Fetch!
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FETCH! is a PBS show that features real kids, real challenges, real science, an animated host named Ruff Ruffman, and a cast of six "tweenage" contestants. Funded in large part by the National Science Foundation, the Emmy Award–winning series features kids as they pursue questions, conduct experiments, and actively investigate the world around them.
Targeting 6- to 10-year olds, the show airs 1,663 times on 311 stations in an average week, reaching about 3.5 million viewers. There are an equal number of girls and boys watching the show, and 43% of the viewers are African American or Hispanic, compared with 28% of the general population. FETCH! is among the highest-rated children's series on PBS KIDS among kids 6–11, and it outperforms all children's programs airing on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TLC, Toon Disney, Nicktoons, and Noggin among this age group. Episodes are also available through iTunes, Google, Amazon and the FETCH! website.
Kids don’t just watch FETCH!, they engage with it. Goodman Research Group, Inc. (GRG) found that two-thirds of kids watching FETCH! played along with the Half Time Quiz show, and two-thirds said they would like to try the featured science activity on their own. GRG also found that among 5,000 children who responded to a web survey (75.1% were girls), nearly 1 in 3 had tried to do a FETCH! challenge that they had seen on TV, and about 1 in 5 had made up new challenges for themselves and their friends after watching FETCH!. In its summative evaluation of the series, GRG reported that watching FETCH! was effective at increasing children’s understanding of science concepts. Furthermore, after watching FETCH!, children could better recognize several science and engineering design process skills (including making a hypothesis, brainstorming ideas, and writing down what happens).
In addition, the series also has an extensive outreach initiative, designed to extend the impact of FETCH!'s science themes and to give viewers a chance to play along with the show—even after the TV is turned off. Each day 18,000 kids log on to explore the FETCH! website. Thus far, 909,000 kids have registered for FETCH!'s G Team, a log-in feature that enables kids to accrue points toward downloadable prizes by playing games on the website.
At afterschool clubs, museums, and libraries, an estimated 680,000 kids participate in FETCH! hands-on science activities, found in the Parents and Teachers section of the website. In its summative evaluation of Season I outreach materials, American Institutes for Research (AIR) reported that children exposed to hands-on FETCH! activities showed significantly greater gains in science content knowledge and process skills than children in a control group. In addition, AIR reported that children said they were having fun because they were learning, and learning because it was fun; 91% of kids said they liked or loved the activities. This is especially important because 71% of the children reported that they never or only sometimes do activities like these in school.
FETCH! is a multi-disciplinary project, with half of each show devoted to science and engineering, and the other half focused on arts, sports, and music. This approach is one of the series' greatest assets. It attracts children with many different interests, thus FETCH! is designed to awaken a curiosity about science and math that might otherwise remain dormant.
This Spotlight appeared in briefCAISE, December 2008, Issue 4.
Additional Resources
- Visit the FETCH! website.
- Check out this video clip.
- Download evaluation reports of FETCH! on InformalScience.org.
Photo Credits
- Ruff Ruffman, What gives bridge: TM/© 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
- Jay and Noel, Dog of the Rings: TM/© 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation.
Acknowledgment
This FETCH! material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0714741. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.