NBA MATH HOOPS APP

It is amazing how kids can be so in tune to the analytics of sports yet think math is boring and uninteresting. With math skills and scores on the decline and showing historic lows in schools across the country, Learn Fresh, a national education nonprofit dedicated to enhancing students interest in STEM  and developing social-emotional achievement with children, has created a learning tool that utilizes the excitement of basketball to make practicing math problems fun. Partnering with NBA Cares, Hasbro, and NBA/WNBA teams to create basketball themed apps that are both educational and entertaining. NBA Math Hoops apps have kids enjoying engaging in math through competitive basketball themed games.

Available for FREE to be used by students in Grades 3 - 8, there are two apps to choose from both of which are available for Apple and Android devices. These learning apps star NBA and WNBA players and and utilize real statistics. Both apps reinforce fundamental math skills in a fun, data-rich environment as well as assist kids with building fluency through engaging gameplay. Suddenly fractions, decimals, percentages, and exponents are just a part of the game, and students are freed from the anxiety that often comes with traditional math learning. 

Students start off with NBA MATH HOOPS and can continue expand upon that experience with Learn Fresh's follow-up app NBA MATH HOOPS SKILLS & DRILLS. The NBA Math Hoops App features a digital board game with real-time NBA and WNBA player stats. Kids can spend as little as a few minutes at a time or a whole weekend with this fun and educational app, and they can play independently or as part of a class assignment. NBA Math Hoops Skills + Drills App is a complementary app that similarly hones elementary and middle school math skills through basketball mini-games. Boths apps are available to download for FREE on the App Store and Google Play.

NBA Math Hoops App • Free • Grades 3 to 8

Download the NBA Math Hoops Mobile App for free in the App Store and Google Play. The playful program helps build fluency with fundamental math skills through a fun, basketball-themed game with authentic NBA and WNBA player statistics that update in real-time! Compete in Quick Play or League Play modes and enter a classroom code to play in a league format with your peers. Great for use in the classroom, after school, or in-home learning environments.

NBA Math Hoops Skills & Drills App • Free • Grades 3 to 8

Ready for some drills? NBA Math Hoops Skills + Drills App helps young learners build fluency with fundamental math skills through a fun, fast-paced game that simulates the NBA All-Star Skills competition. The app complements the core NBA Math Hoops App and is designed for students looking to take their mental math and NBA Math Hoops play to the next level. Available for free in the App Store and Google Play.

While the game may use stats to make math less intimidating to students, NBA Math Hoops has some scored some impressive stats of its own: Students completing the full program demonstrate 35% improvement in math fluency and 18% improvement in data analysis skills, and a whopping 92% of educators report that students find math more accessible, relevant, and engaging through the program. As a parent, I've always been a fan of making learning both entertaining and educational so that kids consider schooling an enjoyable challenge rather than an uninteresting chore. So I'm geeked about the efforts of Learn Fresh in developing learning tools that embrace people's sports fandom to get them excited about math. 

If you know a child in third through eighth grade, encourage him or her to check out NBA MATH HOOPS! It is FREE, FUN and helps develop a fundamental skill needed to get ahead in today's society. Time to play some hoops!

SMARTICK

I've partnered with SMARTICK to help keep my kids on track with their math learning despite the pandemic. Hate to say it but when my kids' elementary school shutdown due to the coronavirus health emergency the online learning their teachers provided them with was a joke. So now not only have they missed a semester of learning math but they are going through the summer with no guidance from our school district. To make up for that lapse, I have my son and daughter spending some time each day using SMARTICK.

SMARTICK is a 15 minute interactive online math program that creates personalized sessions for every child using it through AI (artificial intelligence) technology. Accessible on PCs as well as Apple and Android tablets provides a math instructional and tutoring service that lets kids advance at their own pace and according to their own abilities. The program includes hundreds of educational tutorials and mentally stimulating "brain games."

Each child enrolled in this subscription service starts off by taking an assessment quiz to evaluate their math skills based upon their age. This allows SMARTICK to create a personalized lesson plan based upon where they should be at based upon their schooling and where the student may actually be. This evaluation allows the tutorials to focus on a child's weaknesses in math and also takes into consideration special needs like ADHD and Dyslexia.

