Cyberchase Math Mystery
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
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.
We hope you already know about the new Raggs public TV series…and its magical stories, music and educational underpinning, BUT did you know that Raggs is now available in widescreen? Since standard def is still the most common, they’ll continue to deliver episodes in SD, but starting on March 31, with episode 141, Raggs will be delivered in both formats.“Raggs” stars five colorful canines and their wisecracking pet cat, Dumpster, who hang together in their own cool clubhouse.Each program is based on one main theme that promotes social and academic readiness while also addressing specific preschool curriculum topics:• Emergent literacy• Visual arts• Science and discovery• Mathematics• Social studies• Movement, music and danceMore information on Raggs can be found at 
Rann and Gina Watumull knew there was a lot of talent where they lived in Hawaii so back in 2002, they co-founded Hawaii Film Partners. Together, with Discovery Kids and a stellar cast and crew, they brought the world into the world of “Flight 29 Down.”Starring Corbin Bleu, Hallee Hirsh, Johnny Pacar and Lauren Storm, “Flight 29 Down” is full of adventure and ingenuity as students on a school trip are stranded on a deserted island when their plane crashes in a storm. Personalities clash, physical endurance levels reach their limit, and friendships form as teenage plane crash survivors learn how to survive on an island – physically, mentally, and socially. The series delivers crisp cinematography, engaging characters, and realistic survival tips keeping viewers of all ages captivated and wanting to watch more.Rann Watumull, one of the Executive Producers for this series, gives us some background information on the series, demonstrating in part why it is so successful:CP: As a parent I really appreciated the way you took lessons the kids are learning, and putting it on their level (like the democratic process and relationships). What were your goals for the viewers beyond pure entertainment?RM: One of the goals for the show was in addition to providing great entertainment was also to provide a show that included valuable life lessons that the kids would teach themselves. That is why the scripts were written to include the video diaries so we could see what the kids were thinking and feeling and learning as the events unfolded. The writer took extra precautions to ensure that the lessons never came across as preachy or contrived. The kids figured out the right and wrong attitudes and behaviors in a way that seemed real and plausible and often funny. Humor is a great way to reach kids and we have lots of humor in the show.CP: What were some of the more difficult elements in making this series, and how did you overcome them?RM: Perhaps one of the most difficult elements in making the series was the fact that this show was filmed entirely on location, outside, exposed to the elements, without the benefit of a sound stage. When it rained, we got rained on. When it was windy, we had lots of extra noise. We even had a tree crash down on the set right near to us when we experienced near hurricane conditions. In order to work around the weather challenges, the entire cast and crew had to be flexible and creative. For example. We had one very rainy day. Due to scheduling, we could not postpone the shooting. So our writer/director D.J. MacHale rewrote the script at lunch, we copied the scripts, got them to the actors and the afternoon scenes were changed to take place inside the plane that day. We also had a severe storm and a flood hit the set. If you remember the tent scene from the second episode of the first season, that was actually shot in a tent under a tent due to the rain. We also used canopies and other covers to provide some shelter to the actors during filming.CP: Please give me an amusing/interesting anecdote from the filmmaking process that readers can relate to and make them feel like they have a connection and inside scoop to the film.RM: The airplane for which the show is named, was a real plane. I purchased it from a company that had it at the Honolulu International Airport in storage for 10 years. In order to get the plane to the beach, we had to drain all the fluid so it would pose no environmental threat. We then had to cut the wings and tail off in order to transport it to the beach at 2am in the morning so there would be no traffic. We then had to re-assemble the aircraft on the beach in the morning. We had several funny incidents as planes would circle overhead that first day, thinking a real plane had actually crashed on the beach. That old plane has lots of character and we all love it.CP: Why did you choose to have Lex’s father be a widower rather than a divorcee as in the book?RM: My guess would be that it was a little more dramatic for Lex to deal the having lost his mother and being stuck on the island.CP: Can fans expect to see a reunion episode of this cast in this series or was that really the end?RM: Who knows what might happen. I always thought that a reunion showing how the kids would relate to each other and the real world would be a great new show. We will just have to see how it goes.CP: Is there anything you would like to add?RM: Yes, Thank you so much for your interest in the show. You will be pleased to know that all the actors on the set were wonderful people. Everyone developed such close relationships that at the last shot, there were many tears shed by the cast. It was like a high school graduation. Poor Allen Alvarado (Lex) was crying so hard that he made some of our hardened union workers cry also, Allen had spent three years in row filming this show and knew he was going to miss the cast and crew. I am already missing seeing all their smiling faces on the set this year. The kids, including Corbin, were all such great actors and people. They welcomed many visitors to the set including school children, other families, press etc. They would all spend time with the visitors and made everyone feel welcome.Also, you may have heard that about 6 months ago Allen Alvarado and his father were struck by a hit and run car while crossing the street in Los Angeles. Allen was thrown 30 feet in the air and nearly died. He was in a coma for a short time. Thanks to the doctors and prayers, Allen has now made just about a complete recovery. We are so grateful that this amazing little boy is fine and doing great.
“Can we watch this some more? I bet I can make an instrument like that,” my ten-year old enthuses. Super young engineers have “Peep and the Big Wide World,” and now, older engineers have “
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Nickelodeon launches its new Nick Jr. animated Mandarin-language preschool series 
