Television holds great potential as a teaching and learning medium. Particularly for young children, this dynamic, colorful, and often musical broadcast medium is naturally appealing; children voluntarily watch it and can learn much from age-appropriate and relevant content. Well before formal educational settings, children are exposed to televised offerings, and this has a significant impact; what they view influences their behavior, values, and learning.

According to the Sourcebook for Teaching Science, U.S. children average about 1,500 hours per year watching television, yet only about 900 hours per year in school. Studies have shown that Americans rank among the lowest of students in industrialized nations in science, and many abandon science courses in the upper grades. Considering that Americans are comparatively low performing in science yet spend ...