Meet the Alphablocks — 26 living letters who discover that when they hold hands to make a word, something magical happens. Celebrated for its innovative approach to teaching reading, Alphablocks makes learning joyful, active, and engaging for early learners. This free collection of Alphablocks worksheets brings that magic to life at home or in the classroom, with Alphablocks letter cards kids can use to build words, alphabet finger puppets, and playful worksheets that teach letter sounds.
Watch full episodes of the award-winning show for kids ages 3–6 on the official Alphablocks YouTube channel!
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is months into a serious Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus. Its rapid spread has prompted health officials to raise the risk assessment to "very high" nationally, "high" regionally, and "low" globally. The Bundibugyo species has a case fatality rate of about one in three people, and there's currently no approved vaccine for this type of Ebola. Scientists at the University of Oxford are racing to develop one, using a strategy that may sound familiar.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists were able to develop vaccines quickly by using a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the coronavirus. It may sound like the world’s worst Amazon delivery, but that material acts as instructions to teach the immune system what to recognize, so it can fight the real virus if a person is exposed later. It’s like showing your immune system a "wanted poster" of a criminal, and giving your body time to figure out how to respond if faced with the actual criminal.
Now, scientists are using the same strategy for Ebola: a harmless virus delivers genetic instructions from the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, helping the immune system prepare without causing the disease itself. Health officials hope the outbreak can be contained without a vaccine, but because Ebola can spread quickly and cause severe illness, having a vaccine ready would provide another powerful tool to help stop it — a definite case of "better safe than sorry."
Cholesterol is tricky — your body needs the waxy substance to build cells and make hormones, but there’s a bad type of cholesterol called “LDL” (low-density lipoprotein). Too much LDL can put people at risk for heart attacks or stroke, so controlling cholesterol levels can be life-saving.
Luckily, a new gene editing therapy called VERVE-102 may be able to help with high cholesterol. There’s a trial running now that’s small but mighty, involving only 35 patients, all of whom have either inherited high cholesterol or have had a heart attack at a young age. They continued their regular medication but added this new gene editing therapy to their treatment.
Not only did results show levels of bad cholesterol reduced by up to 62%, but the level continued to remain low after a year, suggesting that patients may only need one treatment to feel the effects of this treatment for the rest of their lives. Is it magic? Close! It’s science!
The idea behind the gene editing plays off of the liver’s role. It’s supposed to clear bad cholesterol from the blood and stop it from clogging up vessels, unless a protein called PCSK9 gets in the way. PCSK9! It even kind of sounds like “pesky”! The new medicine edits PCSK9’s gene, so that it stays out of the way and the liver can do its job.
Everybody’s destiny looks different. Scientist Nathan’s looks like a humanoid robot dancing in the street. Nathan is the engineer designing a robot named Destiny’s software, creating her personality, and making sure she doesn't trip over anything.
Like many other robots, Destiny’s hardware was built in China, but it's Nathan who has spent months customizing and programming instructions. It can do housework or walk the dog, but the tech is being developed to ultimately help save the world. Unless your room is dangerously dirty, that probably looks more like decommissioning nuclear reactors or remote bomb disposal. That’s possible with robots like Destiny because they be controlled from across the world, where their human bosses are safe and sound.
But even distance between engineer and robot doesn’t necessarily mean Destiny is open to threats. Nathan says software has come so far that if it gets hacked, the robot can turn itself off, so that it can’t be controlled. So, no danger of your teacher getting into the system and assigning extra homework or something. Destiny is meant to be a friend, not a threat! Unless you’re scared of getting out-danced. Turns out, she’s got some moves besides just “the robot”!
If you’re ever scrolling online and find that you can’t believe your eyes, you might just want to trust your instinct. Deepfakes are AI-generated or AI-manipulated content (such as pictures, videos, or audio clips) that is designed to look or sound real. Nowadays, making them is a lot easier than it used to be, thanks to access to free, public tools online.
To make a deepfake of someone speaking, the AI only needs a picture and about 10 seconds of audio recording. The AI identifies facial landmarks (such as the eyes, nose, and mouth), predicts how those features would move while speaking, then synchronizes those movements with the generated audio to create a pretty realistic-looking video.
The results aren’t perfect. There are often repetitive face movements and mispronunciations, but they’re still close enough to be dangerous and spread misinformation. But, deepfakes can be great if used correctly! For instance, if someone has lost their voice, deepfake technology can recreate it.
Birdwatching is taking off in a big way among young people. Reports say that around 750,000 people aged 16–29 in the UK and millions in the U.S. now regularly go birdwatching — turning what was once seen as a “quiet” hobby into a fast-growing trend.
