The greatest stories of all time are true.
Gung Hei Fat Choy!
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the BBC Learning Hub’s curated resources for students ages 4–14. Through videos, articles, and printables, students can explore the traditions, symbols, and stories that mark this important holiday. From family gatherings and festive foods to lanterns, lion dances, and the Chinese Zodiac, these resources help students understand how Lunar New Year is celebrated across cultures and communities around the world.
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!
What country is home to ancient pyramids, colorful monarch butterflies, towering volcanoes, and one of the world’s most famous celebrations? Meet Mexico, a country where ancient civilizations, diverse landscapes, and vibrant traditions come together.
From the Aztec and Maya to pumas and whale sharks, Mexico has a remarkable story to tell. Explore the civilizations that shaped the country, discover how Mexico gained independence from Spain, and learn about its food, festivals, languages, government, and cities. You’ll also discover how deserts, mountains, jungles, and coastlines provide habitats for an amazing variety of plants and animals.
Teachers and parents, you can use this fact file to:
- Introduce a geography or social studies unit
- Support nonfiction reading practice
- Compare countries and cultures
- Complete map and research activities
- Prepare students for projects or presentations (use our country report template!)
- Pair with videos, articles, or other informational texts (see Related Resources below)
Cowboy culture might seem uniquely American, but one Chinese immigrant says it feels surprisingly familiar. Bruce Wang is originally from Yunnan, a region of China with a long history of horse breeding among many ethnic groups, but became fascinated with the cowboy lifestyle after moving to Texas as an international student at 20 years old.
At first, he dressed like a cowboy, but looking the part wasn't enough — he wanted the real experience. So he joined the cattle industry, learning to ride horses and work with livestock. Maybe he even learned to appreciate the smell of cow manure — or at least not complain about it.
After more than a decade in the United States, cowboy culture has become an important part of his identity, and he says it will stay with him even if he returns to China one day. By sharing his story, Bruce hopes people in China and the United States will better understand one another despite ongoing political tensions. What a moooooooo-ving story.
Feeling stressed? Try reading this out loud!
Researchers have found that reading together can help strengthen bonds and reduce stress. In a recent study, families were asked to read together while wearing a brain monitoring cap that tracks activity over time. The results suggested that moments of shared reading can sync brain patterns between two people, which then suggest that the experience of reading books together helps parents and children connect.
Furthermore, the importance of stories themselves can’t be ignored. Stories are how people explain the world and their lives to one another — the decisions you make and the person you become are partially influenced by the stories you’ve read or heard. The research is very new, but studies of this sort can help us understand why reading together builds empathy, focus, emotional well-being, and might support children’s development and encourage a lifelong love of reading. And not just because a good story might distract two siblings for long enough to stop flicking each other’s ears!
If you’ve ever wanted to ask Brussels sprouts… just… why? Well, you may be able to get pretty close. There’s an exhibition called Talking Plants at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, where visitors can talk to plants! Well, anyone can always talk to plants. But, in this greenhouse, artificial intelligence is being used to get the plants to respond.
The exhibit features a variety of plant life to go with 20 AI personalities a Cambridge professor, Sam, and his team created for the garden. With a QR code and a phone, visitors can come in and engage with the plants, ask them questions, and listen to their responses. Each plant has its own name, personality, and based on where in the world it's from, and some can speak multiple languages. They can even tell jokes!
How closely have you been following the world this week? From the upcoming World Cup and conflict in the Middle East to cruise ship chaos and surprising discoveries in space, this BBC Weekly News Quiz covers the stories everyone’s been talking about. Test your knowledge with 10 questions inspired by the biggest headlines from around the globe.
What country is home to more than a billion people, hundreds of languages, the Himalayan Mountains, and some of the world’s most iconic animals? Meet India, a country with an extraordinary mix of landscapes, cultures, religions, and traditions.
From Bengal tigers and colorful peafowl to the Taj Mahal and the mighty Himalayas, India is full of fascinating stories and discoveries. Explore the civilizations and empires that shaped its history, learn about Hinduism and other religions that began there, and discover the foods, festivals, languages, and traditions that make India unique. You’ll also explore the country’s incredible wildlife.
Teachers and parents, you can use this fact file to:
- Introduce a geography or social studies unit
- Support nonfiction reading practice
- Compare countries and cultures
- Complete map and research activities
- Prepare students for projects or presentations (use our country report template!)
- Pair with videos, articles, or other informational texts (see Related Resources below)
What caught your attention in the news this week? From incredible science stories and animal adventures to big world events and sports surprises, this BBC News Quiz is full of fun and fascinating moments. See how many of the five questions you can get right!
