of students, parents, and alumni take part in planning or performing in a major variety show event. -
PTO Goes Green at School
It's Earth Day every day for a group of students, teachers, parents, and administrators in Dover, Mass. -
School Store Stocked for Success
Students learn money management behind the counter of a cafeteria store filled with school supplies and other goodies. -
Teaching Kids About Character
When respect, kindness, generosity, and other positive traits are covered at school, students gain strong values. -
Major Project: Community Garden Builds School Support
A Phoenix group was recognized as the PTO Today 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project for its garden that is part teaching tool, part service project, and part community-building exercise. -
National Runner-up: Eagle Project Really Soared
A combined literacy and community service project to save the bald eagle really took off for PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year national runner-up. -
36 Ideas for Arts and Science Enrichment
School performers, assemblies, and cultural events can excite students and bring new perspectives. Get started with our list of memorable activities. -
A Play's the Thing
One parent group has turned its annual musical performance into a major fundraiser—and a major way to build community involvement. -
Involvement Ranks Last in School Reform
Parent involvement may be a focus of the No Child Left Behind Act’s school improvement prescriptions, but it’s the least likely to be implemented, according to a 2007 report issued by the Rand Corp. -
Field Trips: Getting Organized
School-led educational outings are primarily the domain of teachers, but parent groups can still play a role in making them fun and successful. -
PTO Publishes Student Writers
A literacy program gets kids writing essays and poetry, with some parent involvement along the way. -
Help Build Student Achievement
An expert challenges PTOs to increase parent involvement in ways that are connected to the curriculum. -
School Auction Gold: Student Art Projects
Projects created by elementary school students brought in more than $8,000 for a New York City parent group. -
Million Minute Reading Challenge
One PTA's innovative program to get kids excited about books and boost reading scores. -
How PTOs Foster Science Skills
A look at the many ways parent groups can help schools focus on achievement in science. -
A Playground That Teaches Science
Kids love the unique playground, and teachers have created a 47-page curriculum to go with it. -
Knitting Club's a Ball
Kids eagerly choose "indoor recess" to learn a new craft. -
How PTOs Foster Math Skills
Creative approaches to help schools focus on achievement in math and to improve math literacy. -
How PTOs Foster Reading Skills
Parent groups can play an effective role in helping schools improve reading and writing achievement. -
NCLB: What It Means for PTOs
The No Child Left Behind Act has schools asking PTOs and PTAs to emphasize literacy and other key topics in their activities. -
Learning About Ellis Island
This simulation of the Ellis Island immigration experience taught kids and engaged parents in a dynamic way. -
A Literacy Event for Halloween
Pumpkins and poems make an eerily successful combination for a Halloween celebration. -
Organizing an Author Visit
Don't be overwhelmed by the thought of choosing an author and planning an event. A few simple guidelines will help you do it successfully. -
Permission Slips That Work
Permission slips are often sent home with kids for school activities, but most of them don't provide any legal protection for the school or the parent group. -
Murals Teach Art, History
More than just a pretty wall, murals help bring lessons alive and instill a sense of community pride. -
Science Comes Alive on Discovery Day
Local scientists performed engaging experiments for elementary school students in this excellent one-day enrichment program. -
Bringing Art Appreciation to Students
“Meet the Masters,” an art education program founded and sponsored by the Kings Road School PTO in New Jersey, has been tying art appreciation to the curriculum since the 1980s. -
School Performers: Preparing an Orientation Packet
Tips to make the most of a school visit by arts and enrichment performers. -
How To Choose School Performers
Enrichment activities and school performers bring fresh insight and perspectives. Find the best fit for your school. -
An Author Visit From the Author's Eyes
An award-winning children's author and speaker shares his best ideas for maximizing the value of your next arts and enrichment performer.
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