The Periodic Table, Charles Dickens, and Bubbles - February 7

The Elements of Learning

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Today is Ballet Day, Harry Potter Book Night, National Fettuccine Alfredo Day, Periodic Table Day, Send a Card to a Friend Day, and Rose Day.

Black History Month Resource of the Day: Ella Fitzgerald

• American Masters - Ella Fitzgerald
• NHPBS Video - Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Passe Live  from the Maine Center for the Arts 
• Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum - I Am Ella Fitzgerald/I Am Jesse Owens
• National Endowment for the Arts - Ella Fitzgerald
• National Women's History Museum - Ella Fitzgerald

Today's Birthdays
Songs of the Day
Today's Theme: The Periodic Table and Charles Dickens

ON THIS DATE

• 1795 - The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
• 1962 - The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
• 1964 - The Beatles arrive in the United States for the first time.
• 1979 - Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.

BIRTHDAYS

• 1478 - English statesman Thomas More
• 1813 - English novelist Charles Dickens
• 1817 -  Abolitionist leader  Frederick Douglass
• 1867 - Writer Laura Ingalls Wilder
• 1883 -  Composer and pianist Eubie Blake
• 1885 - Writer Sinclair Lewis
• 1962 - Singer-songwriter Garth Brooks
• 1962 - English actor and comedian Eddie Izzard
• 1965 - Actor and comedian Chris Rock
• 1978 - Actor Ashton Kutcher

SONGS OF THE DAY 

• Tom Lehrer - The Elements - LISTEN
• Eubie Blake - Pie, Pie, Blackbird Short Film - LISTEN
• Garth Brooks - Sesame Street - Together We Make Music - LISTEN
  
• The Clash - Rock the Casbah - LISTEN
• Don Ho - Tiny Bubbles - LISTEN

THEME:  The Periodic Table

• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Nova - Developing the Periodic Table (Available in Spanish) (2:31)  - VIEW and DO
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Nova: Hunting the Elements Collection (Available in Spanish) - VIEW, READ, DO
• Grades 7-12 - NHPBS Video - Reactions - Women in Chemistry: Heroes of the Periodic Table (4:59)  - VIEW
• Grades 7-12 - NHPBS Video - It's Okay to Be Smart - How The Elements Got Their Names (3:31) - VIEW
• Grades 7-12 - NHPBS Video - SciTech Now - The Timeline of the Periodic Table (1:02) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements - VIEW, READ, DO
  
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - The Periodic Table Interactive - DO
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Nova - Periodic Table Statistics Interactive - READ and DO
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Chemistry: Unit 4 - Organizing Atoms and Electrons (28:25) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 9-12 - Annenberg Learner - Chemistry Challenges and Solutions Course - VIEW and DO
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - University Place - Physics of the Periodic Table (56:59) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video -  Chemistry 401 - History of the Periodic Table (29:22) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video -  Chemistry 402 - Organization of the Periodic Table (27:33) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video -  Chemistry 403 - Trends in the Periodic Table (26:09) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Chemistry Matters - Periodic Table (15:46) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Nova - Out of Our Elements - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Nova - Beyond the Elements  - Life (53:17) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Nova - Beyond the Elements  - Reactions (53:17) - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Nova - Beyond the Elements  - Indestructible (53:17) -  VIEW

THEME:  Charles Dickens

• Grades 2-5 - BBC Bitesize - Who Was Charles Dickens? - READ and DO
• Grades 6-8 - Read Write Think - Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party - READ and DO
• Grades 8-12 - British Council - TeachingEnglish - Charles Dickens - VIEW, READ, DO
• Grades 9-12 - Read Write Think - A Tale of a Few Text Messages: A Character Study of a Tale of Two Cities Lesson Plan - READ and DO
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Masterpiece Theater Learning Library - Charles Dickens - VIEW, READ, DO
• Grades 9-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Adapting Dickens from Page to Screen  - VIEW, READ, DO

THEME:  Bubbles

• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street - Count the Bubbles (0:59) - VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street - Elmo Teaches Abby How to Blow Bubbles (2:42) - VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street: B is for Bubbles - VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street: Making Bubbles! - Julia & Abby Cadabby (1:34) - VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 -  PBS Learning Media - Murray Experiment: Bubbles (3:05) - VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Curious George - Bubble Pop Game - DO
• Grades PreK-1 - PBS Crafts for Kids - Curious George - Discover the Magic of Bubbles - DO
• Grades PreK-4 - NHPBS Video - PBS Crafts for Kids - Make a Bubble Bottle Fish (0:57) - VIEW
• Grades K-2 - PBS LearningMedia - Peg + Cat - Bubble Bath Game - DO
• Grades PreK-5 - PBS LearningMedia - 60 Second Science - Bubble Exploration (1:06) - VIEW and DO
• Grades PreK-5 - PBS LearningMedia - 60 Second Science - Bubble Prints (1:06) - VIEW and DO
• Grades K-5 - PBS LearningMedia - Full-Time Kid - How to Make Giant Bubbles (1:59) - VIEW
• Grades 1-6 - NHPBS Video - The Friday Zone - Bubble Up (28:46) - VIEW
• Grades 2-3 - PBS LearningMedia - Professional Development - Measurement: Bubble Mania (22:50) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 2-5  - PBS LearningMedia - Science U - Is a Bubble Always Round? (1:51) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 3-8 - PBS LearningMedia - Spot On Science - Weird Winter Phenomena (2:43) - VIEW
• Grades 4-8 - NHPBS Video - Curious Crew - Bubble Science (26:46) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Inside Science - Bubbles Break Bottles (1:55) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Physics Girl - How to Make a Hurricane on a Bubble (3:23) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - Physics Girl - What Are Antibubbles? (6:11) - VIEW

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