As some of you may already know, STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It pervades every part of our lives. Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives. Engineering is the basic design of roads and bridges, and also tackles the challenges of changing global weather. Mathematics is in every occupation and every activity we do in our lives.
Malaysia is also looking to implement STEM at every level of education, starting from pre-school to undergraduate level. It is more than just bringing up next-generation engineers and scientists, STEM-based education teaches children concepts that can be applied in the real world. Hands-on learning will then aid the development of a variety of skill sets useful for Industrial Revolution 4.0 that is coming at an escalated rate due to the recent worldwide lockdown.
But wait!
STEM is not just a subject in school. Interest in STEM can be cultivated at home.
If you are a parent looking for valuable content on television screens for your children, we must introduce you to a superhero duo that is on Astro On Demand right now!
Say ‘Hello’ to Mechamato
The newest cartoon series in town, Mechamato is about a kind and creative boy named Amato.
The series begins with him finding a prison spaceship housing many evil robots. One of them is MechaBot, who possesses the ability to mechanise everyday objects into high tech devices. Amato outsmarts MechaBot and becomes his master. Both Amato and MechaBot bond and their friendship continue to grow throughout the series. They team up in the form of a superhero team named Mechamato (a combination of both their names) to locate and capture the evil robots that had escaped the fallen spacecraft.
It is entertaining, educational and fun for the whole family. You can spend quality time together, watching and discussing the episodes and the kind of items MechaBot mechanises into with your child.
They’ll Be Exposed to Innovation
Some parents think watching cartoon television shows is a sheer wastage of time. While ballet classes, piano lessons, and tuition are great, cartoons do play a role in boosting their IQ too.
You see, children long to be entertained. They want to experience fun and laughter. Therefore, when you merge education and entertainment (what some call edutainment), it will peak a child’s attention, causing them to develop an interest in the subject talked about in the cartoon.
Amato is a boy who thinks out of the box. And when he does, he instructs Mechabot to mechanise daily items into a tool that can defeat evil robots.
Because Mechamato solves daily problems through STEM, it can strengthen their basic STEM knowledge, encouraging them to be creative and innovative.
Early STEM exposure
According to research done by the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE), it suggests that exposing pre-kindergarten students to STEM can offer a ‘critical foundation for learning about these disciplines in ways that facilitate later learning’.
These foundations can continue to be built until they are about ten years old.
It is also important to note that STEM education is not limited to building science and math knowledge. At its core, the concepts in STEM help children develop new ways of thinking, encouraging curiosity and analysis.
When these thinking routes are established at an early age, when their minds are most malleable, they pick up lifelong thinking skills. Robotics, as seen in Mechamato, involves programming and electronics. Hence, it is an integral part of STEM, acting as an embodiment of DIY and problem-based learning.
Cultivate an Interest in Machinery
If children can be interested in dinosaurs and unicorns that do not exist, children can most definitely be cultivated to be interested in items that are tangible – like machines!
Give them the simplest of machines, like a pair of scissors (yes, it is a compound simple machine), and they will find nothing exciting about it. However, when it is animated and created by a robot, suddenly, your child sees it from a different light!
In Mechamato, the use of machines is crafted in a way that links fiction to reality. When that happens, it can encourage them to go down the path where their interest in STEM can grow. And maybe, just maybe, they may be a future mechanical engineer or mechanical scientist.
Catch Mechamato on Cartoon Network!
During these school holidays, be aware of what you allow your children to watch. You can limit their television time, but it is also important to ensure the cartoons they watch enrich their life.
Mechamato is the latest and best series to watch at home this school holidays.
There are new episodes weekly on Cartoon Network (Astro Ch 615 HD) or stream On Demand. It is loaded with action and comedy and has premiered in Malaysian and other Asian countries on December 4.
Want to get your children to watch Mechamato?
Mechamato is now available in the Kids Pack. For more information, kindly WhatsApp 03-9543 3838 or visit Astro’s official website.
PS According to Fandom, after the release of BoBoiBoy Movie 2, there are indications that Amato is actually the father of BoBoiBoy in post-credit before being officially stated by Nizam Razak.
Gasp!
So… if your child likes BoBoiBoy, this is MORE reason to watch!
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