Turn Screen Time Into Making Time
A ready-to-run media skills system - so busy staff can press play, print, and run.
Kids learn to master the levels of media creation from the Animation Chefs
Animation Chefs’ host the step-by-step secret recipes of media making
A framework for human-centered media cognition
A project-based multimodal literacy system
A collaborative-creator training ground for kids
A visual rhetoric lab
An anti-passive-consumption philosophy
A handmade antidote to AI slop
A scaffolded systems-thinking curriculum
“The goal is to develop judgment, discernment, and agency. If we’re serious about helping the next generation thrive, we should treat media literacy as foundational—like reading and writing. ”
Sample These Two Recipes
“When I found Animating Kids it changed everything. Small and not so small humans became masters of visual storytelling on any subject via small group PBL dynamics”
““I absolutely love Animating Kids...you have no idea how amazing in a span of K-9. I’ve got the whole building covered and my planning was done for me. The kids love the Animation Chef’s step-by-step demos. Win, win!!”
J. Tuttle - Media Specialist ”
“Animating Kids has changed everything! Fun, relevant media-making lessons for kids, and total P.D. for my non-film making teachers. A complete solution!!” Principal - Bronx NY
"Animating Kids really helps focus our students during remote sessions…it keeps them so engaged. Your secret recipes are a life saver." Marisol - Sacramento Ca
"The kids love the demonstrations and it is P.D. for me as I tee it all up. Animating Kids makes me the coolest educator in their lives! Win-win-win!" Charlotte - London UK
"The Animating Kids is the most important skills-based content for today’s kids. I don't think primary educators get how impactful this approach can be. It respects media content creation as the basic literacy it is for today’s kids. Monique - White Plains N
Video Testimonials
We Use These Apps
iStopmotion - OS/iOS
Stop Motion Studio Pro - Android/Apple
Stop Motion Animator - Chromebooks
Cloud Stop Motion -
Browser-based
Benefits Of A Site-Wide Access
Cumulative Learning: Step-by-step, Increasingly difficult Colored-Chef-Hat Sequence of Mastery, aka Karate-like Media Skill Levels!
Outcome: Students will be fluent in communicating with sound and motion using the language of film making and video production.
• The Entire Film Making Process Baked Into Easy Lessons
• 24/7 Access
• Unlimited Remote Logins
• 140+ Pre-Planned Secret Recipe Lessons
• Streaming Ad-Free
• Instructor's Guide With Printable Worksheets
• Coaching and Support
• P.D. Webinars
““Joe (Animating Kids Founder) has turned the art of movie making for kids into a science.”
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““This is the best introduction to digital storytelling I have encountered. It is relevant to everybody right now, from a distance or in class. Every kid wants to expand their content skills, and this is THE turn-key solution!””
“It’s like sending our 9-12 year olds to film-school. We started from scratch and ended up as independent filmmakers. It changed our kid’s DNA!”
“Kids sign-up for robotics, coding, and stop motion sessions.
After taking all three, they rate stop motion as their favorite track BY FAR.
Animating Kids is key to our success.”
“Thank you SO much for sharing your wealth of information and opening this world of opportunity to every kid with these tools! I first learned about you when my husband introduced our daughter to you. Now I am teaching TechEd and am bringing you into the classroom. I’m so psyched! ”
““Animation Chefs have created a really inspired program! My test group of high schoolers (hardened gang members) like to laugh at the videos, and they love the simple clear explanations. They just have a blast...”
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““Upon completion of an Animating Kids workshop, my head was spinning. It involved: math, writing, science, team building, art, language arts, engineering, improvisation, innovation, acting, etc. Along with another dozen areas I can’t recall. Can’t wait to use it in class.””
““We went through the entire process of learning animated filmmaking with our tablets and smartphones. We could barely keep up. In the end we came away exhilarated rather than exhausted.””
“When youngsters are introduced to storytelling with sound and motion, they begin de-coding the media saturated culture around them. They are no longer passive participants. They are engaged creators who have been tipped off to the machinations of media creation. They now know that all media is constructed to persuade and influence. And they know, first hand, how to do it themselves!”
“This is the resource we wish we’d had when we started teaching kids how to make their own animated cartoons. We are confident we will put major topspin on any educator’s efforts to help kids step into the world of media production at the youngest ages.”