Ada Twist, Scientist
By Ashley Moulton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun series sparks preschoolers' interest in science.
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Ada Twist, Scientist
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What's the Story?
Ada Twist, Scientist expands the world of the popular book series by Andrea Beatty, featuring friends Ada Twist, Rosie Revere, and Iggy Peck as they use science to solve problems. Ada Twist (Amanda Christine) is a super-curious kid who lives with her supportive family: Mom Twist (Susan Kelechi Watson), Dad Twist (Taye Diggs), and her big brother Arthur Twist (Terrence Little Gardenhigh). Ada always has a different problem she needs to solve, like figuring out her Dad's secret cake recipe or bringing Iggy's garden back to life. She leads her friends through the scientific method and they sing songs about science concepts like brainstorms and hypotheses. Iggy contributes his architect skills and draws up plans for contraptions, and Rosie uses her engineering skills to build their gadgets. Together, they use science to figure out a way to save the day.
Is It Any Good?
As you would expect from something from the creative minds of Chris Nee (Doc McStuffins, We the People) and the Obamas' Higher Ground production company, there's a lot to like about this show. Ada Twist, Scientist transforms the popular book into a 3-D world, and fleshes out the charming characters and their personalities. By approaching relatable preschool problems through the scientific method, Ada Twist helps to make nebulous STEM concepts concrete for young kids. Every episode also features video field trips with real-life scientists related to the theme. After Ada, Iggy, and Rosie learn about the science of baking, a real-life chef explains the science of baking powder; after they build a machine to take care of plants, a robotics engineer shares his plant care robot. Preschoolers will enjoy this fun series, and learn a ton along the way. Grown-ups be warned: Don't be surprised if your tiny scientists start building contraptions or performing messy experiments like their on-screen examples. But who knows? They might make some great discoveries along the way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Ada, Rosie, and Iggy talk about how failing and being wrong is part of being a good scientist. Did you know that scientists have to persevere, or try something over and over again, to figure out the answer to a question?
Ada and her friends are super curious. Once they're curious about something, how do they figure out the answer? (They brainstorm, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and find a solution.)
What did you learn from the real-life scientists in the show? How do they use science in their jobs? Would you like to have a job like that some day?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 28, 2021
- Cast: Amanda Christine , Taye Diggs , Susan Kelechi Watson
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: STEM , Book Characters , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , Science and Nature
- Character Strengths: Curiosity , Perseverance
- TV rating: TV-Y
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: July 24, 2023
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