As classrooms slide into the school year’s home stretch, it’s as important as ever to keep students engaged and excited about learning. For educators, new activities and creative workshops can be gamechangers in these final weeks, and useful for students into summer. Now through summer and beyond, the Microsoft Store is offering dozens of free virtual workshops, events, and activities designed to inspire and motivate students while equipping them with valuable knowledge and skills.

Here’s just some of what we have in store:

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! book club 

The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (BGR!) book club highlights Black women authors who inspire and empower students to see themselves as tomorrow’s leaders. This month, BGR! welcomes Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, to discuss her memoir and topics such as ableism, identity, and advocacy. 

When: Monthly; May book club on Friday, May 14, from 9:00–10:00 AM Pacific Time

Flipgrid live events

Flipgrid live events takes your classroom on virtual field trips with industry-leading experts like designers, zoologists, scientists, and humanitarians. Each session offers a unique, enriching experience, from touring ancient Greece to discovering a sea turtle rehabilitation center. Afterwards, students can ask the experts questions through a moderated chat.

When: Multiple, next session Monday, May 17, from 10:00–10:30 AM Pacific Time

Space Jam: A New Legacy coding workshops

Discover how video games are made and learn how to code your own game inspired by Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James and Bugs Bunny. By the end of the sixty-minute workshop, students who are eight and older will have learned how to design basic elements of their own game and more. 

When: Multiple, next session Friday, May 14, from 7:30–9:00 AM Pacific Time

More ways to engage in STEM 

Looking to get students excited about STEM? MakeCode Arcade teaches students how to code classic arcade-style games. Or, students can apply coding concepts in Hour of Code: A Minecraft tale of two villages, a workshop that combines coding and soft skills, with a focus on empathy, cooperation, and inclusion. 

When: Multiple, next session Tuesday, June 1, from 11:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific Time

These exciting experiences are just the beginning! Explore the full calendar and register your students today.