Eleanor Roosevelt and Chess (and Checkers!) - October 11

First Lady Learning

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Today is Day of The Girl Child, Coming Out Day, Southern Food Heritage Day, It's My Party Day, Sausage Pizza Day, International African Penguin Awareness Day, National Chess Day, National Food Truck Day, Universal Music Day, World Migratory Bird Day, and I Love Yarn Day.

Animal Cam of the Day: Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Cam
Dessert of the Day: Red Velvet Cake
LGBT History Resource of the Day: Representation and Support in Schools

 AMERICAN REVOLUTION HISTORY ON THIS DATE
1776 - The Royal Navy defeats a fleet of American boats on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Valcour Island, but the engagement delays the British advance until 1777.

On This Date
Today's Birthdays
Songs of the Day
Today's Theme:  Eleanor Roosevelt

ON THIS DATE

• 1910 - Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane.
• 1958 - NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe. 
• 1968 - NASA launches Apollo 7, the first manned  Apollo mission.
• 1984 - Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a spacewalk.
• 2000 - NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission.

BIRTHDAYS

• 1884 - First Lady, activist, and diplomat Eleanor Roosevelt
• 1918 - Choreographer Jerome Robbins
• 1932 - Country singer-songwriter Dottie West
• 1946 - Singer-songwriter Daryl Hall
• 1966 - Actor Luke Perry
• 1970 - Rapper and actor MC Lyte
• 1992 - Rapper Cardi B

SONGS OF THE DAY 

• Barbara Walsh - Ladies of the Press (Eleanor Roosevelt) - LISTEN
  
• Dottie West - Here Comes My Baby - LISTEN
• Hall and Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Way) - LISTEN

THEME: ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

• Grades 1-2 - PBS LearningMedia - Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum - Eleanor Roosevelt Reader - READ and DO
• Grades 3-7 - PBS LearningMedia - American Icons - Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady, Diplomat, and Activist (3:57) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt: The Early Years (4:22) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt vs. Sara Delano Roosevelt (4:25) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt: South Pacific Visit (4:02) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt: The Red Cross (2:58) - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt's First Step into Politics (3:24) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - The Roosevelts - FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt Respond to Pearl Harbor (6:49) - VIEW and DO
• Grades 6-12 - PBS LearningMedia - The Roosevelts - Eleanor Roosevelt and the United Nations (9:27)  - VIEW and DO

THEME: CHESS (AND CHECKERS)

• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street - Cookie Monster Plays (Eats) Checkers - VIEW
• Grades K-3 - Arthur - Brain's Chess Club - VIEW
• Grades 3-6 - PBS LearningMedia - Cyberchase - Chess Wager - VIEW and DO
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - Infinite Chess - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - Can a Chess Piece Explain Markov Chains? - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - Are Robots Really Taking Over? - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - PBS Newshour - Fabiano Caruana helps usher in a new era for American chess - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - CheckMate: Growing a Community of Girls Who Play Chess - VIEW
• Grades 6-12 - NHPBS Video - Hip Hop Chess Club - VIEW

Return to the Daily Learning - Anytime, Anywhere. Main Page

More Learning Resources

Looking for some super cool crafts to do with your kids? Or maybe you need some expert parenting resources to help raise your child? You can find it all right here:

PBS KIDS CRAFTS & PBS PARENTING TIPS

PBS LearningMedia

NHPBS and PBS have curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for educators. You can also create your own lessons and assignments to meet the needs of your students.

Annenberg Learner

Searchable online video courses and interactives across the curriculum and grade levels in areas like chemistry, literature, music, the visual arts, social studies, world languages storytelling, spelling and lots more.

Brainpop

Features over 1,000 animated shorts and quizzes for students in grades K-12 covering science, social studies, English, math, the arts, health, and technology.  The service is free to schools closed due to COVID-19.

Scholastic Learn At Home

Everyday Scholastic will feature four learning experiences, built around a story or video.

StoryLine Online

A series of imaginatively produced videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books.