The Magic School Bus and Science Communication

Most of us who grew up in the late 80s and beyond are probably familiar with the Magic School Bus franchise. Written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, the books started coming out in the late 80s, followed by a two-season TV series in the mid 90s, and a Netflix reboot, The Magic School Bus Rides Again, in 2018. Spanning half a lifetime, this franchise is in classrooms everywhere, and combines fantasy elements with scientific facts to create intriguing introductory science content for young children. Of course, it is by no means perfect, with the kids in the series participating in all kinds of dangerous adventures, and the reboot series drawing criticism for whitewashing the original, the essence of the franchise - science communication - is always there.

Science communication for kids is a very broad topic. There are science museums and websites and games intended for children, and The Magic School Bus is certainly not the only science-oriented children’s franchise. However, The Magic School Bus differs in its approach in terms of how it involves children. The field trips that are central to the series allow kids to get up close and personal with the topics they are learning about, and bring a level of intrigue that is, at least for me, not found in much other science-oriented content for kids. Even as an adult, I and many others recall The Magic School Bus with fond memories. Combining the clarity of Bill Nye and the intrigue of series like Dragon Tales, it involves kids in a way that is necessary to create strong future scientists.

We could all serve to take a lesson or two from The Magic School Bus. Science communication does not have to be bland or unimaginative. When anyone, from a professional researcher to a local government, to a student presenter, thinks about how to communicate their science, creativity is never off of the table. As Ms. Frizzle says, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”