Organization: Remake Learning
Country: United States. Eastern KY; Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC; Badgerland, WI; San Diego County, CA; Kansas City, MO; Knoxville, TN; Chattanooga, TN; Southeastern PA; Central PA; Southwestern PA; West Virginia; Oregon; DC-Maryland-Virginia; Chicago, Northeast OH; Greater Cincinnati, OH
Education level: Early Childhood, Primary, Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary
Organization type: Nongovernmental organization
Family involvement: Providing Resources
Overview
Remake Learning is a peer network connecting educators, organizations, families, and communities together with a shared goal of reimagining how young people learn. By fostering collaboration and the exchange of innovative ideas, the network helps its members access funding, professional development, and best practices that take learning beyond the traditional classroom walls. One of the network’s signature achievements was the launch of Remake Learning Days (RLD) in 2016, where a variety of organizations collaborated to host unique educational experiences, celebrating learning with families, students, and the greater community. The events were curated with the intention of inviting parents/caregivers to wonder and explore alongside their children, helping families engage in the learning process together (Remake Learning Days, n.d.b).
How does it work?
Remake Learning Days are intentional celebrations that offer families a distinctive educational experience outside of the classroom and reintroduces joy into learning. At community-hosted events, young people and their families experience science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) learning. In the process, they discover new approaches to learning that develop creativity, perseverance, and curiosity.
The first weeklong festival, established by the Remake Learning network with support from the Grable Foundation, consisted of more than 250 hands-on learning activities and events for more than 30,000 families in Pittsburgh (Remake Learning, n.d.). Since then, the program has evolved into a festival of more than 1,150 activities and events held in April and May in 17 regions across the United States and abroad. In 2019, more than 500 local organizations supported Remake Learning Days, as well as several national partners, including PBS Kids, Digital Promise, Common Sense Media, Learning Heroes, and Noggin. Remake Learning Days gave families a new appreciation for the places they already know, such as schools, museums, libraries, early childcare centers, universities, media centers, parks, after-school community hubs, and more.
Events are organized into six learning themes: arts, maker, outdoor learning, science, technology, and youth voice, but within these themes, the events still span an impressive range (Remake Learning Days, n.d.b). Events are typically free and provide engaging learning experiences for students of all ages, as well as their families, teachers, and community members (Remake Learning Days, n.d.c). At one event students and their families might be seen working side by side in a hands-on problem-solving activity to take apart a motorcycle and put it back together. At another, families gather for a cooking workshop, picking up practical cooking, shopping, and budgeting tips, walking away with a community cookbook filled with affordable, family favorite recipes (Remake Learning Days, 2026). Elsewhere, a career exploration festival brings together a mix of STEAM activities such as cosmetology tutorials, a virtual welding simulation, and a life-sized Operation game.
These opportunities provide fun bonding experiences for parents and their children. Importantly, they also show families what innovative learning experiences feel like in practice. The aim is for this deeper understanding of diverse pedagogies to unleash families’ ability to dream of and demand different educational approaches.
What makes it work?
Remake Learning staff have identified four key components behind the long-term success of the festivals: strengthening the learning ecosystem, building trust among partners, tapping into existing systems of support, and staying rooted in place-based design.
At its core, RLD succeeds by bringing together unlikely partners and uniting them under a shared goal. This cross-sector teamwork is done deliberately, and every partnership is built with an intention of uplifting students and families. When Remake Learning surveyed its network in 2020 on what made them feel most connected to the Remake Learning community, festivals topped the list by a wide margin; members described a shred sense of pride and the feeling of contributing to something larger than themselves (Remake Learning, 2024). That same relationship-building extends to families as well. RLD organizers work to remove the barriers that often keep families from engaging with their children’s education, offering events at varied times and locations, along with incentives and take-home resources that make participation easier.
However, none of this happens without substantial behind-the-scenes coordination. Funding, marketing, and logistics all must come together across sectors. In Pennsylvania, for example, RLD organizers get creative with staffing, partnering with Intermediate Units (IUs), regional education agencies authorized by the state to support local schools. Within each IU, designated STEM staff are allocated dedicated work hours to focus specifically on Remake Learning Days. This structure ensures that participation is built into their existing responsibilities, easing the burden on those who might otherwise struggle to be involved (Remake Learning, 2024). Finally, the festival model is built to adapt. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all format, RLD is designed to adjust around local culture and context, giving each community the freedom to shape events that reflect its own identity and evolve alongside it.
What is the impact?
Since its inception, Rocket Learning has expanded to reach 15% of India’s public pre-schools and educators through meaningful partnerships. They work alongside ten state government, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Women and Child Development to scale their impact across the nation. With their Smart Parent Program, over 4 million children and families across 140 districts have gained access to high-quality early childhood programs.
Testimonials
- “I really enjoyed the event and spending the time to learn with my daughter” – Parent from West Virginia (Remake Learning Days, 2019)
- “We loved the remake project—making a vehicle out of recycled materials and plastic screws and tools. It was fun to see my 10-year-old open up his imagination and creativity!” – Parent from Central Pennsylvania (Remake Learning Days, personal communication, July 7, 2021)
- “We had a lot of fun! It was interesting to see the children teach their parents. Maybe a little frustrating also. We still had some good laughs though. I had zero experience with Scratch [computer coding software] and now I understand it a little bit. Most importantly, my child said he really liked it!” – Parent from Southwestern Pennsylvania (Remake Learning Days, personal communication, July 7, 2021)
References
Remake Learning. (n.d.). About Remake Learning. https://remakelearning.org/about/
Remake Learning Days. (n.d.a). Creating engagement pathways for families during Remake Learning Days and beyond: Global Family Research Project. https://remakelearningdays.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/RLD19_LearningMemoV2-2.pdf
Remake Learning Days. (n.d.b). Learning themes. https://remakelearningdays.org/planning-guides-tips/themes/
Remake Learning Days. (n.d.c). Power your child’s future. https://remakelearningdays.org/
Remake Learning Days. (2019). Highlights from the inaugural year: Remake Learning Days Across America. https://remakelearningdays.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/RLDAA_2019_Highlights-.pdf
Rayworth, Melissa. “Remake Learning Days 2026: Your Guide to 270+ Local Hands-On Learning Events, Nearly All of Them Free!” Kidsburgh, April 22, 2026. https://www.kidsburgh.org/remake-learning-days-2026-your-guide-to-270-local-hands-on-learning-events-nearly-all-of-them-free/.
Ziegler, Lauren, Yu-Ling Cheng, and Tyler Samstag. Building Skills, Strengthening Communities: The Impact of Learning Festivals. Remake Learning and WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education), January 2024. https://remakelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wise_playbook2024_rld_building-skills-strengthening-communities.pdf.