For a lot of kids (and adults!) science can seem hard and inaccessible. But if you ask scientist Emily Calandrelli, science is for everyone, especially kids. A former MIT engineer, Emily has made teaching kids about science her life's work. And now she's moving it out of the classroom and onto our TVs. She has new show coming to Netflix, Emily's Wonder Lab, and Moms.com has an exclusive first view of the trailer.
In the trailer, we see Emily and her pint sized scientists do some really cool experiments like walking on eggs, or creating a tornado in a bottle. It shows kids that science can be bright, colorful and most importantly, fun. The catchphrase Emily and her assistants recite is "stay curious and keep exploring," which is a perfect way to encourage kids to learn more about the world around them.
We got to chat with Emily about what made her get into science and how she encourages kids to take an interest in science.
Moms.com: How did Emily's Wonder Lab come to be? Did Netflix approach you, or did you approach them?
Emily Calandrelli: I had an idea with a producer, friend of mine, we wanted to do a children's show about science. A lot of times the feedback we got was that it was just it was too sciencey. I think that kids today need more science than ever before. But then we went to Netflix, they very much embraced the science that we had to offer. They were like, let's do a show where you are doing science experiments with kids. So we've kind of developed this idea together.
MC: And you have four science degree?
EC: I have two degrees in undergrad, one Bachelors of Science in mechanical engineering, one and aerospace engineering from West Virginia University. And then I went to MIT for a master's in aeronautics and astronautics engineering and then a second Master's in something called technology and policy.
MC: So besides Emily's Wonder Lab, how do you apply what you studied to what you do now?
EC: Today, I'm a science communicator, which means that I communicate very complicated and complex science concepts to a general audience. I do that on many different platforms, so I'm on TV (she was nominated for three Emmys for her work with Bill Nye,) and I'm on YouTube and TikTok. And I have children's books. Basically, my goal is just to find creative ways to get kids and students excited about science.
MC: In the trailer for Emily's Wonder Lab, we get little sneak peeks of some of the experiments. Can you give us a little more on what we'll see on the show?
EC: So this show has been a dream for me because I've been doing science experiments with kids from the comfort of my home, but I just need all of that science larger than life. So we have a pool filled with slime. For all the kids on the show that is their dream have an entire pool filled with slime. And we had a pool filled with oobleck, which is very cool. We have things that explode things that fly things that glow in the dark. It's just my dream come true.
MC: That sounds amazing! What were some of your favorite projects?
EC: Anytime I create something that's going to either explode or something that is larger than life that I can never get at home. So it's probably the pool filled with oobleck, because that's something I've always wanted to do. The fact that Netflix allowed us to do that was something that I could just have only imagined in my dreams.
MC: Why is teaching kids about science and creating a show like this important to you?
EC: I think the society that we live in, in general is just becoming more technologically advanced. And that technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, right, that in order for us to keep up, we need the next generation to be more scientifically literate than we were. For me me personally, providing representation to younger girls. When I was growing up, I didn't have a lot of female role models and science to look up to. And that's hard. It's just hard to not be able to see yourself in this field that you find interesting. And so being able to provide that representation to younger kids today is really, really meaningful for me. Especially now that I have a daughter. (Calandrelli filmed Emily's Wonder Lab while approximately eight months pregnant.)
MC: Since we're heading to back to school, what are some ways us parents can encourage our kids to take an interest in science?
EC: I think that we should encourage failure and encourage curiosity and just allow it to be fun. Science is more than just memorizing things in a textbook. It's about learning the language of nature and understanding how the world works around us. At the end of each episode, there is a at home experiment that you can do with stuff that you probably already have at home.
Emily's Wonder Lab drops on Netflix on Tuesday, August 25th.