Every day SMARTICK provides a child with a 15 minute session that reinforces how to solve math problems and helps students work through difficulties or a lack of understanding. Based upon their interactions, children can earn points that they can use to open up access to a virtual world that they can explore with a customized avatar. So SMARTICK provides both educational and entertaining for kids.

Honestly, my children have been more enthusiastic about using SMARTICK than I initially thought they would be. They've been doing their 15 minute sessions every morning after breakfast without a gripe. My son was so excited this morning to show me how well he had done on a math challenge.

An incentive for them to do well is that both of them have really been enjoying having their avatars engage in the virtual world that is a reward feature of SMARTICK. They have been enthusiastically earning points so they can add accessories to their avatars. My daughter wants to get a kitten to keep hers company while her brother wants to earn a pet dinosaur.

And I know they aren't screwing around because after each of their SMARTICK sessions an email arrives in my inbox providing an individualized summary of how each of them did during their 15 minute tutorial session. Plus the program provides a parents-only section the kids can't access providing indepth details about a child's math abilities and use of SMARTICK. The program is very user-friendly for both children and adults.

A perk of using this math skills subscription service is while parents are provided lots of information as well as tips to enhance tutoring on their own, mom and dad don't have to hand hold their kids through the tutorial sessions. SMARTICK is designed for children to work independently without relying on parents for help. With my wife and I both working from home, it can be tough to balance parenting and professional obligations during the work day so SMARTICK is a nice way to keep kids engaged in learning without having your conference calls and Zoom meeting constantly interrupted with someone asking for help with school stuff.

SMARTICK has been working out really well for our family and is going to be an ongoing part of our summer routine. If you have kids at home between 4 - 14 years old check out this math tutorial service this summer. SMARTNIK is offering a summer deal that provides  a free two week trial plus 10% off subscription prices. Go to smartickmethod.com to sign up.

SMARTICK has earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval for providing my children with a good time while helping them with learning important life skills. Math is so important for kids to have a good grasp on and so easy for children to fall behind on during these uncertain times. This dad blogger highly recommends SMARTICK to keep students on track with their math studies.

Here are a few other endorsements from some of America's leading educational institutions:

Harvard 

"Smartick tackles a major socio-economic issue affecting Western children, notably in the U.S.: the poor level of math education, lagging far behind their peers from several countries in Asia.”

- Harvard Business Review

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

“I am particularly excited about Smartick because it reflects everything that we have been researching about education in mathematics.”

- Lori Breslow | Ph.D. and professor at MIT

Johns Hopkins University 

“Smartick is changing the world of Math with a new and fun approach to math education powered by artificial intelligence and personalized learning. The students love it, and the parents love to see their children’s math knowledge and grades improve. Learning math from home has never been easier today for tomorrow’s most in demand STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education.”

- Professor Joël Le Bon, PhD | Johns Hopkins University

Enhance your child's grasp of math concepts by reading a story book

** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free**

March is National Reading Month and my children's school has been very active in having the students doing a bunch of literary themed projects throughout it.  One of the projects assigned to our kids first grade class was doing a book report.  Another activity involved my wife surprising my daughter's class and me my son's as "mystery guests" to read the selections our kids did their book reports on to all the students one afternoon.  We decided to take advantage of this assignment to work with our children on both advancing their reading skills and reinforcing their grasp of mathematical concepts at the same time be selecting the story books Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem and Absolutely One Thing.  Both our twins and their classmates were very attentive and interested in these math themed stories and since many kids find that a boring and tedious topic that earns each of these books A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem is an illustrated adaption of an episode from the Emmy award winning PBS television series Peg + Cat.  Recommended for children 3 - 8, the hard cover story book is written and illustrated by the TV series creators Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson.  The book is full of drawings of characters that children will recognize from the popular TV series.  Utilize these activity sheets based upon the story in the book to have a child help Peg + Cat solve their pizza problem.


In Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem it is lunchtime at Peg’s Pizza Place! Peg and Cat are excited to take their first order — from the Teens! — only to learn that some of their customers want a whole pizza while one of them wants half a pie. How can Peg and Cat make half a pie when they don’t know what half is? Luckily, Ramone and Mac are there to help, with a slice up the middle of the pizza. As more customers come in, things get entertaining, with Peg singing a jazzy song and Cat doing a dance. But soon there’s another problem: four orders, but only two and a half pizzas left. Peg is totally freaking out — until Cat reminds her that when it comes to halves and wholes, it’s all in how you slice it.

