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You’re invited to a PBS Kids STEM Twitter party 1/19 at 9 p.m. EST for which I’m a panelist. If you join us, you’ll learn about an innovative opportunity for children to design their own video games through PBS Kids, PBS Kids Stream, and the National STEM Video Game Challenge.

(*STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, & math.)

A 2009 report from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children’s Learning and Health, found that video games can be used to learn content, STEM skills and systems thinking. Making these games only adds to the critical thinking opportunities for students!

Before I give you all the details, let me briefly explain what a Twitter Party is. A Twitter party is a conversation on Twitter using a hashtag (a hashtag is #) about a particular topic, usually with tons of prizes, people from all over the world, and lots of information.

Who: Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome, especially teachers and parents of middle and high school kids. (Learn how to make a Twitter account here.)

What: You’ll find out more information on the PBS Kids STEM Video Game Challenge! This awesome contest for video game lovers is open to middle school, high school, and college students as well a teacher / student team category, and is part of the PBS Kids Stream. PBS Kids Lab explains, “Making games helps develop critical STEM skills, including problem solving and digital media literacies.“

Learn more about the video game requirements, support, Gamestar Mechanic, and prizes during the Twitter party and behind-the-scenes secrets from video game creators. Find out their processes, starting from brainstorming to design  to launching their games.

Prizes: a Kindle Touch ($99 value,) two $25 gift cards to iTunes and two PBS Kids Prize packs with tote bag, t-shirt, DVD, book, and stickers

How to Participate:

RSVP to the party to be eligible for prizes.

Join the party at 9 p.m. EST 1/19 by signing into Twitter first. Then, go to either Tweetgrid or Tweetchat and follow the prompts to join the party. Enter the hashtag #PBSKidsSC. Once you do, and are signed in, you will see all the tweets in the world using that hashtag AND your tweets will automatically include the hashtag.

Follow PBS Kids on Twitter.
Follow PBS Teachers on Twitter.
Follow STEM Challenge on Twitter.
Follow Imagination Soup on Twitter. 

Subscribe to Imagination Soup by email and get a FREE eBook with Pretend Play ideas.

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