Part of the appeal is how simple it is to start. You don’t need expensive gear or special training — just curiosity and a bit of time outdoors. It’s a low-pressure way to take a break from screens, notice what’s around you, and actually tune into sounds and spaces most people scroll past.
Ironically, social media is helping drive the trend. Birdwatching accounts, short videos, and identification apps are making it easier than ever to learn bird calls, spot species, and share discoveries with others. Instead of pulling people away from nature, platforms like TikTok and Instagram are often pushing people back into it.
Conservationists are especially excited because this kind of interest helps more people connect with wildlife and care about protecting it. Birdwatching is becoming less about binoculars and notebooks — and more about curiosity, community, and noticing the world a little differently.
Turn your classroom into a global exploration hub! This country report template invites students in Grades 3–8 to become curious investigators — uncovering what makes each country unique and sharing their discoveries in creative ways.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the resource includes two approachable formats:
- Snapshot Style: A lively, visual option that’s perfect for quick learning or younger students. Learners can sketch, label, and highlight key features — like flags, landmarks, foods, and traditions — while building confidence with short responses.
- Explorer Style: A more in-depth format for students ready to dig deeper. It guides learners through topics such as geography, wildlife, culture, and history, helping them organize ideas and develop clear, informative writing.
Best of all, this template pairs seamlessly with BBC videos — bringing countries to life through real-world sights, sounds, and stories. Students can watch, wonder, and then weave what they’ve learned into their own reports.
Quick Teacher Tips: Use country studies as a springboard into wider learning across subjects:
- Geography: Map skills, climate zones, landforms, and ecosystems
- Language Arts: Informational writing, summarizing, note-taking, and presenting
- History: Key events, timelines, and how the past shapes the present
- Math: Population comparisons, distances, currency conversions
- Arts & Culture: Traditional patterns, music, celebrations, and food
- Current Events: Tie in informational reading and media literacy by exploring what’s happening in that country today in an age-appropriate way.
Make early reading feel magical with this Alphablocks Word Magic printable bundle! Designed with busy teachers and families in mind, these pages offer simple, joyful practice that helps young readers build confidence one word at a time. Students can trace letters to complete each word or use their letter tiles to build it themselves — an effective way to strengthen phonics understanding through both writing and hands-on play.
This “Word Magic” pack includes engaging practice with:
-
Hard “c” words to help students recognize how the letter c can change its sound.
-
Words with the “ear” sound, giving readers experience with trickier vowel teams.
-
“ch” and “sh” digraphs, perfect for boosting early decoding skills.
-
“ai” and “ee” vowel patterns, supporting growing readers as they learn long-vowel spellings.
-
Ending blends like nd, nt, and mp for stronger blending and spelling accuracy.
These worksheets are perfect for small-group instruction, literacy centers, morning work, tutoring, or home reading practice. They’re easy to use, fun to repeat, and help students feel proud of the words they can read and make.
Looking for even more Alphablocks resources? We have tons available — just search “Alphablocks” on the site!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Give young readers a boost with this friendly Alphablocks worksheet bundle! Designed for both teachers and families, these printables make early reading practice simple, engaging, and confidence-building. Students can sound out words, blend the sounds together, and check off each word as they read. They can also write the words on the lines or build them using their letter tiles — great for hands-on learners.
Inside this “I Can Read” pack, you'll find:
-
CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) that help children master the basics of blending.
-
Consonant blends like ch, sh, and th to strengthen early phonics skills.
-
Long vowel spellings such as ai, igh, and ee to support growing readers as they move into more challenging patterns.
These pages work beautifully for small-group instruction, centers, morning work, homework, tutoring, or at-home practice with parents.
And if your readers want even more Alphablocks fun? We’ve got you covered — just search “Alphablocks” on the site to explore the full collection!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Dive into this curated playlist of clips from Got Science?, the BBC’s magazine-style series that unpacks the science behind everyday life. From why we melt at baby animals to why scary movies make us jump, each episode reveals the surprising biology and behavior shaping our world. Students can explore questions like why flies are nearly impossible to catch and why bedbugs are so tough to defeat. Every video includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and more to spark curiosity and critical thinking in middle and high school classrooms.
Explore the five senses like never before! Dive into 10 fascinating BBC videos from shows like Got Science? and Secrets of Skin that uncover the amazing science behind how we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Students will discover why food tastes different on an airplane, how smell involves more than just the nose, why our eyes make emotional tears, how sound can change flavor, and how fingertips and smell receptors send powerful signals to the brain. It’s a fun, surprising look at the hidden connections between the brain and our everyday experiences.
Say the sounds and blend them. Can you make the words with your tiles too?
