Vox launches new weekly parenting newsletter, Extra Curricula

Today, Vox launched an expansion of its newsletter offerings and its content geared towards parents and families with Extra Curricula. In an increasingly challenging world, the weekly newsletter, written by Vox’s Liz Kelly Nelson, will allow parents and educators to break down complex issues and help them connect to the young people in their lives, creating an opportunity for open dialogue.

“Extra Curricula is a chance for me to gather knowledge from multiple sources to try to help my son develop critical thinking skills. But, more importantly, to connect with him, which can be hard with a tween at the best of times but almost impossible when your kid is feeling the mental health effects of a world outside their control,” says Liz Nelson. “I’m super glad we are having these conversations so that he can test-drive his forming worldview on me.”

Each week, the newsletter will focus on one specific topic, paired with a small curation of content — videos, podcasts, articles, documentaries, TV shows, and books — for parents and educators to share directly with their adolescent human(s). The newsletter will focus on topics ranging from families dealing with inflation and international issues like the war in Ukraine to the pervasive reality of school shootings and more. You can sign up for the free newsletter here.

Liz Kelly Nelson is the mother of a 12-year-old who, like his peers, is coming of age in a crazy confusing world and one that, for the past three years, has been somewhat isolating for kids. As Vice President of Audio at Vox, she leads a team of podcasters producing a range of shows designed to help us better understand our world and feed curiosity. You can hear her team’s work on shows like Today, Explained, Vox Conversations, Unexplainable and The Weeds.

Vox recently launched the second season of its daily explainer podcast for kids, Today Explained to Kids in partnership with KiwiCo. The series is geared towards offering families a smart, safe, and fun take on the big questions children are asking about the world around them.