Educational Philosophy

The educational goals of Wild Kratts are to:

1) Teach six to eight-year-old viewers natural history and age-appropriate science by building on their natural interest in animals.
2) Develop and strengthen basic skills of observation and investigation that children will use increasingly as they continue their study of science.
3) Build excitement in science that will remain with them throughout their lives.

Animals can take you anywhere in science. This series now takes the natural appeal of animals and harnesses it towards the goal of teaching science concepts to children ages 6- 8. Educationally, Wild Kratts is timely, focusing on science just as educational indicators show an alarming trend of low performance and interest in science in today’s children in international comparisons (NSF Indicators 2004). The smart, fun, confident, enthusiastic characters of Wild Kratts provide role models that are culturally diverse to ensure that a wide range of viewers can identify with, and thus learn with, the characters in the show.

In Wild Kratts, science content is always seamlessly integrated with the stories. As they learn about the world and science through animals, the characters actively apply their new knowledge to achieving their goals and completing the mission – whether it be exploring the never-before-seen deep sea in search of new creatures or finding out why worms come out from their underground home when it rains! New understandings or questions are closely tied to plot points that send the characters in new directions in their adventures of mystery, discovery, and rescue.

Science content is focused to support curriculum standards as laid out by the National Science Education Standards (NSES) from the National Academy of Sciences and with the Benchmarks for Science Literacy from American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Of primary importance for this age group is to provide an inquiry- based educational approach: encouraging viewers to ask questions, complete investigations/observations, answer questions, and present results. This process is modeled by the characters and is central to each and every story. The fact that our successful heroes use an inquiry-based approach to life and learning, and our perpetually unsuccessful villain does not, sends a clear message to children about the inherent value of this critical thinking skill.

Major funding provided by: