Cyberchase Math Mystery
The Cyberchase gang takes young viewers out to play with their new math and sports initiative, premiering this month on PBS KIDS GO!Multi-Faceted Project Features New Episodes, A New Web Game And Outreach Events.“For Real” Segments Include Appearance By New York Mets Pitcher John MaineWhen’s the last time you looked at a baseball diamond…and saw a geometric pattern? Watched a replay…and realized how that play was diagrammed? Or checked out the score…and considered the math inherent to a game? Sports are rich with opportunities to use numbers, spot patterns, and develop strategies, and kids love sports. With this exciting connection in mind, CYBERCHASE’s new initiative challenges kids to get active with math!CYBERCHASE’s Math & Sports, a multi-faceted project that will engage children on air, online and on the playing field in communities nationwide, kicks off April 7 on PBS KIDS GO!sm (check local listings). The Math & Sports initiative features five shows, including four new episodes, as well as an interactive Web game that gives kids the chance to challenge Hacker in the “CyberOlympics” at pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase.“Sports are a perfect way to show kids that math is a useful tool to develop winning strategies,” says Sandra Sheppard, Thirteen/WNET New York’s director of Children’s and Educational Programming. “This new initiative aims to show kids how athletics incorporate math in ways they might not realize, while also reinforcing the power of teamwork in problem-solving. These concepts are as applicable on the field as they are in the classroom.”CYBERCHASE For Real, a live-action segment found at the end of each animated episode, will include Harry learning from the New York Mets’ pitcher John Maine how he uses math in every game. Harry will also try to figure out the best order for him and his teammates to swim in a relay race to increase their chances of winning.“Sports are very popular with kids and rich in opportunities to engage them in math concepts such as problem solving, geometry and data-analysis,” says executive producer Frances Nankin. “One of our goals with Math & Sports is to empower kids who might otherwise want to sit on the sidelines, and encourage them to get out there and participate, just to try out the concepts. They’re fun and easy to grasp, and guaranteed to make everyone want to play!”To engage children while reinforcing and extending the messages of the broadcasts, CYBERCHASE Math & Sports is supported with free educational materials, including a digital activity toolkit that combines a DVD containing the five episodes and short segments and a CD-Rom containing hands-on activities. A CYBERCHASE comic book and poster are also available. These resources will be available to educational and community partners through the series’ companion Web site and Outreach Portal.Parents and teachers can find tips for ways to combine math with sports, plus activities at pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase. For Math & Sports, an all-new interactive game will encourage players to try out math skills from the episodes and experience the results on a virtual playing field.
