{"id":22966,"date":"2022-05-13T08:50:17","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T12:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2022-05-16T08:57:36","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T12:57:36","slug":"get-smart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/get-smart\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Smart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leading producers and distributors discuss how best to incorporate science, technology, engineering, the arts and math into kids\u2019 TV shows.<\/em><\/p>\n

Among the handful of silver linings from the past two years of pandemic-era disruptions, the reemergence of a robust educational core for kids\u2019 TV shows has been a boon for the industry at large. Indeed, distributors who were lucky enough to have curriculum-based shows on their slates found a wave of new opportunities as school closures began to hit\u2014and that demand has continued even as kids\u2019 lives have in many markets begun returning to some degree of ordinary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand rose for STEM shows during the pandemic, with virtual learning a global requirement, which has helped to commercialize these types of series and made them more appealing to partners,\u201d says Alison Taylor, the director of distribution and business development at Aardman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of demand,\u201d agrees Dominic Gardiner, the CEO of Jetpack Distribution. \u201cMany broadcasters are already explicit with that demand and have been that way for a long time. Even those who have experience doing edutainment shows stepped up even more. There was demand from parents as well. And the industry reacted quite quickly. Even commercially minded broadcasters would have noticed it was very popular. At the end of the day, they\u2019re all in the business of eyeballs. So if edutainment works, then why not do more of it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Other factors are happening in the background, notes Arne Lohmann, VP, junior, at ZDF Studios, such as NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars initiative, which aims to send humans to the planet in the 2030s. \u201cSpace and understanding Earth\u2019s place in the universe are major areas in the science education curriculum,\u201d says Lohmann on the importance of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) foundation for kids\u2019 TV shows. \u201cThis is most important in primary school, when students decide about the value of studying science. Seventy-five percent of the fastest-growing careers today require at least some STEM skills. Inspiration matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

SPECIAL ED<\/strong>
\nAnd to be inspiring, STEM\/STEAM-based shows need to get a lot of elements spot-on. Taylor mentions the basics of \u201cstrong and engaging\u201d characters alongside \u201ceducational elements that are seamlessly integrated into the stories and touch upon characters\u2019 traits and wants. This makes the educational side for kids not only easy and fun to digest, but also triggers their engagement with the characters beyond the show itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even when you do have all the elements in place, Jetpack\u2019s Gardiner reports that sometimes when you\u2019re pitching a STEM show, \u201cyour idea can be compared to pre-existing ones quite quickly. Once you even utter the word STEM, they may say, we have a STEM show! It\u2019s frustrating because you know the world can exist with more than one STEM show. There\u2019s almost that quota people have in their heads. It\u2019s not strictly related to the audience\u2019s appetite. And some channels could have edutainment all day. You have to be very distinctive. That point of difference needs to be clear in any educationally driven series.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also helps to have educators and experts on board, as SLR Productions did as it was making Space Nova<\/em>, ZDF Studios\u2019 lead STEM-based series, which features \u201crich science-learning sequences designed to target different learning ages and key science content,\u201d Lohmann says. \u201cSTEM involves critical thinking and problem-solving while also encouraging creativity. When taught at a young age, STEM encourages children to solve problems and think outside the box so that the skills they learn remain with them throughout their lives. Space Nova<\/em>\u2019s intended audience is 5- to 10-year-old girls and boys. The newly formed Australian Space Agency has become an anchor for the audience to see an aspirational show about Australians in space. The series takes real science as a story starting point and expands it into a fantastical story encouraging questions like \u2018what if.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

