IQ Smart Parent (6/30 minute programs) – – IQ: SMARTPARENT equips parents and caregivers with the knowledge and tools they need to successfully guide their children in the use of digital media and technology. The three-part series addresses children’s media consumption – from helping them discern between fiction and reality to safeguarding their online identities. Host Angela Santomero created and executive produced the acclaimed children’s television series Blue’s Clue on Nick Jr., and Super Why! and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on PBS KIDS. Santomero also hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org and writes a personal blog about parenting at AngelasClues.com.
- #601 – We’re making edible models to help kids explore everything from the life cycle to how plate tectonics work. We’ll also explore the science of a farm-to-table diet. Guests include a Master Gardener and educators, and engaging field packages will feature Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, which received a Let’s Move Pittsburgh mini-grant. The program promotes a healthy lifestyle and students in their diverse student body (including an ESL and refugee population) engage in a range of tasks to teach them how to grow food, harvest it, and prepare it.
- #602 – In this episode we engage families in Earth & Space science! Meet up with the curator of the Smithsonian’s national touring exhibit Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Missionfor a look at the past, present, and future of space exploration. We’ll also show families how to track what’s up in the sky using a range of scientific tools, from sophisticated telescopes to celestial bodies that can be seen with the naked eye! The episode concludes with a salute to the Maker Movement as we present hands-on projects to make a star clock, and a pin-hole camera for safely viewing a solar eclipse.
- #603 – If you think science, technology, engineering, and math education are only for the classroom, think again! Parents and educators will be inspired by unique examples of STEM education in action in some very unexpected places. . . including an elementary school physical education class; and along the banks of our region’s creeks and rivers where Girl Scouts take part in a unique new program called STREAM Girls. STREAM Girls gives scouts the opportunity to earn badges as they serve as citizen scientists, anglers, and artists, in order to build an appreciation for watershed conservation and the environment.
- #604 – This episode addresses the serious issue of engaging talented young people of both genders and all backgrounds in STEM and STEAM education, in order to create equity in the technology workforce. National and regional experts will discuss initiatives for underrepresented minority populations in order to meet the nation’s accelerating demands for STEM talent. This episode also features the founder of All Star Code, Christina Lewis, who was inspired to start the organization by her renowned businessman Reginald L. Lewis. Ms. Lewis explains her organization’s mission to attract and prepare young people of color for jobs in the tech sector.
- #605 – This episode of iQ smartparent lands at the unique intersection of animal appreciation, digital media, and education! This episode includes feathered friends from the National Aviary, which sponsors a Maker challenge to promote STEAM as local designers create items inspired by birds. Meet the science illustrator inspired by the Aviary’s collection and hear about projects inspired by wings and wildlife. The program also features a science writer from National Geographic. He’s joined by animals from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Live Collection and present tips for young people about gaining inspiration from animals for school and personal projects. Finally, meet a young teen who started the social media sensation I’ve Pet That Dog! With nearly 200,000 follows, he explains his process for making and sharing positive and inspiring media.
- #606 – “No more screen time!” Many frustrated parents have issued that edict to kids who all-too-frequently have their noses buried in the screen of a digital device! This episode introduces education experts to set the record straight: In terms of learning impacts, when does a screen work best, and when should kids be engaged in alternative forms of interactions, such as textbooks, human, and hands-on projects? Experts explore how to set realistic and responsible screen-time rules for kids living in a 21st century media-saturated world.
airs Tuesday 2 a.m. beginning 1/14