- s-a-n-d
- b-a-n-d
- h-a-n-d
- t-e-n-t
- a-n-t
- b-u-m-p
- l-u-m-p
- j-u-m-p
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Meet the Alphablocks — 26 living letters who discover that when they hold hands to make a word, something magical happens. Celebrated for its innovative approach to teaching reading, Alphablocks makes learning joyful, active, and engaging for early learners. This free collection of Alphablocks worksheets brings that magic to life at home or in the classroom, with Alphablocks letter cards kids can use to build words, alphabet finger puppets, and playful worksheets that teach letter sounds.
Watch full episodes of the award-winning show for kids ages 3–6 on the official Alphablocks YouTube channel!
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is months into a serious Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus. Its rapid spread has prompted health officials to raise the risk assessment to "very high" nationally, "high" regionally, and "low" globally. The Bundibugyo species has a case fatality rate of about one in three people, and there's currently no approved vaccine for this type of Ebola. Scientists at the University of Oxford are racing to develop one, using a strategy that may sound familiar.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists were able to develop vaccines quickly by using a harmless virus to deliver genetic material from the coronavirus. It may sound like the world’s worst Amazon delivery, but that material acts as instructions to teach the immune system what to recognize, so it can fight the real virus if a person is exposed later. It’s like showing your immune system a "wanted poster" of a criminal, and giving your body time to figure out how to respond if faced with the actual criminal.
Now, scientists are using the same strategy for Ebola: a harmless virus delivers genetic instructions from the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, helping the immune system prepare without causing the disease itself. Health officials hope the outbreak can be contained without a vaccine, but because Ebola can spread quickly and cause severe illness, having a vaccine ready would provide another powerful tool to help stop it — a definite case of "better safe than sorry."
Cholesterol is tricky — your body needs the waxy substance to build cells and make hormones, but there’s a bad type of cholesterol called “LDL” (low-density lipoprotein). Too much LDL can put people at risk for heart attacks or stroke, so controlling cholesterol levels can be life-saving.
Luckily, a new gene editing therapy called VERVE-102 may be able to help with high cholesterol. There’s a trial running now that’s small but mighty, involving only 35 patients, all of whom have either inherited high cholesterol or have had a heart attack at a young age. They continued their regular medication but added this new gene editing therapy to their treatment.
Not only did results show levels of bad cholesterol reduced by up to 62%, but the level continued to remain low after a year, suggesting that patients may only need one treatment to feel the effects of this treatment for the rest of their lives. Is it magic? Close! It’s science!
The idea behind the gene editing plays off of the liver’s role. It’s supposed to clear bad cholesterol from the blood and stop it from clogging up vessels, unless a protein called PCSK9 gets in the way. PCSK9! It even kind of sounds like “pesky”! The new medicine edits PCSK9’s gene, so that it stays out of the way and the liver can do its job.
Everybody’s destiny looks different. Scientist Nathan’s looks like a humanoid robot dancing in the street. Nathan is the engineer designing a robot named Destiny’s software, creating her personality, and making sure she doesn't trip over anything.
Like many other robots, Destiny’s hardware was built in China, but it's Nathan who has spent months customizing and programming instructions. It can do housework or walk the dog, but the tech is being developed to ultimately help save the world. Unless your room is dangerously dirty, that probably looks more like decommissioning nuclear reactors or remote bomb disposal. That’s possible with robots like Destiny because they be controlled from across the world, where their human bosses are safe and sound.
But even distance between engineer and robot doesn’t necessarily mean Destiny is open to threats. Nathan says software has come so far that if it gets hacked, the robot can turn itself off, so that it can’t be controlled. So, no danger of your teacher getting into the system and assigning extra homework or something. Destiny is meant to be a friend, not a threat! Unless you’re scared of getting out-danced. Turns out, she’s got some moves besides just “the robot”!
If you’re ever scrolling online and find that you can’t believe your eyes, you might just want to trust your instinct. Deepfakes are AI-generated or AI-manipulated content (such as pictures, videos, or audio clips) that is designed to look or sound real. Nowadays, making them is a lot easier than it used to be, thanks to access to free, public tools online.
To make a deepfake of someone speaking, the AI only needs a picture and about 10 seconds of audio recording. The AI identifies facial landmarks (such as the eyes, nose, and mouth), predicts how those features would move while speaking, then synchronizes those movements with the generated audio to create a pretty realistic-looking video.
The results aren’t perfect. There are often repetitive face movements and mispronunciations, but they’re still close enough to be dangerous and spread misinformation. But, deepfakes can be great if used correctly! For instance, if someone has lost their voice, deepfake technology can recreate it.
Birdwatching is taking off in a big way among young people. Reports say that around 750,000 people aged 16–29 in the UK and millions in the U.S. now regularly go birdwatching — turning what was once seen as a “quiet” hobby into a fast-growing trend.
