I don't know about you, but I am incredibly sick of many of the live action shows made for kids... especially the ones whose target audience is little girls. (Don't worry I have a daughter, I'm not watching any of these for my own entertainment).
As far as I can tell, these shows all share one plot with a few variations. There is a teenage girl. Sometimes she sings sometimes she doesn't. She has a wacky best friend and an annoying brother (sometimes older sometimes younger... there needs to be some variation you know). The parents (sometimes there is one, sometimes two) are complete morons. Something happens with the main character (sometimes its about a boy... actually I think it's always about a boy) and hijinks ensues. Perhaps there are some of these shows that have some redeeming value. I honestly haven't watched enough to know.
This is why I was thrilled when one day I walked into the living room and my wife and daughter were watching a show called Project Mc2 on Netflix.
On the surface, this looks like every other vapid show for girls... but wait. Look at that tag line.
This show is clearly aimed at little girls. The main character has three friends... but no brother to be found. They all dress in the hip fashion (yikes I said "hip" I am old), play on their cellphones, listen to pop music, Instagram, snapchat, and talk about boys... but that is not all they do.
These four girls are geniuses... and heroic spies.
To be honest, the acting is pretty bad and the stories don't really interest me... but they aren't supposed to. It is supposed to interest my 9 year old daughter. It succeeds brilliantly! She loves it.
If you take a look at the shows website, it is very clear what the show is attempting to do. It's not mere entertainment, this show is 100% "edutainment"... which is one of my favorite things in the world. It is not only about strengthening the mind, but there is a huge self esteem building piece as well.
The goal of the show is to "Empower Girls Through S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math)". It is yet another way to show girls that being good at math, science and technology should be a source of pride. As a result, the shows tagline is...
Smart is the new cool.
Maybe this seems cheesy, but I don't care. My daughter is good at math. Kids learn from characters on TV whether we like it or not. I would much rather have her learning from these girls than some ditz who gets her foot caught in a revolving door causing her to miss her big date with Jimmy.
From an adults point of you, you may look at the show and shake your head at how contrived it is... but its not for us. My daughter is buying it hook, line and sinker.
There are four girls.
McKeyla McAllister is the star. She has had spy training so she is good at thinking on her feet and solving problems. She is still very "hip". (Dang it there I go again showing how old I am).
Adrienne Atoms is from Spain. She loves fashion, has a Spanish accent and is expert at chemistry.
Bryden Bandweth is the computer expert who loves to create acronyms for everything (that was the first thing my daughter told me about her). So now my daughter is into creating acronyms. That is a fun little brain exercise for you.
Carmen Coyle is the inventor and builder of the bunch. She is alway guessing Bry's acronyms. She is Asian. Her bedroom is filled with all sorts of tools hanging on the walls.
See a pattern? So do I. But my daughter doesn't. She sees four smart girls who are friends. Perfect!
Lessons fill every episode. The girls are constantly explaining to each other exactly what they are doing. For example, when the chemistry expert creates something, she explains exactly how it works. During the first episode, one girl points out that they are all "squared". Their initials are aa, bb, cc, and McMc. They even made a joke about being the Pythagorean theorem. So do you know what my caught asked? Dad, "What's squared?". So I showed her... and she got it. Then she asked, "What's the Pythagorean theorem?" So I showed her... but she didn't quite get it. She's only nine. But she was interested. I bet given a little time and effort, she will get it.
My second favorite part of the show was when the girls were discussing a Prince who was coming to visit (it's still a show for little girls). A girl at school asked the friends if they would love to ask the Prince about his car or clothes or some other nonsense. Cam proudly responded, "No. I want to pick his brain about his space craft's orbital velocity." It was not a euphemism. She wanted to use her brain.
My favorite part is the surprise adult involved in the show. There needs to be a mom. However, unlike most shows, the mom is anything but dumb. She too is a genius. So who is this mystery actress?
It is none other than Danica McKellar!
Who?
If you are old like me, Danica McKellar will always be one person... Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years.
Wow! Winnie Cooper grew up to be very attractive, and smart...
and a supporter of great causes. Take a look at the sign behind here.
Thanks to this photo, I will be doing post on that later.
But if you are younger, you might know her as an author... of Math books.
In 1998 McKellar graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
Since then she has authored several books aimed at teaching and encouraging girls to love math.
These include:
Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail.
Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss. New York
Hot X: Algebra Exposed.
Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape.
Although I personally have no interest in the show, I am definitely looking forward to the next time I'm sitting next to my daughter (probably on steemit) as she watches. I can't wait for her to ask me to explain the theory of relativity!
Quick can someone explain the theory of relativity to me?
In a few words, special relativity holds on two principles:
The rest (which is not quick to explain) follows ^^
I love it when you comment on my posts! I know I will always learn something and you are always very kind to us novices. I was hoping you'd catch that little ;) at the end there. I knew if you did, you'd have a great answer that would also make me grin. Thanks!!!!
I'll get my girls to check it out. Thanks for the heads up! You probably already seen this one but my girls love this show called Odd Squad. Story lines revolving around STEAM also.
On a side note, my friend and I met Danica at a swing dance party like 20 years ago. Swing meaning, lindyhop etc... She is as beautiful as you can imagine in real life! Especially because she is wicked smart. Thanks for sharing again. Will check out that show soon.
Actually I don't know about Odd Squad. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation! Great story about Danica! My wife and I caught the swing dance fever around 20 years ago as well. Never got good at it but we had fun!
She certainly was a catch. I had two left feet, still do but my buddy was like Mikey from Swingers : ) Fun times!
"You know what you are? You're like a big bear with claws and with fangs... "
I immediately thought of Swingers when you mentioned swing dancing. This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Lol! Yes! It was "the" movie during my college years. Geez has it been 20 years? Damn. All growns up and growns up some more. I think it is on Amazon prime video right now. I'm gonna watch some beautiful babies tonight.
you are right about Danica LOL. This is a good post, something redeeming on the TV end of things to help kids. I like it. Good post.
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TYIA and keep up the good work!!
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