Science for Kids: Peep and the Big Wide World

Presenting science to kids in a way that is fun, intelligent, and engaging is practically a science itself, so when we found out about "Peep and the Big Wide World," we just had to post about it. In fact, the review we found on The Creative Science Quarterly is so right on, that we may take the easy way out and just repost it here. "On most mornings, somewhere in the landscape of childrens television, you can hear Taj Mahal singing and Joan Cusack narrating not about sharing, or taking turns, or telling the truth, or even potty training for that matter, but actually on (of all things) science. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Im referring to a program called Peep and the Big Wide World, a quaint animated offering which follows the adventures of Peep, Quack, and Chirp (a chick, a duck, and a robin), as they explore and discover all the things that go in their little world. I know about this show because I happen to be a scientist with a vested interest in acts of science education. And I also know about this show because I happen to have two young children, who find it both amusing and engaging enough to sit still for its entirety. Of course, my children dont [care] about it being science and all. And they certainly wouldnt even begin to understand the irony of using characters that, in my circle of colleagues, currently represent reservoirs for both the Avian Flu Virus and the West Nile Virus (the duck, of course, has the funniest lines, possibly because he knows that he alone is the asymptomatic carrier). But at the end of the day, I think that this is all really beside the point. And thats because the point is this: we should be impressed because the show succeeds in talking effectively to the general public about science. And it does this by being different, creative, charming and yet informative which believe me is no easy task."