Part of the appeal is how simple it is to start. You don’t need expensive gear or special training — just curiosity and a bit of time outdoors. It’s a low-pressure way to take a break from screens, notice what’s around you, and actually tune into sounds and spaces most people scroll past.
Ironically, social media is helping drive the trend. Birdwatching accounts, short videos, and identification apps are making it easier than ever to learn bird calls, spot species, and share discoveries with others. Instead of pulling people away from nature, platforms like TikTok and Instagram are often pushing people back into it.
Conservationists are especially excited because this kind of interest helps more people connect with wildlife and care about protecting it. Birdwatching is becoming less about binoculars and notebooks — and more about curiosity, community, and noticing the world a little differently.
Turn your classroom into a global exploration hub! This country report template invites students in Grades 3–8 to become curious investigators — uncovering what makes each country unique and sharing their discoveries in creative ways.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the resource includes two approachable formats:
- Snapshot Style: A lively, visual option that’s perfect for quick learning or younger students. Learners can sketch, label, and highlight key features — like flags, landmarks, foods, and traditions — while building confidence with short responses.
- Explorer Style: A more in-depth format for students ready to dig deeper. It guides learners through topics such as geography, wildlife, culture, and history, helping them organize ideas and develop clear, informative writing.
Best of all, this template pairs seamlessly with BBC videos — bringing countries to life through real-world sights, sounds, and stories. Students can watch, wonder, and then weave what they’ve learned into their own reports.
Quick Teacher Tips: Use country studies as a springboard into wider learning across subjects:
- Geography: Map skills, climate zones, landforms, and ecosystems
- Language Arts: Informational writing, summarizing, note-taking, and presenting
- History: Key events, timelines, and how the past shapes the present
- Math: Population comparisons, distances, currency conversions
- Arts & Culture: Traditional patterns, music, celebrations, and food
- Current Events: Tie in informational reading and media literacy by exploring what’s happening in that country today in an age-appropriate way.
Make early reading feel magical with this Alphablocks Word Magic printable bundle! Designed with busy teachers and families in mind, these pages offer simple, joyful practice that helps young readers build confidence one word at a time. Students can trace letters to complete each word or use their letter tiles to build it themselves — an effective way to strengthen phonics understanding through both writing and hands-on play.
This “Word Magic” pack includes engaging practice with:
-
Hard “c” words to help students recognize how the letter c can change its sound.
-
Words with the “ear” sound, giving readers experience with trickier vowel teams.
-
“ch” and “sh” digraphs, perfect for boosting early decoding skills.
-
“ai” and “ee” vowel patterns, supporting growing readers as they learn long-vowel spellings.
-
Ending blends like nd, nt, and mp for stronger blending and spelling accuracy.
These worksheets are perfect for small-group instruction, literacy centers, morning work, tutoring, or home reading practice. They’re easy to use, fun to repeat, and help students feel proud of the words they can read and make.
Looking for even more Alphablocks resources? We have tons available — just search “Alphablocks” on the site!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Give young readers a boost with this friendly Alphablocks worksheet bundle! Designed for both teachers and families, these printables make early reading practice simple, engaging, and confidence-building. Students can sound out words, blend the sounds together, and check off each word as they read. They can also write the words on the lines or build them using their letter tiles — great for hands-on learners.
Inside this “I Can Read” pack, you'll find:
-
CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) that help children master the basics of blending.
-
Consonant blends like ch, sh, and th to strengthen early phonics skills.
-
Long vowel spellings such as ai, igh, and ee to support growing readers as they move into more challenging patterns.
These pages work beautifully for small-group instruction, centers, morning work, homework, tutoring, or at-home practice with parents.
And if your readers want even more Alphablocks fun? We’ve got you covered — just search “Alphablocks” on the site to explore the full collection!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Dive into this curated playlist of clips from Got Science?, the BBC’s magazine-style series that unpacks the science behind everyday life. From why we melt at baby animals to why scary movies make us jump, each episode reveals the surprising biology and behavior shaping our world. Students can explore questions like why flies are nearly impossible to catch and why bedbugs are so tough to defeat. Every video includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and more to spark curiosity and critical thinking in middle and high school classrooms.
Explore the five senses like never before! Dive into 10 fascinating BBC videos from shows like Got Science? and Secrets of Skin that uncover the amazing science behind how we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Students will discover why food tastes different on an airplane, how smell involves more than just the nose, why our eyes make emotional tears, how sound can change flavor, and how fingertips and smell receptors send powerful signals to the brain. It’s a fun, surprising look at the hidden connections between the brain and our everyday experiences.
Say the sounds and blend them. Can you make the words with your tiles too?
- s-a-n-d
- b-a-n-d
- h-a-n-d
- t-e-n-t
- a-n-t
- b-u-m-p
- l-u-m-p
- j-u-m-p
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!