Some of the nice touches to Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem include a book jacket that when flipped over contains the same activity sheets I've embedded above, a ruler imprinted on the front and back covers showing the height of the book's pages, the use of shapes to demonstrate proportions, and how the page numbers are a tally that can be added up continuously through the book.  While my children were at the upper end of the age recommendation for this book it was nice they could read it on their own and it had a message that reinforced their math knowledge.  Plus when we read it to their classes all the students were entertained and got a positive educational message from the story.

The other mathematically themed story book we explored was Absolutely One Thing.  Written and illustrated by Lauren Child this hard cover story book is recommended for children aged 4 - 8 years old.  This book demonstrates that while numbers can appear overwhelming or confusing they don't have to be and can actually be rather simple to understand based upon how you approach them.

Absolutely One Thing is the story of how Mom takes Charlie and Lola to the store and as a treat lets them choose one thing to buy.“One thing to share?” Lola asks. No, it’s one thing each, explains Charlie, or two actual things between two. Lola is nine minutes late getting ready, and on the way, there are ladybugs and birds to count and maybe a squillion leaves on a tree. At the store, Lola says she’ll choose things, or possibly two. “How about no things?” asks Mom. With Lola hilariously bending everyday numbers to her will, the math goes down easy in this charming picture book loaded with visual appeal.

I liked how the book presents numbers so they appear cluttered on some pages which is a nice reflection on how some people look at math problems and become confused, overwhelmed or turned off at first glance but as a reader works through a page they realize that these numbers aren't really that difficult to understand or relate to.  Absolutely One Thing forces readers to delve into its pages and for that they are rewarded with an amusing story.  The structure of the book's layout in telling the story demonstrates that while something may look difficult to grasp at first glance when you take the time to read through something it really isn't that hard to understand after all.  For kids that may be intimidated by the format of math this book provides a positive message through its story telling approach teaching that just because something may have a confusing appearance to it doesn't mean it will be difficult to understand if you put in some effort.  The book does a nice job of addressing topics such as numerical order, addition, subtraction and multiplication.

As a parent who has children that often don't have a good grasp on the value of time, it was also appreciated how Absolutely One Thing discusses the topic including how to read a watch and not being late because it impact things when you need to be someplace. I also learned something new in reading the book - squillion is a real word.  Squillion = an extremely large but unspecified number, quantity or amount.

If you missed out incorporating math into a child's lessons for National Reading Month assignment guess what? You have a second chance! April is National Mathematics Awareness Month which provides another opportunity to combine reading and math through books like these.  For tweens and teens you may also want to take a look at Cy Tymony's "Sneaky Math -- A Graphic Primer with Projects" that A Geek Daddy highlighted on Pi Day to help kids with Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus through practical activities and tips.

Happy Pi Day Everyone!!!

Happy Pi Day everyone! No we are not celebrating the delicious baked treat today but rather recognizing the association of the date of March 14 (3/14) with π (Pi) as an opportunity to promote that mathematics doesn't need to be viewed as dull and boring but rather it can have a fun side to it as well.  What is Pi by the way?  Ancient mathematicians realized that while circles vary in size they all maintain the same shape  They realized that there had to be a mathematical constant when it comes to the creation of a circle which has become know as Pi.  Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. So for any circle no matter how small or large it may be when you divide its circumference by its diameter you'll always get π which is the exact same number 3.14.

Cy Tymony who has developed a reputation for teaching fun ways to learn about math and science through his educational book series "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things" decided Pi Day was a great opportunity to catch people's attention on this topic.  So this year, he created www.PiDayFun.com which is dedicated to making Pi Day math memorable with activities meant to get children engaged in mathematics.   The website contains directions for free diy projects that will allow kids to create things like a Sneaky Pi Detector, Pi Quizzer, Fraction Calculator and a Range Finder.

One of the PiDayFun.com projects we made and played around with is the PI WHEEL.  You can use the PI WHEEL to compute the circumference of various sized circles by turning the wheel until a circle's diameter appears in the window. Right below it will be that circle's circumference.  Here are the instructions on making your own PI WHEEL, give it a shot!

