WNET's Digit is ready to make dads' day

When it comes to special days and celebrations set aside for marking the extraordinary contributions that parents make to the quality of family life, Mother’s Day typically gets the most love. Not that Father’s Day gets short shrift, exactly, but kids typically seem to be a little more challenged when it comes to finding ways to salute their dads.

So, leave it to an institution that specializes in kids to lend a hand. The Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton has figured out a unique way to help fathers and their little ones mark the occasion this Sunday. And while it might possibly flutter a bit in the breeze, it’s not another tie. 
“He’s a bird, he’s a plane … No, he’s a klutz—but a lovable klutz who’s a first class pal to the kids.” That’s the way the PBS Kids website describes the “Cyberchase” character Digit (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried), who will be flying over to Bridgehampton despite his fear of heights this Father’s Day.

The Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) will be partnering with New York public media provider, WNET.org on June 20 from 10 a.m. to noon for this special Father’s Day event. The celebration will derive its theme from “Cyberchase,” the Emmy Award-winning animated math series that airs nationally as part of PBS Kids Go! programming and will include a screening of the show.

The CMEE screening will be a preview of a new Father’s Day episode with a guest star voice appearance by award-winning film and stage actor Matthew Broderick, as Max, who will join the CyberSquad to stop their nemesis, Hacker (Christopher Lloyd) from ruining Father’s Day. The Father’s Day episode will be followed by an additional episode titled “Gone with the Fog” at 11:30 a.m.

In recognition of Father’s Day, all dads, grandfathers and significant dad-like figures will have free admission to this event.

Children and their families will have a chance to meet the bird-like cyborg and have their picture takend with him at CMEE and will also be invited to get interactive at several educational activity tables. “In addition to the screenings, there will be activities where kids can work on the same kinds of math puzzles that Inez, Jackie, Matt, and of course, Digit, engage in on the show,” according to Steve Long, the executive directorof the Children’s Museum.

One of the activities involves making a möbius strip, a looped piece of paper which ostensibly has only one surface or side and which has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. Another activity will have the kids put on their inventors’ hats as they make a Bunny Copter and then improve on what they have created, developing their own design.

As Sandra Shepherd, the director of children’s and educational programming at Thirteen and executive producer for the show pointed out, “We like to involve activities that the kids could do quickly, bring home and do again.”

As for any younger siblings, MoonSoup will present a “Rockin’ Guitar Concert and Disco Bubbles Party” for babies while the older children watch the “Cyberchase” screenings.

Mr. Broderick, who might show up at the museum on Father’s Day, decided to do this episode for his son, 6-year-old James Wilkie, who is a fan of the show. “My son loves ‘Cyberchase,’ so I was happy to lend my voice to the show,” he said. “The best part is that I haven’t told him I did it; I’m waiting to surprise him when we watch the episode together. I’m sure he’ll be more impressed by it than any other work I’ve done!”

In the Father’s Day episode, the town of Tikiville is celebrating its annual Father’s Day Parade. Max (Mr. Broderick), once a schoolmate and rival of the show’s central villain, Hacker, is being honored as this year’s Cyber Dad of the year. In order to get revenge on Max, Hacker substitutes a look-alike robot to replace Max and do awful things during the parade. Matt, Inez, Jackie and Digit of the Cybersquad must use number patterns to crack Hacker’s series of coded messages and save the day.

“We’re thrilled to have Matthew Broderick as a guest star in this special ‘Cyberchase’ episode,” said Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of WNET.org. “Only on ‘Cyberchase’ would Father’s Day mix with math for a half hour of pure entertainment. As a dad, it’s a series I’m proud to have in the WNET.org family of programs.”

According to its website, the show is reviewed by a panel of mathematicians, mathematics education researchers, and math teachers in order to check for accuracy, clarity and age-appropriateness. Research involving more than 1,500 girls and boys revealed that children learned from and enjoyed watching “Cyberchase.”

“The key mission is to send kids the message that math is everywhere and that everyone can be good at it,” Ms. Shepherd said.

“There is a natural link between the museum’s and WNET’s educational goals,” Mr. Long said. “Having WNET screen the special Father’s Day episode of Cyberchase at CMEE seemed like a perfect way for the museum to celebrate dads and their families that weekend.”

Both CMEE and WNET hope to continue the partnership in future events.

“Cyberchase” targets children age 8 to 12 and is now in its seventh season. It can be seen daily on WNET channel 13, at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. on Sunday. The show is also broadcast daily on WLIW channel 21.

The Children’s Museum of the East End is located at 376 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, and is open Monday and Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Tuesdays until June 30. General admission tickets are $7; children under age 1 admitted free. For further information, call 537-8250, or visit www.cmee.org.