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 This web page is a synopsis and proposal for a children's educational animated series I'd like to have developed called The Adventures of Neutrina Li. It is a humorous and educational TV animated series set at a tiny middle school or elementary school in a coastal deciduous town. In each episode, Neutrina, a precociously intelligent young female protagonist who is a math and science genius solves people’s problems and gets others interested in math and science through her own curiosity. The show is aimed at children of any background, particularly young girls, and the primary aim is to educate them about math and science and ultimatley to inspire them to aspire to work in the hard sciences in adulthood.

The show will heavily involve licensing opportunities and an interactive website for children to be further involved with the show's characters and teachings.

Please leave your comments on the bottom, it is you who will make this show...

Primary settings: The children’s school, the Li family’s house, library, and various one-time settings like field trips.

 

- What the show will teach kids
- The charachters
- Ongoing themes and schemeta
- Episode and vignette ideas
- Some questions for development

 

What The Adventures of Neutrina Li! will teach kids:

Show will teach any and more of the following subjects:

-Geology
-Physics
-Math: basic, algebra, trig, and even calc.
-Chemistry
-Computer science
-Cosmology
-Science of art and illusion (physics)
-Astronomy
-Meteorology
-Botany
-Biology
-Zoology
-Anatomy
-Architecture & Egineering
  Each episode will teach comprehensive, actual math and science facts and theory throughout each one based around the plot, vignettes, and tutorials the characters will view throughout the show  (see above subject list) and also....
  • How to cooperate
  • How to research and especially to use the Internet properly (The adults will often teach)
  • To be logical and analytical
  • To be curious (Demonstrated by Neutrina and the adults and Teddy, and even Carly)
  • To be resourceful (Neutrina will often demonstrate)
  • To aspire to study math and science
  • That both sexes and all races can excel at science
  • To respect nature, e.g., treat plants and animals with respect, that weather and natural disasters can be dangerous and things like how and why the sun can damage your eyes and skin etc. Those things will not be taught in a fear inducing way, but a lighthearted one.
  • That science is an on going process always searching for empirical truths and repeated experimentation-and our philosophy is that this is the best way to understand life and the world we live in. Back to Top

 

The Characters:

Neutrina:

  • Age 11, 12, 13, 14?neutrina
  • Bi racial, half Asian half black?
  • Her and her brother adopted? (Prob not)
  • Pretty but not too pretty, wears glasses to read
  • Popular but quirky
  • Precociously intelligent
  • Energetic, social, extroverted
  • Extremely curious/fearless (e.g. fascinated by a spider walking across her arm)
  • Often rambles in denial when she dosen't know the answer to something.
  • Obsessive at times (per suggestion of member here)
  • Believes in scientific method, logic and reason above myth
  • Respectful of people, nature and animal life
  • Interested and curious about all things-including the arts from a scientific perspective.
  • Embracing of technology and the internet/mobile web
  • Avid reader
  • Uses the phrase “cool deal” alot
  • She plays instrument, maybe clarinet or saxophone-interested in the science of it
  • She paints-Interested in the science of that as well
  • She absolutely loves puzzlesMs. Bonwell

 

Ms. Bonwell (teacher) either a gen. science teacher, or a chemistry teacher:

  • Encouraging
  • Serious and analytical
  • A voice of reason type
  • Tenacious
  • Intelligent
  • Can doubt students when they knew something she didn't know

Teddy (Neturina’s 2 year younger baby brother):

  • Also likes math and science, but is prone to more child like ideologies Neutrina often corrects
  • Respects Neutrina
  • Messy and a bit of a comic foil

Carly (Neutrina’s best friend):

  • Possess many of the problems that Neutrina ends up solving that become either vignettes or entire plots
  • Asian?
  • Neutral Personality
  • Often argues with Neutrina, but very loyal to her none the less

Bruno (intelligent but overbearing arrogant/ignorant “bully”):

  • Often argues points blindly-like that so and so adult told him something so it’s therefore true.
  • Almost always challenges Neutrina, in multiple ways-that she’s wrong, that girls can’t do such and such etc.
  • Occasionally in some episodes, maybe once per episode, he comes around and agrees with her when proved wrong
  • Have him be attracted to her deep down?
Principal Hernandez:
  • LatinoMr. Li
  • Unassuming
  • Fawns over the kids, a sucker for them
  • Often will facilitate science related things at Neutrina’s suggestion

Mr. Li (Neutrina’s dad):

  • Asian or half Asian, wears glasses
  • Extremely cerebral, but in a fun way for the kids
  • Research Scientist? Engineer? Professor?
  • A little quirky, clearly energetic and enthusiastic
  • Visits Neutrina’s class to teach kids in a few episodes

Mrs. Li (Neutrina’s Mother):Mrs. Li

Half black or Hispanic, the rest white
  • Strong personality/No nonsense
  • A professor, scientist, or engineer?
  • very hard on Neutrina , usually more for Teddy than Neutrina
  • Also visits Neutrina’s class to teach in a few episodes

An antagonistic teacher? More peers?

A class parrot that can talk? (Question-keep show reality based or no? Probably reality based is best)

A class robot (I like this) Question-would it be an anthropomorphic robot above what currently exists, or would the show reflect this realistically?

