💡 Change Something
Kids don't have to wait until they're adults to make something better.
See something that could be better? Learn about it. Find who's already helping. Then figure out one useful thing you can do.
👀 Step 1: Notice Something
Change starts with paying attention.
Maybe you notice:
🗑️ Litter at a park
🌳 Not enough shade
🐝 Very few flowers for pollinators
📚 Kids who need books
🥫 Food being wasted
🚶 An unsafe place to walk
♿ A place that isn't accessible
🐕 Animals that need help
💧 A polluted creek
🧸 Things people could share
🌱 TRY IT: Walk around your community with an adult.
Write down three things you love and three things you wonder if people could improve.
🔎 Step 2: Learn Before You Act
Seeing a problem doesn't always mean you understand it yet.
Before deciding on a solution:
❓ Ask questions
📚 Research
👂 Listen to people affected
🔎 Look for evidence
🏘️ Learn how your community works
📚 Smithsonian Learning Lab
💭 THINK: What would I need to know before deciding how to help?
🤝 Step 3: Find Who's Already Helping
You don't have to start something new every time you see a problem.
Someone may already be working on it.
Look for:
🌱 Community organizations
🏫 Schools
📚 Libraries
🏛️ Local government
❤️ Nonprofits
🌳 Environmental groups
🏪 Local businesses
👥 Neighborhood groups
🤝 Volunteers
🔎 TRY IT: Search:
“[your community] + [the problem]”
Find one person or organization already working on it.
Ask:
What are they already doing?
What do they need?
Could I help them instead of starting over?
❓ Step 4: Ask People What They Need
Helping isn't guessing.
Before creating your solution, talk to the people involved.
Try asking:
“What would actually help?”
“Is someone already working on this?”
“What's making this difficult?”
“Is there something kids or families could help with?”
💭 THINK: A good idea can still be the wrong solution if we don't listen first.
🧠 Step 5: Think of Solutions
Now get creative.
Think of as many solutions as possible—even strange ones.
🧠 PBS Design Squad Global
https://pbskids.org/designsquad/
Try:
ASK → IMAGINE → BUILD → TEST → IMPROVE
Your first idea doesn't have to be your final idea.
🧪 Step 6: Start Small
You don't have to fix the entire problem.
Instead of:
“We're going to eliminate litter!”
Try:
“We're going to understand why litter collects at this park and test one idea.”
Instead of:
“Everyone needs a garden!”
Try:
“Could we help one classroom grow herbs?”
Small experiments help us learn what actually works.
✉️ Tell Someone Your Idea
Kids can communicate with community leaders too.
Depending on the issue, you might contact:
🌳 Parks Department
📚 Library
🏫 School
🏛️ City government
🚌 Transportation department
❤️ Nonprofit
🏪 Local business
👥 Neighborhood organization
🏛️ Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
Try writing:
Hello,
My name is ____ and I live/go to school in _____.
I noticed _____.
I learned _____.
I found that _____ is already working on this.
I wanted to ask whether _____.
Thank you for helping our community.
🔬 Help Scientists Solve Real Problems
Your observations can become real scientific data.
Community science lets ordinary people contribute information scientists can use.
🐦 eBird — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
🌿 iNaturalist
🌎 SciStarter — Citizen Science Projects
🌱 TRY IT: Find one community-science project your family could participate in.
🌳 Help Nature
Small places matter too.
You don't need to save an entire forest yourself.
You could:
🌼 Plant native flowers
🐝 Create pollinator habitat
🗑️ Join a cleanup
🌱 Help a community garden
🐦 Record bird observations
💧 Learn about your watershed
🌳 National Wildlife Federation — Garden for Wildlife
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife
🌊 National Geographic Kids — Nature
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature
❤️ Volunteer Together
Your time and skills can be resources too.
Families can volunteer together through community organizations.
🤝 VolunteerMatch
https://www.volunteermatch.org/
🌱 TRY IT: Search your community and find one organization doing something your family cares about.
Check age requirements before participating.
🛠️ Don't Forget the Simple Solution
Community change doesn't always need a new organization, fundraiser, or giant project.
Sometimes the useful thing is:
📞 Making a connection
📢 Sharing an existing resource
🤝 Introducing two people
🧤 Joining an existing volunteer day
📚 Donating something that's actually needed
🧠 Sharing research
🌱 Helping an existing project
Sometimes making the right connection is enough.
💡 The Kid Community Collaborator Challenge
Pick one thing you care about.
Then follow the PTC path:
👀 NOTICE
What could be better?
↓
🔎 LEARN
What's actually happening?
↓
🤝 FIND
Who's already helping?
↓
👂 ASK
What do people actually need?
↓
💡 CONNECT
What's missing?
↓
🌱 DO ONE THING
Take one useful step.
↓
📣 SHARE
Tell other people what worked.
⭐ One Big Idea
You don't need to be the person who saves the community.
Communities aren't built by one hero.
They're built when lots of people bring different:
ideas • knowledge • skills • resources • experiences • time
and learn how to work together.
Find what already exists. Connect what is separated. Build what is actually missing.
💡 Keep Exploring
PBS Design Squad
https://pbskids.org/designsquad/
SciStarter
iNaturalist
VolunteerMatch
https://www.volunteermatch.org/