For more tips on how to get your kids interested in math, check out Cy's book "Sneaky Math -- A Graphic Primer with Projects" which contains activities using every day items to help kids grasp the mathematical concepts involved with Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus.  While Cy Tymony is known to be a math and science wizard, his book shows that you don't need to be a genius to excel at math.  This book which probably most suitable for junior high and high school students uses practical activities to help kids excel in their math courses.  Looking at mathematical concepts from a down to earth perspective can eliminate much of the anxiety and confusion kids often feel about math. The book shows its readers how math is all around us through intriguing and easy projects, including 20 pass-along tools that are meant to complement what students learn in the class room.

You can get Sneaky Math from retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million.

By reading comic books and studying science as a young boy, Cy Tymony amazed his friends with unusual scientific projects, demonstrations and ideas.  He is trained in auto mechanics, electronics, video and audio technology and computer science plus has studied martial arts and survival techniques.  Now he has focused his enthusiasm, creativity and imagination toward educating people of all ages through his Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things books.


A Geek Daddy received a complimentary copy of Sneaky Math from the publisher.

Grab a MoonScope to view Sunday's rare super moon eclipse

My daughter loves to solve puzzles and tinker with things so it seems a career path in engineering or science might be something to keep in mind as she progresses through school. While many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields provide interesting and financially lucrative career opportunities these jobs also are dominated pretty exclusively by males which has to be an issue of concern for the father of a little girl who doesn't want to see her future limited from pursuing any endeavor she may choose. According to research from the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), women make up 47% of the overall workforce in the United States but only 28% of females have jobs involving science and engineering.  Researchers looking into this huge workforce differentiation have had the insight that boys tend to have more activities and play time as children that relate to STEM so they tend to consider these fields more interesting and fun than girls do.  Therefore parents and educators are being called out to become more engaged in encouraging girls to have fun with STEM at an early age so they may have more of an interest in growing up to become a future computer programmer, scientist, or astronomer.

As a parent of a young daughter myself, I was thrilled to discover the Nancy B Science Club from Educational Insights that makes STEM topics fun by encouraging girls to engage in exploring and learning through a variety of cool scientific gadgets.  Nancy B Science Club products include among other things a black light illuminator kit for science sleuthing activities, binoculars with a built in compass for exploring parks and nature trails, a microscope to examine the intricate detail of things in the world around us, a Stir-It-Up Chemistry Lab to experiment on how things react and a MoonScope to gaze into outer space.  These science club products are actually designed by "Nancy B" who is a science product designer, former science teacher, and an all-around science enthusiast who want to inspire girls to share her passion for science, technology, engineering and math.

My daughter was so excited when I brought home a Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope for us to check out the upcoming super moon eclipse.  This is a very rare phenomenon taking place from approximately 10:11 to 10:47pm E.T. on Sunday, September 27, 2015 where you will see a giant red moon.  That night's full moon will appear about 14% larger than normal creating a "super moon" effect because it will at the closest point (known as its perigee) in its orbit of the Earth.  It will also appear blood red in color during the total lunar eclipse; which is when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon.  Our planet blocks most of the sun light from illuminating the moon at this time, but some light does  reflect through the Earth's atmosphere giving the moon a red tin similar to the effect you see in the sky during an evening sunset.  How great is that to start off the Halloween season with a Blood Moon to have a teachable moment with your children and get them excited about science!



So we put together the Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope and tested out calibrating and focusing the lenses to make sure it was ready to go so we wouldn't have to be monkeying around getting it ready when wanting to view the big event in the night  sky.  It's instructions recommend putting it together during the day and testing it out on some objects like trees to make sure it works properly and to learn how to focus the lenses without it being dark out.  Everything worked great and we're ready to go for Sunday night!

The MoonScope, which has received The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval, does a remarkable job of providing a clear view by magnifying the night sky by 18x to 90x through transferable 20mm and 4mm all-glass eyepieces.  The MoonScope requires 2 AA batteries to power a red light at the base of its tripod that isn't used for the function of the telescope but rather provides a way for kids to reference the included activity journal without hurting their night vision. I found the MoonScope, which was a 2014 nominee for Best Educational Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association and received a Silver Honor from the Parents Choice Foundation, easy to assemble and most importantly my daughter found it easy to use when she tried it out.

