What’s that old nursery rhyme again…. “Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails, That’s what little boys are made of. Sugar and spice and all things nice, That’s what little girls are made of.” First of all…gross, I have a boy and he is not made out of puppy dog tails…or snails….And secondly, why is it that girls are always sugar coated? I know plenty of girls who can their hands just as dirty as their male counterparts which is why I am so excited to see the Scigirls 3rd season debuts on PBS in April!
The eagerly-anticipated third season is all about citizen science and features six new episodes starring real girls who are seriously into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM! Along with their mentors, they are on a mission to inspire and empower girls everywhere to take up the charge and become the next generation of female scientists and engineers. The new episodes will air weekly on PBS KIDS (check local listings), and will also be available online nationwide starting April 15 at http://pbskids.org/scigirls/.
I am really excited to see this show back on PBS because, to me, it is really important to show our daughters we can be whatever we want to be. Scientist? GO FOR IT! Doctor? GO FOR IT? Mathmetician? GO FOR IT! That’s the thing…..our daughters can be whatever they choose to be and having a show on tv that shows real girls, that are totally relatable to other girls that are interested in things society sometimes pushes away from girls is really a good thing.
From their own backyards to a NASA research center, the bright, relatable, real girls featured on the groundbreaking PBS series are seriously into science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. And Season Three of SciGirls finds these STEM adventurers tracking toads, counting clouds and much more, all in the name of citizen science.
Citizen science is the hottest new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) frontier that engages the general public –and kids! – in real science. Scientists worldwide invite ordinary people—like the SciGirls—to observe and record data about everything from birds to beaches, monarch butterflies to maple trees. The data is then shared with scientists, who use it to generate new scientific knowledge.
In six exciting new episodes, middle school girls and their female STEM professional mentors hit the great outdoors, cataloging frog calls, tracking the changing seasons, verifying satellite imagery of clouds, monitoring fragile butterfly populations, improving urban bird habitats, and advocating for healthy oceans. In addition, animated characters Izzie and Jake are back and finding themselves in sticky situations that can only be solved by STEM—and the SciGirls. When the SciGirls share their data with professional scientists, they save the day for Izzie and Jake and help save the environment!
And since all citizen scientists are on-the-go, the series that snagged a “New Approaches” Daytime Emmy Award is unleashing mobile-friendly web upgrades on http://pbskids.org/scigirls that let kids play new games, watch episodes and videos, and connect with fellow STEM explorers anywhere, anytime.
“Collaboration is the key to successful citizen science,” said SciGirls executive producer Richard Hudson. “Since SciGirls’ beginning, working together—making discoveries, mistakes and friends—is one of the important research-based methods we use to engage girls around STEM. This new season underscores the importance of collaboration within the scientific research community and workforce. SciGirls is fortunate to have powerful partners advising us about citizen science, including the University of Cornell Department of Ornithology, NASA and FrogWatch USA.”
The third season of SciGirls, the show Parenting Magazine calls “cool stuff” and the New York Times says makes science “downright enjoyable,” brings even more inspirational, authentic hands-on science content to girls from coast-to-coast, turning STEM viewers everywhere into STEM doers. Every girl can be a SciGirl – and a citizen scientist!
The SciGirls creative team is headed by Twin Cities Public Television’s Director of Science Content Richard Hudson, Executive Producer of the long-running PBS children’s science series Newton’s Apple and creator of DragonflyTV and the SciGirls initiative. Animation is created by Soup2Nuts, producers of PBS’ WordGirl.
Gaming and mobile website is developed by Curious Media. SciGirls is made possible by a major grant from the National Science Foundation. Additional funding is provided by INFOR, Northrop Grumman Foundation, and PPG Industries Foundation.
Betsy and I will be checking out Scigirls on PBS and online. Will you?
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