The PBS series Design Squad recently launched its third season of episodes. The show, which features young people developing creative solutions to challenging problems, has an comprehensive companion website. On the website students can watch full-length episodes, play educational games, and find instructions for creating and participating in their own design challenges.

Teachers who would like to use the content and concepts of Design Squad can get their own free copy of a teacher’s guide to Design Squad by completing the form found here. Tomorrow, November 4, Design Squad in partnership with NSTA will be hosting a webinar about using the concepts and materials of Design Squad in your classroom. You can register for the webinar here.

Applications for Education
I watched my first episode of Design Squad today and found it rather engaging. The Design Squad challenges could be a good way to get elementary and middle school students interested in practical applications of mathematics and science knowledge.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
PBS Teachers Webinar Archives
Forum Network – The Best of NPR and PBS
Teachers’ Domain – 100’s of PBS-Based Lessons