All Collections

Start the school year with Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and Mizzen!

This collection is designed to create awareness and foster discussion about how children can respect others and themselves, confront bullying, manage stress, and become more engaged in their communities.

This is a series on play and being playful, considered cornerstones of creativity and idea generation.

In the first activity, "Play Stations," students are provided with the opportunity to play and reconnect with their own innate creativity.

In the second activity, "Wacky Inventions," students work in groups to use existing products and objects to come up with (and then act out) the wackiest inventions they can think of.

Why is play important? There is significant evidence that many ideas for new products and services were developed through playing around with ideas, materials and products. Play itself gives us a fresh perspective which is often critical in solving problems and being innovative.

Play also helps us better understand the world around us because we can explore things in a fun way - we can make and build, create new worlds and personas, play new games and break the rules without fear of consequences. Play helps entrepreneurs innovate because it's risk-free—there's no judgment or failure when you're playing.

Using play and being playful as a tool for developing creativity can improve one's ability to generate ideas and solve problems. Often, to be able to come up with lots of ideas people need to be given permission to play around and be free from judgment!

Attention, Funologists! Nickelodeon's Our World is calling on young innovators to join them in their Play Lab to help design thrilling new games for Worldwide Day of Play. This adventure starts in the with exploring a variety of games to uncover what makes them fun and exciting. Equipped with these insights, participants will then craft their own unique game from scratch, aiming to make it a success on the big day. This innovative learning journey creates experiences that improve youths' health, wellbeing, and agency. Join us to collaborate, innovate, and turn fun into reality!

How can good journalism empower people? This module begins by asking students to identify what they believe the purpose of journalism to be, and guides them to think critically and creatively about their relationship with news.

Students will move from reflecting on the power and purpose of journalism to examining how bias can affect the news, and the way in which we process information ourselves. Students will learn about news framing and editorial judgment, putting themselves in the shoes of editors and journalists who decide which stories get told and how they are presented to the public. Finally, students will move from analyzing news stories to responding to underreported stories that matter to them through creative and journalistic projects.

Throughout this module, facilitators have access to the option of requesting a free virtual visit with a Pulitzer Center journalist who can support students in digging deeper into any of these topics, getting their questions answered, and exploring careers in the journalism field.

Are you looking for media literacy activities for younger learners? Check out The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 2-6, also on Mizzen.

November is National Entrepreneurship Month and Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II has created an exciting collection of activities just for Mizzen!

Filled with fun, immersive, and interactive content, this playlist introduces students to entrepreneurship as a mindset.

Students in K-12 age groups will build their skillset through discovery, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Teens Curate Teens offers a process for young people to take on the responsibility for creating all aspects of an exhibition. A curator is in charge of selecting artwork for an exhibition or presentation. Learn how a curator or curatorial team creates an art exhibit that gives voice to their peers’ concerns and interests to possibly initiate change. Students develop their collaborative skills to identify a common theme to create a dynamic art event for their community. Together the team chooses a location for the event, guidelines for the artists’ application, outreach, criteria for selection, marketing and PR, placement of the artwork in the space, and the opening & programing of the exhibit.

Empower youth, amplify student voice, and make learning an adventure! The activities in this playlist are designed to spark creativity, foster teamwork, and encourage self-discovery, making learning an adventure that students look forward to each day. This playlist is packed with engaging activities in the arts, career exploration, and social and emotional learning — that foster self-awareness, creativity, connection, and belonging. Each lesson plan equips you to engage students to become more active participants in their own journey.

"The most memorable lessons often come from the journey, not the destination — enjoy the messiness of learning, it's here that the real magic happens." — Lauren B. González

This Playlist was curated by Lauren B. González, in collaboration with Mizzen Education. Lauren has more than 15 years in the educational field and is a doctoral candidate for Applied Learning Sciences at The University of Miami. A first-generation Latina and daughter of Cuban exiles, Lauren describes her approach to learning as "holistic, respectful of student cultures, and deeply rooted in resilience and empathy."

Belonging. New friends. Fresh foods. Joy. Embracing a whole-child perspective, this playlist celebrates the many everyday ways we can nourish youth health and wellness. Dive into this collection and you’ll find blood-pumping relay races, team-building balloon tosses, and creativity-boosting game design. Plus this playlist is brimming with learning resources you can use to introduce youth to yoga, mindfulness meditation, and the health benefits of seasonal fruits and vegetables!

“Physical activity, creative expression, and social interaction are all essential for well-rounded development that goes beyond the classroom. Whether it’s through sports, outdoor adventures, or introductions to wellness, youth learn the value of taking care of their body and mind. And that’s a cornerstone of their success and happiness.” — Richmond Brown, Jr.

Richmond Brown, Jr. is a native of Charleston, SC who recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA continuing 15 years of dedication and service in leadership in the out-of-school time field. As the Associate Director of Programs with Woodcraft Rangers, he oversees expanded learning partnerships and 21st CCLC programs throughout the Los Angeles area.

In this collection, learners explore the stories of lesser-known Black American innovators by creating their own Innovator Trading Cards. Using short texts and close reading strategies, students identify key details about how each innovator helped their community and represent that learning through words, symbols, and color. As the weeks progress, learners build a growing card collection connected by shared themes. In the final game, students use their cards to respond to community challenge scenarios, practicing teamwork, reasoning, and explaining how different kinds of innovation work together to solve problems.

The American History: Elevating Black Voices Collection is a weekly, inquiry-driven playlist that invites learners to examine how storytelling, innovation, creativity, and leadership shape American history and civic life. Through complex texts, Innovator Trading Cards, and theme-based activities across literacy, STEM, the arts, and collaborative problem-solving, students engage with lesser-known Black Americans—whose contributions have influenced systems, culture, and community change. Each week introduces a thematic lens that builds historical analysis, critical reading, argumentation, and interdisciplinary thinking, culminating in a challenge-based game that requires evidence, reasoning, and collaboration. Designed to support meaningful discussion and application, this Collection highlights innovation as a collective process and underscores the power of amplifying voices that shape our shared history.

This collection is designed to have learners apply ideas from the weekly themes introduced through the Innovator Playing Cards with additional related activities; it is recommended to follow this sequence to maintain consistency:

Week 1: Storytelling and Voice

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

What Makes a Good Story?

One Minute Speeches

Erasure Poetry as Resistance

Week 2: Inventing and Problem Solving

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Cell City

Catapult (Team Building) Game

Build an Extension Arm

Week 3: Creativity and Expression

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Create a Cardboard Self-Portrait

Improv: Say the Line

How to Look at Dance

Week 4: Leadership and Change

Designing Innovator Trading Cards

Playing Innovator Trading Cards

Analyzing and Constructing Timelines of Racial (In)justice

Dream Team