Mom it Forward » PBS

Technical Skills: The Importance of STEM Education

Jamie Moesser — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:17 +0000

Did you know that in a 2006 international assessment of 15-year-old students, the U.S. ranked 28th in math literacy and 24th in science literacy? Or that the U.S. ranks 20th among all nations in the proportion of college students who earn degrees in natural science or engineering. “When compared with other nations, the math and science achievement of U.S. pupils and the rate of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) degree attainment appear inconsistent with a nation considered the world leader in scientific innovation.”

The realization that we are slipping as a nation, not just financially but scientifically and mathematically, is something we’ve been experiencing over the past few years. The realization that we really need to do something about that is just now kicking in, if statistics recently released by PBS Kids is any indication.

According to Nielsen ratings, viewership of all PBS KIDS programs is up 23% among 2-11 year-olds this past season. PBS’ STEM-focused series Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, and Dinosaur Train ranked third, fifth, and sixth among 2-5-year-olds. PBSKIDS.org saw a 15% increase over last year in unique visitors, and has been the #1 kids site for free videos streamed. And PBS KIDS mobile apps have been downloaded over 1 million times.

“Years ago, we identified a gap in children’s media – there was very little content available for kids to build critical literacy and STEM skills – especially on TV,” said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president, Children’s Media, PBS. “We saw this as an opportunity to develop great narratives grounded in core curricular areas. Since then, we’ve worked with the best producers in children’s programming to develop a lineup of preschool series that meet this need. And we’re seeing great results – it’s clear from our ratings that kids are responding to this content.”

As well they should. It is obvious from this data that parents have realized the need for the improvement of their children’s STEM education, beginning at an earlier age, and esteem PBS as a reliable source of that for their preschoolers. Experts do in fact state that “strong elementary math skills are important if students hope to succeed in later grades and beyond—and because a mastery of each new math concept relies on an understanding of prior concepts, success must start at an early age (ital. added).”

Of course, these parents are focusing on STEM education for their kids so that they can help them build better futures for themselves. But President Obama himself has also focused on it lately as well, saying that “it is of the utmost importance to all students and critical to U.S. competitiveness,” at an April 2011 town hall event at Facebook’s Palo Alto, California campus. Perhaps he has recognized that improving STEM education nationwide is not only a way out of our current recession, but also a possible means of improving America’s math and science literacy, past 24th or 28th place, to first.

If we want to insure a better future for our children and our country, the experts say it is STEM education, beginning at an early age, that is the key. PBS Kids is a proven way to start.

Why do you think STEM education is important? How are you helping your children improve and/or enhance their STEM education?

Giveaway! Fun and Educational PBS Kids Prize Pack

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:05:51 +0000

The holiday gift giving season is over, kids are wrapped up in school, and homework is on the brain. With that in mind, PBS Kids put together an amazingly fun and educational prize pack for one child in your life to encourage a learning and love of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Prizes

Three winners will receive a PBS Kids prize pack, valued at $100 each.

Entry Requirements

Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

Visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/exploringscience/ and leave a comment here, sharing one game or activity or piece of information from the site you’d like to do or share with your child or another child in your life to help them learn and love STEM.
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Follow @pbsparents AND @pbskids on Twitter.
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Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a @pbsparents prize pack (3 winners/ARV $100 each) http://bit.ly/9YyZka #pbskids #gno PLS RT
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Check out awesome @pbskids site http://to.pbs.org/8NGWsp 4 gr8 kids’ STEM (science, tech, eng, math) activities PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

Post a picture to the Mom It Forward Flickr pool of your kids doing a STEM activity.
Share tips in the comment section on this post for ways in which parents can help their kids learn and love STEM subjects.
Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

Items featured in image may differ from those included in the giveaway. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, March 3, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void in Maine. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

Help Your Kids Learn & Love STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:47:17 +0000

Helping your kids learn and love STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) often feels like a chore. And for some, it can seem overwhelming, especially if you didn’t do so well in those subjects when you were younger.

But today, the educational landscape has changed. STEM is taught in a much more hands-on, interactive way. As a parent, taking advantage of opportunities to help your child learn and love these subjects can be as simple as visiting a local children’s museum, taking your kids rock climbing, or talking about gravity when a spill occurs instead of hurrying to wipe it up.

Want to learn more tips for helping your kids get excited about STEM, then join the #gno gang along with PBS Kids this Tuesday, March 2 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT)!

What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
When: Tuesday, March 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)
Topic: Helping Kids Learn and Love STEM
Who: @hensoncompany @geekmommy @mommyniri @moneywisemoms @mrsmoNJ @pbsparents @simchabe @techmama @techsavvymama @thinkmaya @WGBH_Kids @WGBH_STEM @whymommy
Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 3/3
RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Healthy Eating & Cooking With Kids Tips for the Holidays With PBS Kids

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:34:12 +0000

Holidays are right around the corner. With all the sugary goodness, how do you plan to help your kids—and yourself!—eat healthy during this sweet season?

Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, the new PBS KIDS GO! web-only series launching Monday, November 16, helps get kids excited about healthy eating. It’s a great tool for parents too as it features more than 30 recipes and short instructional videos.

Join the #gno Twitter party Tuesday, November 17 with the creators of FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB and the PBS Parents team where we’ll be sharing tips, tricks, and techniques for healthy eating/cooking!

Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your healthy eating tips and techniques for cooking with children! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.

What: PBS KIDS is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, November 17, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)

Topic: Healthy eating and cooking with children

Who: @fujimama @lunchlab @mommymomo @momspark @mommadethat @jylmomIF @pbsparents @pbssupersisters @savorthethyme @tjstaab @evo_conference

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a PBS KIDS gift pack.

RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.