(Create more students and at least one more teacher) Back to Top

 

The Adventures of Neutrina Li! on going themes and schemata:
  • Neutrina solving people’s problems using science
  • Neutrina debunking myth and superstition/misnomers
  • Neutrina looking for a quick answer on the Internet or mobile web and then the audience viewer getting to be privy to her learning tutorials. This aspect of the show will emulate Blue’s clues model of asking questions and giving the child viewer real time to answer and participate with the show, something that has been proven to increase teaching efficacy in children’s television programs.
  • The kids taking field trips to science related places with principal Hernandez and Ms. Bonwell
  • Neutrina’s parents-Mr. and Mrs. Li visiting the class to teach about science related to what they do for a living to inspire kids to work in science as adults and about the wonder of science in general and it’s ability to guide people though life as a kind of productive dogma.
  • Neutrina discovering something interesting and being intrigued by it which then sets off the plot or chain of interesting vignettes
  • That some questions, like about make up of the universe maybe can’t be answered
  • Show wrap-ups? And a final joke Back to Top

 

The Adventures of Neutrina Li! Episode and Vignette ideas:
  • Either Neutrina or one of the adults explaining that safely walking over hot coals is not actually “mind over matter”–a myth-but rather has to do with dehydrated wood’s poor heat conductivity. Explain about conduction and convection of heat in this one
  • How planes actually fly (not the Bernoulli effect as most people think)
  • Explode myth about the Coriolis effect and flushing toilets backwards in the southern hemisphere, that this is not actually true
  • Mixing acids and bases
  • The Drake Equation to help kids understand if were alone on the universe
  • That the probability of multiple coin flips is independent, to teach kids logic and about coincidence and likelihood of events
  • How to make an electromagnet-maybe because something needs to be fished out of the sewer or a crevice
  • An aquarium episode
  • A science museum episode
  • An entire episode dedicated to the Internet, using it properly for research and to benefit one’s life in a useful way
  • Field trip to a med lab (maybe Neutrina’s mom works there?)
  • Field trip to building site
  • Field trip to physics research lab, maybe Neutrina’s dad works there
  • Field trip to Computer manufacturing plant (satirize Apple)
  • Field trip to a green house/botany, or bio-fuel lab
  • Training a dog using operant conditioning and teach about variables too.
  • The scientific method
  • Lab safety
  • That the first ever computer bug was literally a moth stuck in one of the tubes
  • Cell division
  • Kinetic and potential energy
  • Dinosaurs
  • Perpetual motion and ands impossibility/Newton’s laws, his alleged leaning tower of Pisa experiment.
  • Photosynthesis
  • The chemistry of cooking and baking
  • Physics of flying paper airplanes/ heat conductivity of black top etc.
  • Sound and light waves, energy
  • Interesting anatomy facts
  • Proteins and amino acids
  • DNA/structure of life
  • Darwin/evolution?
  • Reproduction?
  • Science of religion?
  • The concept of infinity, a Mobius loop
  • Binary Code
  • PI
  • Shapes and figures, some lesser known ones like sigmoid and dodecahedron
  • How to use a microscope
  • How earthquakes happen/tectonic plates/volcanoes
  • Weather: condensation, dew point, humidity, cells, thunderstorms, hail, freezing, evaporation, wind, tides etc.
  • Brain teasers, puzzles and mental exercises (Neutrina will typically solve first, especially with outside the box thinking on lateral thinking puzzles. People like teddy will interpret the puzzle more literally, but she’ll be quiet and thinking hard and then come to answer in a eureka moment.
  • About SETI
  • Beekeeping and ant farms and maybe a field trip to a been den
  • Periodic table of elements
  • Science of art like color theory for example, and perceptions and illusions,
  • Science of music like waves, timber, dissonance, frequency, and harmony. Back to Top
Important questions for developing The Adventures of Neutrina Li!
  • What is the existing market, is there anything closer to this than the magic school bus?
  • What ages aimed at?
  • Where find animators, producer, and education consultants to guide show’s writing and production?
  • Who advertise?
  • What network? PBS?
  • What time?
  • How long? 22mins? 30?
  • What on website? Interactive?
  • What’s the most effective teaching tool?
  • Are topics like science of religion, evolution, and human reproduction too risqué? What else might be controversial or taboo?
  • What type of unique character styles and jargon will appeal to the demo so the show is not perceived as campy or any other kind of turnoff?
  • How advanced math and science can be taught?
  • Will Neutrina being too smart disappoint kids in themselves by comparison or inspire them?
  • How many total characters are ideal/can children viewers keep track of?
  • What will be the set schemata for the show (see list)
  • Settings?
  • Should ask for funding on kickstarter?
  • Characters? (see list)
  • Where find voice actors and how should their voices sound, especially Neturina’s?

Back to Top

If you have any suggestions or questions for the show-it could literally be about anything-please leave a comment below or e-mail me directly.

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Brad Hines photo picture imageAbout the creator: Brad Hines is the president of YumDomains.com, and the founder of HungryKids.org. He is a digital marketing and social media strategist. A writer as well, he typically writes about internet, business, and science trends. He can be followed on Twitter: @BradHines

 

 

     

     

 

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