"Sid the Science Kid" is a television series and interactive website for children 3-6 and the adults who care for them. To support science learning, Sid takes advantage of kids' instinctive quest to figure out the world as well as their growing sense of humor. The desire to understand underlies all scientific exploration, and preschoolers' questions often involve the same big ideas that scientists investigate. Kids who ask, "Why are the leaves falling off the trees? Why are my shoes too small? Where'd my snowman go?" – are wondering about transformation and change. "What's hair for? Why are my teeth different shapes? How do birds fly, and why can't I?" are questions about form and function. Research tells us that young children already know something about these big ideas. Sid is ready to help them learn more.
The main goals of "Sid the Science Kid" are:
- To encourage children to think, talk and work the way scientists do by building on preschoolers' natural curiosity about the world.
- To show that science is all around us – we all interact with and are capable of learning about scientific concepts.
- To contribute to school readiness by fostering children's intellectual skills, motivation to learn, and confidence in themselves as learners.
- To support children's learning by partnering with parents and teachers to create a "climate of curiosity" for children.
