From classroom project to national spotlight, “Doodles & Digits” set for Public Television debut
Miami alumna's dream to make math colorful and fun becomes a national and global phenomenon
From classroom project to national spotlight, “Doodles & Digits” set for Public Television debut
Update: The official release date for Doodles & Digits is set for April 27, 2024. Find it on pbs.org and public television stations across the country. This summer it will also be featured on pbslearningmedia.org along with free learning resources for teachers, parents, and students.
This is the story of a classroom project that found its way onto the world’s stage.
Because this spring, Doodles & Digits, the popular web series about making math visual and fun, will make its national debut on public television stations across the country. And on YouTube, it’s also gained a global following by engaging children, parents, and educators almost everywhere.
“It's kind of insane,” said Miami alumna Caroline Farkas ’14, Doodles & Digits founder, host, and former fourth grade math teacher. “I never imagined that when I was in the classroom in front of like 20 students, that I'd be creating something that 54 countries a month are viewing. It’s really surreal to think that my dream of having better videos for kids has come this far just in a few years.”
Doodles & Digits features short videos that cover a variety of key math concepts using vibrant visuals, fun animations, and relatable real world examples. Topics range from hands-on math activities, practice math problems, explanations of basic math skills, and examples of mathematical models that align with Common Core Standards.
The upcoming Public Television show, soon to be distributed by the National Education Telecommunication Association (NETA), will expand on this format by going behind the scenes in different communities to see how different people and professionals use math in their daily lives.
“We've interviewed a dentist, a physical therapist, and a structural engineer,” Farkas said. “We went behind the scenes of a chocolate factory, and we're trying to show elementary students the real life applications of what they're learning in math. Because I always told my students that what they learned they will actually use.”
So think Bill Nye the Science Guy, but for math, which is something that surprisingly hasn’t existed. Until now.
Farkas originally had the idea during the pandemic lockdown. After remote and hybrid virtual learning became common, she searched for videos that could be used in her fourth grade math class but struggled to find anything useful or relevant – or at least anything that was also fun and engaging.
“There was stuff for science,” she said, “and there was stuff for language and arts. But for math, it was like a dead zone. There was nothing.”
So in 2021, Doodles & Digits was born, and to very humble beginnings.
At first, Farkas worked alone, teaching herself character animation and basic video editing. But what began with just an iPhone, a tripod, and a single lapel mic now requires the talents and efforts of entire production teams and art directors.
The first season of Doodles & Digits on Public Television will air on April 27, 2024 on pbs.org and public television stations across the country. This summer it will also be featured on pbslearningmedia.org along with free learning resources for teachers, parents, and students.
And NETA has already expressed interest in a second season, which will also begin filing this summer. It will include 13 episodes, “and that will be a much bigger undertaking,” said Farkas.
“The public television show is really big and exciting,” she said. “That's going to be the future for us. My goal in the next 10 years is for Doodles & Digits to become a household name. Because clearly there's a need for this in the classroom and at home, and I'm so excited to see how we can grow and make a larger impact on the world.”
