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Space Racers Gives Preschoolers STEM Opportunities

Space Racers Gives Preschoolers STEM Opportunities

Here in the Rocket City, families get excited about space exploration. After all, we’re helping build the rockets that will get the next generation to Mars. Huntsville has some great classes and programs for kids who want to take their love of space to the next level, but what about our preschoolers? Parents with little ones will be excited to hear season two of Space Racers launches on Sprout this weekend, and Huntsville gets to play an exciting role!

Everybody Loves Rockets!

Space Racers is a new, original, half-hour animated series for preschoolers that follows young spaceship cadets at the Stardust Bay Space Academy as they soar through the Solar System. Kids can watch the adventures of Eagle, Robyn, Hawk and their other cadets as they explore astronomy and space.

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Young viewers will learn about the power of scientific investigation and observation, the wonders of space exploration, and the importance of working together as a team, all with fun and engaging characters they can relate to.

Space Racers Truly Fosters a Love of Space Science

The creators of Space Racers know a thing or two about what makes little ones tick and how they explore their world… and beyond.

“A child, as a natural explorer, works through observing,” Mattias Schmitt is an executive producer and COO for Space Racers. He’s also a committed space enthusiast. He recently visited Huntsville’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center to partner with local educators and experts there and talk about the show’s origins. “Space is infinite and there’s an infinite number of adventures you can go on. We need more science in our daily lives – how could we harness [a child’s] sense of wonder through a television show?”

Space Racers & Huntsville

We’re home to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Space Camp, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. This city was built on looking toward the stars. Maybe that’s why the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and local educators are joining forces with Space Racers to provide Early Childhood Education aspects to the show’s programming.

Jennifer Kennedy also knows the importance of scientific literacy for Pre-K students. “There is no too early, but there IS a too late. Teamwork and problem solving are 21st Century skills – the sooner we have those conversations with kids the more they become ingrained in children’s learning.”

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Space Racers creators discuss the importance of scientific literacy for preschoolers. Eagle hangs out with friends from the USSRC.

Jennifer is the Program Facilitator for the SPARK Academy for STEM Education in Athens, a K-2 public school. She knows what our youngest science-crazy kids need, and is excited about the concepts covered in Space Racers. “Up to a certain point we have low-balled our youngest learners. When we choose not to talk down to them they always rise to the occasion. When kids see things like the sulfur lakes and volcanoes of [Jupiter’s moon] Io on Space Racers, they have wonderful jumping-off points to talk about with their parents and teachers.”

For that very reason, there are lots of great educational resources, family activities, and lesson plans found HERE that can help moms and dads do fun hands-on activities after watching Space Racers with their preschooler.

See Also

Space Racers New Season Kicks Off in the Rocket City

You can join the USSRC this Saturday, Nov. 5, for a free event from “Mission Control” in the National Geographic Theater at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center as we mark the world-premiere of Space Racers® season two!

Retired astronaut and space shuttle commander Robert “Hoot” Gibson will lead the countdown ceremony at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center serving as Mission Control for other “Mission Support Centers” across the country, including Space Center Houston, Virginia Air and Space Center, and the Museum of Flight in Seattle, just to name a few.

More information: View event details & reserve your seat! Don’t delay RSVPing online – tickets are limited!

LOOK FOR NEW EPISODES OF SPACE RACERS ON SPROUT! – Saturday, November 5, 2016

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