The Jim Henson Company partnered with PBS to produce Sid the Science Kid. Sid has a big personality and bigger questions. In each episode, he asks a compelling Why? — Why are my shoes shrinking? Why do bananas go bad?
Henson wanted a site that would keep pace with the show’s punchy delivery and curriculum.
What I did
To nail down a content plan, I followed three trails.
The script. I internalized scripts to understand the show’s format, settings, and characters. The deep dive made it possible to envision an experiential interface.
The audience. Designed for pre-readers, I wanted to drop kids directly into the action. On site open, there is no generic “Choose a game” prompt. Instead, Sid exclaims, “You’re here! Let’s play!” Then a random event (hide-and-seek, a scavenger hunt, a butterfly chase) launches. Instant immersion.
The secondary audience. I wanted parents to co-own the curriculum. So I authored offline activities to extend each game. Gabriela’s Balancing Act is linked to an offline scavenger hunt for household levers.
The strategy was noted.
From the very moment the front page loads, there are digital doors to open, and intelligent audio commentary from the characters that encourages kids to click around, explore, and delve deeper into the site.” —Fran Wilde, Parents’ Choice
Site architecture
Games are arranged in familiar show locales: home, playground, and school. This way:
Kids would feel like they had an all-access pass to Sid’s world
All show characters could be featured
This wireframe of the home page shows the playground structure: a key show prop. On site open, characters swing open the structure’s doors to tell a joke or initiate a game of hide-and-seek.
Kids could tap Sid’s red shoes to walk around the playground. We planted collectibles (bugs, coins, leaves, etc.) for kids to pick up and examine. New objects were planted per visit.
Mystery Lunchbox
Sid finds a lunchbox and tries to figure out whose it is. The science is the punchline: “The mold is eating the sandwich! This lunchbox must belong to the mold.”
While simple in design, the activity was alluringly gross and scientifically spot-on. The commentary is pure Sid. But it’s not throwaway. He doesn’t describe the sandwich as ‘icky.’ Instead, he describes the visible properties of the sandwich — like a scientist.
Day 1: The cucumbers are wrinkly.
Day 5: The sandwich has little black dots on it. Like pepper!
Day 15: The sandwich is 2 weeks old. And it already has more hair than baby Zeke!
Balancing Act
There’s a lever suspended from the playground tree. The goal of the game is to add or remove objects from the lever to balance it.
As the ‘weights’ are alive (birds and cocoons), the lever constantly shifts. This makes the game unpredictable and replayable.
The game folds in physical and life sciences. A butterfly might hatch from a suspended cocoon (d1-d8), lightening one side of the lever. A bird might eat seed, lightening the feeder.
This wireframe shows a key for object types and snap-to positions. Each object (a1, b1, etc.) has an associated tip value.
Results
FableVision’s work on Sid the Science Kid is over the moon. I would venture to say it’s the best website for preschoolers out there!” —Halle Stanford, SVP Children’s Entertainment, The Jim Henson Company
KidScreen Best Companion Website
Parents’ Choice Award
The educational tools, disguised as well-thought-out, age-appropriate games, are impressive, interesting, and beautifully rendered. Sid the Science Kid is a ‘must-do’ for families with kids aged 4-6.” —Fran Wilde, Parents’ Choice
