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One Small Hop on the Magic School Bus, One Giant Leap for STEM Education

Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver Adam Carroll joins Jaguar Land Rover in bringing Jaguar Primary School Challenge to New York City ahead of the Qualcomm New York City ePrix at The Factory Building in Long Island City, New York.  (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover)
Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver Adam Carroll joins Jaguar Land Rover in bringing Jaguar Primary School Challenge to New York City ahead of the Qualcomm New York City ePrix at The Factory Building in Long Island City, New York. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover)

When ‘The Magic School Bus’ premiered on PBS (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/07/09/magic-school-bus/b3f5f8a0-5622-4f43-9bd6-19c66ab8ecab/) in September 1994, Mrs. Frizzle — the fire-haired teacher with a penchant for matching her wardrobe to her lesson plans — was a game-changer. With her frequent field trips to destinations like the digestive system and other planets, Mrs. Frizzle inspired generations of kids to love science.

In addition to helping fund The Magic School Bus, the National Science Foundation (https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/btyb/afterschool.jsp) has been a big supporter of PBS’ STEM-related media for children, dating back to the days of ‘3-2-1 Contact,’ ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy,’ and ‘Reading Rainbow.’

We’ll talk to the National Science Foundation and others about the enduring legacy of The Magic School Bus and other early multimedia science initiatives. And we’ll look forward at what shows are inspiring today’s children to develop a passion for investigation and exploration.

Produced by Stacia Brown

GUESTS

Sandy Welch, Program director at the National Science Foundation

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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