Matthew Broderick guest stars as Max, Cyber Dad of the Year, in a special "Father's Day" episode of Cyberchase, premiering June 19 on PBS KIDS GO!. Check local listings. (c) WNET 13.
For seven years, Cyberchase has helped kids integrate mathematics into their daily lives. It's a fantasy adventure with a team of super hero kids who travel cyberspace as they foil the evil plans of villainous Hacker from destroying the internet. To do so, they must use basic math to measure, estimate, and solve problems.
For Father's Day, Cyberchase will air a special episode featuring the voice of Matthew Broderick as Creech's father, Max. Hacker and Max went to high school together. Max managed to beat Hacker at everything he did, which has left the villain with a huge grudge.
Creech wrote a letter nominating her father, calling him the "quintessence of Daddiness." Max is named Cyber Dad of the Year and will star in the annual Tikiville Father's Day Parade, receiving a trophy at its conclusion. Hacker sees the perfect opportunity to get even. He'll replace the real-life Max with a robot likeness. Coded messages sent to the robot will make it do awful things...and the real Max will get the blame and humiliation. Ah, but the CyberSquad, Matt, Jackie, and Inez, with their trusting friend, Digit, know Hacker's up to no good. They must crack a mathematical code sent to the robot to control its actions. The kids must detect a numbers pattern to stop the robot and Hacker from ruining Father's Day for Creech, her Dad, and the residents of Tikiville.
"My son loves Cyberchase, so I was happy to lend my voice to the show,” said guest star Matthew Broderick. “The best part is that I haven't told him I did it; I'm waiting to surprise him when we watch the episode together. I'm sure he'll be more impressed by it than any other work I've done!"
“We're thrilled to have Matthew Broderick as a guest star in this special Cyberchase episode,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG. “Only on Cyberchase would Father's Day mix with math for a half hour of pure entertainment. As a dad, it's a series I'm proud to have in the WNET.ORG family of programs.”
WNET has also provided the tasty, simple Max's Banana Pancake Recipe as well as activities that incorporate math as a game.
Father's Day - Ep. 705
Math Topic: Patterns in Codes
Premieres: Friday June 19, 2009
It’s the annual Father’s Day Parade in Tikiville, and Creech’s father, Max (guest star Matthew Broderick), is this year’s Cyberdad of the Year. Max was once a schoolmate of Hacker’s – and continually bested Hacker in all of their endeavors. Hacker has decided it’s time to get even and this time he’s got a really clever plan… Using secret codes and a band of bad guys, he rolls into action, cleverly changing the code each step of the way to keep those “earthbrats” from catching on. Will Hacker succeed in spoiling Father’s Day and embarrassing Max? Or will our heroes figure out the pattern to his codes in time to stop him?
Following the June 19 on-air premiere, the full “Father’s Day” episode with Matthew Broderick will be available for streaming at Cyberchase Online at pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase and on the PBS KIDS GO! video player at pbskidsgo.org/video. For more Cyberchase fun, kids will also be able to print their very own Cyberchase Father's Day cards and experience other activities at Cyberchase Online.
Cyberchase is the only children's math show on American television. The cartoon series has won various well-deserved awards. It is produced by THIRTEEN in association with Title Entertainment Inc. and WNET.ORG. Executive producers are Sandra Sheppard, THIRTEEN’s Director of Children’s and Educational Programming, and Frances Nankin. Ellen Doherty is senior series producer. Nationally, it is seen on local PBS stations as part of the PBS KIDS GO! programming block. Check local listings for broadcast times where you live.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Cyberchase Father's Day with Guest Star Matthew Broderick
Banana Pancakes and Father's Day Fun from Cyberchase
Family Fun for Father’s Day
By Frances Nankin
Executive Producer and Editorial Director, Cyberchase
This Father’s Day, weave math into your family fun with these quick and easy, skill-building activities from Cyberchase, the animated hit series that airs daily on PBS KIDS GO!. And don’t miss the all-new Cyberchase special episode, Father’s Day, premiering June 19 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings).
Make Banana Pancakes! (Math skills: Measurement, Fractions)
In Father’s Day, Creech’s dad Max gets the Cyber Dad of the Year award, in part because of his fabulous banana pancakes. Does your Dad of the Year like pancakes? Together, you and your child can prepare Max’s recipe for that special Father’s Day breakfast. Need more pancakes? Work with your child to double, or even triple the recipe!