The greatest stories of all time are true.
Gung Hei Fat Choy!
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the BBC Learning Hub’s curated resources for students ages 4–14. Through videos, articles, and printables, students can explore the traditions, symbols, and stories that mark this important holiday. From family gatherings and festive foods to lanterns, lion dances, and the Chinese Zodiac, these resources help students understand how Lunar New Year is celebrated across cultures and communities around the world.
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!
What country is home to ancient pyramids, colorful monarch butterflies, towering volcanoes, and one of the world’s most famous celebrations? Meet Mexico, a country where ancient civilizations, diverse landscapes, and vibrant traditions come together.
From the Aztec and Maya to pumas and whale sharks, Mexico has a remarkable story to tell. Explore the civilizations that shaped the country, discover how Mexico gained independence from Spain, and learn about its food, festivals, languages, government, and cities. You’ll also discover how deserts, mountains, jungles, and coastlines provide habitats for an amazing variety of plants and animals.
Teachers and parents, you can use this fact file to:
- Introduce a geography or social studies unit
- Support nonfiction reading practice
- Compare countries and cultures
- Complete map and research activities
- Prepare students for projects or presentations (use our country report template!)
- Pair with videos, articles, or other informational texts (see Related Resources below)
Cowboy culture might seem uniquely American, but one Chinese immigrant says it feels surprisingly familiar. Bruce Wang is originally from Yunnan, a region of China with a long history of horse breeding among many ethnic groups, but became fascinated with the cowboy lifestyle after moving to Texas as an international student at 20 years old.
At first, he dressed like a cowboy, but looking the part wasn't enough — he wanted the real experience. So he joined the cattle industry, learning to ride horses and work with livestock. Maybe he even learned to appreciate the smell of cow manure — or at least not complain about it.
After more than a decade in the United States, cowboy culture has become an important part of his identity, and he says it will stay with him even if he returns to China one day. By sharing his story, Bruce hopes people in China and the United States will better understand one another despite ongoing political tensions. What a moooooooo-ving story.
Feeling stressed? Try reading this out loud!
Researchers have found that reading together can help strengthen bonds and reduce stress. In a recent study, families were asked to read together while wearing a brain monitoring cap that tracks activity over time. The results suggested that moments of shared reading can sync brain patterns between two people, which then suggest that the experience of reading books together helps parents and children connect.
Furthermore, the importance of stories themselves can’t be ignored. Stories are how people explain the world and their lives to one another — the decisions you make and the person you become are partially influenced by the stories you’ve read or heard. The research is very new, but studies of this sort can help us understand why reading together builds empathy, focus, emotional well-being, and might support children’s development and encourage a lifelong love of reading. And not just because a good story might distract two siblings for long enough to stop flicking each other’s ears!
If you’ve ever wanted to ask Brussels sprouts… just… why? Well, you may be able to get pretty close. There’s an exhibition called Talking Plants at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, where visitors can talk to plants! Well, anyone can always talk to plants. But, in this greenhouse, artificial intelligence is being used to get the plants to respond.
The exhibit features a variety of plant life to go with 20 AI personalities a Cambridge professor, Sam, and his team created for the garden. With a QR code and a phone, visitors can come in and engage with the plants, ask them questions, and listen to their responses. Each plant has its own name, personality, and based on where in the world it's from, and some can speak multiple languages. They can even tell jokes!
How closely have you been following the world this week? From the upcoming World Cup and conflict in the Middle East to cruise ship chaos and surprising discoveries in space, this BBC Weekly News Quiz covers the stories everyone’s been talking about. Test your knowledge with 10 questions inspired by the biggest headlines from around the globe.
What country is home to more than a billion people, hundreds of languages, the Himalayan Mountains, and some of the world’s most iconic animals? Meet India, a country with an extraordinary mix of landscapes, cultures, religions, and traditions.
From Bengal tigers and colorful peafowl to the Taj Mahal and the mighty Himalayas, India is full of fascinating stories and discoveries. Explore the civilizations and empires that shaped its history, learn about Hinduism and other religions that began there, and discover the foods, festivals, languages, and traditions that make India unique. You’ll also explore the country’s incredible wildlife.
Teachers and parents, you can use this fact file to:
- Introduce a geography or social studies unit
- Support nonfiction reading practice
- Compare countries and cultures
- Complete map and research activities
- Prepare students for projects or presentations (use our country report template!)
- Pair with videos, articles, or other informational texts (see Related Resources below)
What caught your attention in the news this week? From incredible science stories and animal adventures to big world events and sports surprises, this BBC News Quiz is full of fun and fascinating moments. See how many of the five questions you can get right!