Welcome to Smarty Pants! We create educational shows that teach kids science
while inspiring them to be environmental stewards. Our goal is to make science fun
and easy to understand, and to show kids that they can make a difference
by understanding the world around them.
Co-founders Sarah, Jessica and Bryan gravitated to each other in graduate school due to their shared interests in science, media and saving the world. They began researching what would soon become Smarty Pants, but what started as a passionate idea to create a new kind of science TV show, one that would feature girls and other underrepresented groups, and that would empower all kids to make a difference. After about several thousand hours of research, hundreds of interviews with industry experts, and countless classroom visits, it all boiled down to teaching about the environment.
Research shows that teaching using the environment as a context is an effective way to teach science, improve academic achievement, and promote pro-environmental behavior in and out of classrooms. Today the Smarty Pants team spends most of their waking hours creating the best possible engaging, educational and environmental media to help teach kids science and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders.
Saves Time - Our content is designed with teachers in mind. We work with a team of credentialed educators to create a one stop shop for teachers. You can find engaging videos, easy to implement lesson plans, and assessments all on our site. All of our content is aligned to the national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and can easily be adapted to other states' specific science standards too!
Environmental Context - We make difficult science topics easy to understand by explaining them in the context of the environment. Explaining abstract science concepts in a tangible context that students can see and relate to improves comprehension and is shown to raise test scores in multiple subjects.
Live Action - Our characters are real kids, not cartoons. Students from all backgrounds can relate to our characters, look up to them, and view them as role models. When students see our characters carrying out science investigations and taking environmental action, it empowers them to do the same.
Episodic - Smarty Pants webisodes feature a fun and engaging style that is truly our own. Our webisodes are story-driven with recurring characters to keep students hooked and wanting more. The characters embark on adventures that are realistic and relevant to students to show that everyone is capable of making a difference.