Max’s Banana Pancakes
(Makes 8-10 pancakes)
1 egg
1/2 C. sour cream
2/3 C. whole wheat flour
2 TBL sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 C. orange juice
1 C. mashed banana
In a medium-size bowl, mix together the egg and sour cream. Set aside. Sift together the flour, sugar, soda and salt. Stir flour mix into egg mix with the orange juice until moistened. Stir in the mashed banana.
Heat griddle with 2 TBL oil until oil is hot. Ladle mix onto griddle to make pancakes. Cook on one side until bubbly, then flip to cook other side.
Serve with butter and your favorite syrup, or eat as is!
Play Frisbee Golf (Math skills: Measurement, Using Numbers)
Here’s a fun way for the whole family to play golf on Father’s Day - Frisbee Golf! Dust off your favorite Frisbee, grab some paper and pens to keep score, and work together to set a “course” of landing targets for the Frisbee (a table, a picnic blanket, a hula hoop, etc.). Invite your child to help you measure the distance between the targets so they are at least 10 feet apart. Choose spots so the targets are not all in a straight line. The object of the game is to toss the Frisbee from one end of the course to the other using the least number of tosses, hitting each target as you go.
To play, take turns tossing the Frisbee toward a target – where it lands becomes the spot from which you take your next shot until you hit your target. Keep track of your score from target to target. (If you take three throws to hit a target, your score is three.) When all players have completed the course, lowest score wins – just like in golf!
Eating Out? (Math skills: Mental Math, Estimation)
Eating out for Father’s Day? Estimation is a powerful tool in mathematics. Before calculating a sum or a product, for example, using number sense to estimate the answer can help you know if your final calculation is reasonable. Here’s one way to give your child some quick and easy practice using estimation. At the restaurant, work together to estimate the total bill. To do this, decide on a way to make the prices of the menu items easy to work with (round up to the nearest dollar, for example). Then, use mental math to estimate the total.
Fight Boredom with the Dr. Marbles Gotcha Game! (Math skills: Logic, Problem Solving)
No one likes to be kept waiting at a restaurant, especially when you’re hungry. But you can make the time pass quickly when you play this fun math game. To set up, you need 15 sugar packets, 1 of them a different color. Arrange 14 of the packets in a circle. Put the 15th different-color packet in the center. The object of the game is to force your opponent to take the packet in the center Take turns removing one, two, or three sugar packets from the circle. The winner is the player who does not get stuck with the center packet. Play the game a few times. Can you think of a winning strategy?
Hint: To make a hard problem easier, try something simpler. The solution to the simpler problem can help you think about the more difficult one. Try playing with just five packets (one of which is a different color). Is it easier to think about a winning strategy?
Cyberchase, the only math series for children on American TV, will be premiering a new “Father’s Day” episode on June 19 featuring award-winning film and stage actor Matthew Broderick as the voice of Max. In this exciting episode, Hacker sets out to ruin Father’s Day while Max and the CyberSquad try to stop him. Cyberchase airs daily on PBS KIDS GO! across the country. Check local listings or visit pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase.
Cyberchase is produced by THIRTEEN in association with Title Entertainment Inc. and WNET.ORG. Major funding for Cyberchase is provided by the National Science Foundation, Ernst & Young LLP, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman, PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by The Volckhausen Family.
Source: PBS KIDS GO! Press.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Family Comedy
TBS's family comedy returns for its second season Thursday, June 12, 9:00pm e/p. Engvall is best known for his comedy acts, particularly Blue Collar Comedy Tour and the former WB TV series, Blue Collar Comedy. He adjusts his routine for the sit-com, which is one of the rare truly family sit-coms on broadcast or cable network television. It is warm-hearted, always humorous, and sometimes hilarious. It is also a show that most parents will feel comfortable watching with their kids.
The Bill Engvall Complete Season One DVD was released May 20. Those who enjoy his stand-up comedy will find it's still thriving on the DVD bonus feature, "Ask Bill," a series of answers to fan mail.
For Father's Day, Bill provides insight into what it means to be a father and shares his favorite Father's Day gifts for great ideas for your own dad! Bill Engvall's Fatherly Advice >>