ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – For three decades, kids have hopped aboard “The Magic School Bus”, following Ms. Frizzle and her class, as they set off on field trips.
“There’s just something about “The Magic School Bus” that stands out in terms of its quality, the impact that it had in its time and its continued impact today,” says Virginia Tech Associate Professor Matt Wisnioski.
Based on the book series, “The Magic School Bus” takes kids on a virtual bus ride. They do everything from transporting kids inside the human body to taking them to the outer reaches of space.
Wisnioski is studying the show as part of a National Science Foundation grant.
Radford University associate professor Michael Meindl is working with him on the research.
“I definitely had memories of seeing particular episodes and particular moments from when I was growing up,” says Meindl.
Both are working to learn about balancing science education with fiction and entertainment.
“There was a National Science Foundation study in the late 1980s that demonstrated that kids spent more time watching TV in a week than they were at school, and so I think one of the goals of the National Science foundation was to try to meet really young kids where they were,” says Wisnioski.
Since 1994, “The Magic School Bus” TV series has helped get young children excited about science.
Both researchers say the key to the show’s longevity is that it featured evergreen topics, with nothing too cutting edge.
“The education’s still relevant today, but it’s still an enjoyable show that children are still able to watch and laugh at,” says Meindl. “There’s a lot of these people out there in the sciences, science medical fields, etc. that really did get that passion for learning about science from the show.”
Kids can still enjoying watching the “The Magic School Bus” series on Netflix, Tubi or Roku.
Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on here