The only thing that took her a bit of getting used to was looking through one eye to see through the MoonScope's eyepieces, which I have to admit I'm not very good at either.  Make sure to take advantage of the pre-aligned finderscope next to the eyepiece on the MoonScope to line up your targets as it can be difficult to find things just by using the telescopic lenses.  The finderscope even has a glow-in-the-dark ring on it to help you target things in the night sky which we thought was pretty neat.  Also you will want to have a table or something sturdy to place the MoonScope on because its tripods aren't very tall making it challenging at times to get the right angle for a view if you don't have something to prop it on.

So we checked everything out during the daylight, gave it a test run the other night, and we are ready to go for viewing the Super Blood Moon!  Don't miss out because the last time there was a blood red super moon was when I was a third grader in 1982  - in fact since 1900 it has only happened 5 times (1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 & 1982) - and it won't occur again until 2033.  You don't want to wait another 18 years for another chance to get a glimpse of this special astronomical event. 

For more information about the MoonScope, visit nancybscienceclub.com

If you don't have a MoonScope of your own to view the Super Moon Eclipse with, NASA will have a live feed from 8:00 pm through 11:30 pm ET streaming views of the eclipse from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California, Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and Fernbank Observatory in Atlanta, Georgia among other locations across the United States.  NASA solar physicist Mitzi Adams will discuss the eclipse and answer questions from people on Twitter using the hashtag #askNASA during the broadcast.

** Disclaimer:  A Geek Daddy received a complimentary Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope to review.  The opinions in this post about the product are my own and a positive review was not mandated for this blog to receive the product.  **

Digital Media Academy Helps You Avoid Your Kids Having A Lazy Summer

** This is a U.S. Family Guide Sponsored Post that I have been compensated for. Any claim, representation, statistic, quote or other representation should be verified with the service provider, Digital Media Academy **

Wow! Only 2 more weeks of school for our kids before summer break begins! What plans do you have for your children and teens this summer to keep them interested in learning and help them pick up some new skills? If you want to make sure your children have a productive summer check out the Digital Media Academy (DMA) which has programs aimed at tech savvy youth that will interest them and build their skill sets at the same time. Kids and teens learn computer programming, app development, 3D modeling, robotics, graphic design, film-making, and much more. DMA summer camps are one or multiple week experiences taught by industry experts and tech professionals. Campers get hands-on experience creating projects using the latest hardware and software from Apple, Canon, Adobe, and more.

When it comes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers women are really lagging in these male dominated fields which often have lucrative salaries and challenging job responsibilities. One of the contributing factors to this disparity is that by eighth grade, more than twice as many boys than girls will be interested in pursuing STEM focused careers. Getting girls interested in STEM topics at earlier ages and parents showing an interest in them learning about these subjects helps overcome a societal stigma that being a computer programer, scientist, or engineer is a "guy" thing. If you are a parent of an elementary or middle school aged daughter, you may want to check out Digital Media Academy's MADE BY GIRLS program. Being offered for the first time this summer, MADE BY GIRLS is aimed to help inspire future women computer programers, scientists, and engineers by empowering girls to embrace STEM topics and close the gender gap in the tech industry.

A Geek Daddy Blog readers can save $75 off summer camps at DMA with code TECHSUMMER at www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by May 31,2015 to give your kids a heads up in being able to #CreateTheNext ______.

Don't let your kids by lazy over the summer break. Enroll them in a summer program they will find interesting now and will provide skills that may be of benefit in a future college course or career opportunity later. Digital Media Academy Summer Camps are held at college campuses across the United States. For example, in my home state of Michigan Digital Media Academy is hosting its camp at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They also have programs at Northwestern University in Illinois, Harvard University in Massachusetts, Stanford and UCLA in California, and Rice University in Texas among other locations. Programs are specifically designed for children 6 - 12 or teens 13 - 17 in nine digital media specialties ranging from Programming & App Development to Robotics & Engineering.

Founded at Stanford University, DMA is ranked as one of the ten best summer camps in the world. Give your teen a pre-collegiate experience or build a child's confidence through project-based learning. Learn at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Questions? Call 1(866)656-3342 to speak with a Guest Service Representative or email info@digitalmediaacademy.org and mention this US Family Guide Special Offer.

For more information visit: DigitalMediaAcademy.org

Some After School Fun with Space Scouts

As part of A Geek Daddy Blog's participating in the U.S. Family Guide Network we tested out the first two month's mailers from the monthly subscription service SPACE SCOUTS the other day when my kids returned home from school.   SPACE SCOUTS lets children explore the galaxy from the comfort of their own home through sending space themed boxes filled with arts and crafts projects, educational lessons and other fun treats each month.  From our experience, each month's mailer should occupy a kid's attention for about a half an hour and provides a nice opportunity for a parent to spend some quality time with children in a manner that is both entertaining and educational at the same time.  The SPACE SCOUTS program is probably best for children 6 to 8 years old.