SPACE AGE<\/strong>
\nThe series does that through the adventures of siblings Jet and Adelaide as they venture through space with their parents looking for alien life forms. \u201cEntertainment is always at the core of creating shows like Space Nova<\/em>,\u201d Lohmann adds. \u201cHowever, combining STEM, especially in space, with science allows for the audience to see STEM in an entertaining way. We explore all kinds of areas: What is life like on other planets? What would it be like to have a robot as your best friend? How can AI and humans live and work together? What are sound and light like in space? The characters are also linked to key STEM themes and careers that you would find if you were in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jetpack\u2019s Florida<\/em>, meanwhile, focuses on the E in STEM, following a little girl living with her aunt, an ex-NASA scientist who runs a GEM (Gadgets of Everyday Marvel) shop. \u201cKids learn about where the item came from, what it was used for and how it works,\u201d says Gardiner of the show, which hails from Paper Owl Films. \u201cThe emphasis is on storytelling, but the \u2018how it works\u2019 bit educates kids about engineering and science. There is also a great focus on imagination-based science and how you can invent a new tomorrow. It\u2019s a show that can excite kids about engineering\u2014the fun bits, like how magnets work and what a pendulum is; the real-world applications of science. For kids today, there\u2019s no information you can\u2019t find. But the application of things in the physical world is something that kids probably don\u2019t interact with in the same way as when we were growing up. Toys were based on scientific things. Now everything just comes out of the screen. We wanted to have principles of coding in the story\u00adtelling. We also wanted to match that with more classic science. We have new tech and old.\u201d<\/p>\n

BY THE NUMBERS<\/strong>
\nAardman is touting Alphablocks<\/em> and Numberblocks<\/em>, which \u201chelp kids better understand (and love!) math, phonics and literacy,\u201d Taylor explains. \u201cNumberblocks <\/em>and Alphablocks <\/em>are unique in that numbers and letters come to life and help children learn in a fantastically visual way.Kids are learning without realizing they\u2019re being taught, which is the ultimate goal of the educational shows we produce and distribute at Aardman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aardman\u2019s STEM-based shows, Taylor adds, were \u201cdeveloped in conjunction with the relevant educational experts. This, alongside the strengths the animation studios bring to the development and production in terms of characters, story and humor, really help to achieve the perfect educational-entertainment output.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor also mentions the importance of edutainment shows promoting the arts, referencing Aardman\u2019s upcoming rollout of Pop Paper City<\/em> from LoveLove Films, \u201can adventure arts and crafts, \u2018view-and-do\u2019 series that inspires kids to join the characters in creating objects from paper as featured in each episode,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Jetpack, meanwhile, is unveiling Alice\u2019s Diary<\/em>. \u201cThe strapline is: Understanding the world through art,\u201d Gardiner says. \u201cAlice\u2019s wonder, inquisitiveness and unique view on the world are shared with the audience through her off-beat, engaging conversations with her mum. And as Alice talks, she draws, and her pictures become a captivating visualization of what she\u2019s thinking. It\u2019s animation about art. It\u2019s one of those shows you\u2019re drawn to because it\u2019s so beautifully designed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show, like many edutainment properties, targets preschoolers. Indeed, once you get into older kids\u2019 demos, executing on a STEM- or STEAM-based curriculum can become much more challenging.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo follow a curriculum, you have to have a broad approach because not all kids develop at the same rate,\u201d Gardiner says. \u201cSome subjects would be tough to get across in a story. It becomes factual. For younger kids, you can have a balance of story and education. And entertainment is the tone of it; it envelops it all. You can be completely madcap and irreverent and still have facts in there that kids can get out of it. When you get more into a factual show, the older kids appreciate it, but it really is education, and the entertainment gets dialed down. You have to be honest with older kids: This is a factual show that will help you with your schoolwork. The prominence is always the younger end. I\u2019d say 95 percent of preschool shows have some loose curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lohmann at ZDF Studios emphasizes the importance of science\u2014and wonder\u2014in kids\u2019 shows in general across a range of demos. \u201cScientists still have so many mysteries to solve when it comes to the universe,\u201d he notes. \u201cTheir discoveries will help us to improve our everyday lives and better understand our planet and its role in the universe. Fostering a passion for space and space travel in children will lead to discoveries in the future that can benefit us all. Programming with STEM is important for audiences of all ages, to learn, inspire and be aspirational.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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