The first month's mailer included a metallic lunchbox (which can be used to store all your Space Scouts stuff), a solar system poster, activity pages, a sticker scramble, a constellation collector ring, and a set of wikki stix that could be used for creative building.  We decyphered a code for a secret message, completing a space themed cross word puzzle, and answering astronomy themed trivia questions.

My daughter really enjoyed the sticker scramble where you have to match numbers on sticker sheets to the ones on an index card.  If you complete the puzzle correctly you'll see an interesting space image from the unscrambled stickers. 

 

The week two mailer included a grasping hand that amused my son to no end, some astronaut figurines, magnets to place on the Space Scouts lunchbox, a constellation card to include on the storage ring provided in the first mailer.  It also included some more activity sheets, another sticker scramble and some stickers to place on the solar system map that was initially provided.    Each package provides items that supports and builds upon items previously received to boast children's knowledge of math, technology, science and astronomy.

Pricing starts out at $11.95 + $3 shipping per month with additional discounted plans for multi-month purchases.  A GEEK DADDY blog readers receive a 20% discount on their initial purchase of any SPACE SCOUT subscription plan by using promo code USFAMILY20.

For more information, visit  www.atcssc.com/space-scouts 

DISCLAIMER: A Geek Daddy Blog was introduced to this product through its participation in the US FAMILY GUIDE Blogger Program.  A Geek Daddy blog was not provided any financial compensation for this post but was provided a complimentary two month subscription to the Space Scouts to review.  A positive review is not required of our blog to participate in this promotion. The opinions in this review are my own.

Nickelodeon's Newest Animated Series Promotes Math, Science, Technology & Engineering Through Monster Truck Adventures

Monsters are coming to Nick TV (the Nickelodeon cable channel) during Halloween Month ( aka October) with the hour long premiere on Monday October 13th of its brand new animated series for preschoolers Blaze and the Monster Machines.  These aren't the spooky kind of monsters that hide under the bed though but rather monster trucks that will help introduce the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to its viewers.  Nickelodeon is promoting Blaze and the Monster Machines as the first preschool show on TV to comprehensively cover all areas of STEM in every episode.  Combining Monster Trucks with Math and Science...this Geek Daddy LIKES the idea!

The series follows the adventures of the monster truck Blaze and his eight-year-old driver AJ.  Together they explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work.  Each episode is filled with MONSTER TRUCKS, physical humor, and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a STEM concept such as adhesion, friction, force, trajectory, and magnetism.  Blaze and the Monster Machines is created by the head writer of Team Umizoomi, Jeff Borkin, and the supervising producer of Bubble Guppies, Ellen Martin.

In its hour long premiere, on Monday October 13 at 12:00pm (ET/PT), Blaze and AJ are introduced to a world of racing monster machines in the town of Axle City.  When Crusher, a troublemaker truck, uses his dirty tricks to try to win the championship race, Blaze does everything he can to help his friends and beat him to the finish line.  In the show's "Blaze of Glory" debut the STEM concepts of buoyancy and trajectory will be focused on.

Following the series premiere, Blaze and the Monster Machines will feature three weeks of new original 1/2 hour episodes as the show is broadcast in its scheduled time slot of week day afternoons at 12:30pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.  I'm really excited to see a television show that highlights concepts such as buoyancy, friction and magnetism in a way that catches children's attention in an educational and entertaining way!  Oh and what dad wouldn't think the monster truck angle is just plain out cool!  There really is a lot of STEM concepts behind the scenes in the construction and racing of vehicles that many people don't think about so this show is taking a fun approach to hopefully getting some serious topics stuck in kids heads that will spur their imaginations, help with school work and encourage children not to be scared of pursuing careers that involve math, engineering or science.  Unfortunately because of some societal stigmas children have a tendency to want to stay away from STEM classes and careers because they consider them "geeky" but shows like Blaze and the Monster Machines demonstrate to children at an early age that geeky can be fun, interesting and cool and not something to think of in a bad way.  A Geek Daddy blog has to give a nod of approval to that!