As a children's librarian at the Woonsocket Harris Public Library I have known Kim Bent and Catch the Science Bug Foundation for a very long time. One photo attached is from this year. The other is about 10 years old. Catch the Science Bug has provided science education programs to our library for nearly 18 years. In 2018, Catch the Science Bug was our grant supporter for a program, Explore Earth: Our Changing Planet is a traveling exhibition for libraries. Explore Earth is part of the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) led by the National Center for Interactive learning at the Space Science Institute. Exhibit partners include the American Library Association, The Lunar and Planetary Institute, and Afterschool Alliance. Explore earth is supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation. We look forward to continuing our STEAM library program with Catch the Science Bug for years to come.
Chris Wallace Goldstein
Chief of Children's and Youth Services Librarian
Woonsocket Harris Public Library
303 Clinton Street
Woonsocket RI 02895
401-769-9044 x2
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My name is Chris Wallace Goldstein. I am the Chief of Children Services for the Woonsocket Harris Public Library. I have known Kim Bent of Catch the Science Bug for nearly 10 years. Catch the Science bug has performed numerous styles of science programs for school age children including Tap Water, Water Cycle, Science Smorgasbord, What Floats Your Boat? Kim Bent is one of my favorite educators to invite back year after year. Why? Because she is entertaining not only for children but their parents as well. Kim is energetic and informative and knows the importance of hands-on experiments. She can handle a crowd of 100 kids or more just as easily as 20. As an educator for many years, she can easily gage the knowledge level of the audience of the day and adapt her program accordingly. Catch the Science bus educates us all on the wonders of science. The Woonsocket Harris Public Library has already put her on the schedule for 2018 programming as part of a unique grant and traveling exhibit August- October 2018. The grant through the American Library Association is called STAR_Net Explore Earth: Our Changing Planet. Catch the Science Bug is one of our agency partners for this grant. More information about this grant including the schedule of when it will be at our library is available at http://www.ala.org/tools/programming/STARNet-Explore
Ms. Kim and Catch The Science Bug continually went above and beyond to provide my after-school program with engaging science curriculum. I'm the site coordinator of a small after-school program serving 13 at-risk students in an urban area. Science is in our schedule weekly, but to be honest, funding, staffing, time, and resources are always spread pretty thin in our field. These things can make it difficult to provide new and engaging lessons on a consistent basis, but luckily, Catch The Science Bug helped our program overcome this.
Whenever Kim came to the program, I could count on an engaging, hands-on lesson to be presented. Catch The Science Bug had different focuses every year, but every focus kept the attention of all my kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. The lessons presented science as dynamic and engaging, which can be difficult to do with my group of kids after an extended school day. She provided these lessons that were highlights of our academic year, but beyond that, she also gave our program numerous resources to use when she wasn't there. She was always accessible for any extra help I needed, and when at the program, she was happy to do anything that might help the program and lessons run smoothly. For all these reasons and more, I give Catch The Science Bug my highest recommendation.
Rainbow Child Development Center's 2016 "Commit To Be Fit Program" in Worcester, MA was a comprehensive fitness, health and science program that combined varied interactive and engaging exercises, workouts, heart focused breathing techniques, nutrition lessons, and garden soil testing to over 100 low income at-risk children ranging in age from 5 years old up to 13 years old. The eight month program, designed, implemented and executed by Catch the Science Bug provided students the opportunity to increase their: physical fitness, nutrition, ability to handle stress, and knowledge of soil components effect on producing healthy vegetables. In each lesson students learned how to strengthen their muscles and endurance. The varied topics and exercises resulted in students discovering their passion for fitness and how to build a lifelong foundation to a healthy lifestyle. Students learned the importance of water and proper nutrition to help support their exercises with proper fuel for their bodies. The goals and outcomes of the "Commit To Be Fit" program included providing at-risk students the skills and knowledge needed to make lasting healthy lifestyle changes! The objective pre and post data assessments and student evaluations clearly verify that this program will have a positive impact on children and their families for years to come!
Catch the Science Bug is a great addition to my science classroom. It is fun and engaging, yet still hands-on and an investigative approach. Kim's enthusiasm for science is contagious. She takes the students on a real-world application of the scientific method- having them explore their own focus question, formulating their own procedures, exploring the need for variables and controls, and analyzing their data. Through the years, we've had Kim, The 'Science Bug Lady', into our classrooms for several different lessons, and the students have thoroughly enjoyed each one.
The Catch the Science Bug Foundation inspires children to love and learn about science. Educator Kim Bent has given many programs here at our Library on raising awareness of taking care of our planet and to educate future Scientists and Engineers! The programs encourage and help children understand science literacy, raise environmental consciousness, increase awareness of scientists and the type of jobs that they do and increase participation in the math and sciences. Many of our children have "caught the Science Bug" as a result of these outstanding programs!
My kids LOVE Catch the Science Bug's video series and website activities. Although my children are five years apart, they both enjoy the shows and absorb memorable lessons. From pumpkins to salamanders to cardboard boat races, there is something for everyone. We look forward to more!
Catch the Science Bug takes an innovative approach to teaching science to tomorrows STEM employees.
By letting children discover their love of science, students learn useful tools on designing experiments, trial and error, and the importance of data collection and analysis.
Catch the Science Bug makes science accessible to all students while keeping learning fun!
I would highly recommend this program for anyone who wants children to feel encouraged to engage in STEM education.
Catch the Science Bug has come to all 3 of the programs I have worked for. Kim exceeds expectations while working with the children and planning curriculum that coordinates with the theme the classroom is currently working on. Her activities are age appropriate for the age she is working with and she is always well prepared. I highly recommend Kim and Catch the Science Bug.
After many years of having the Science Bug, Kim Bent, come to challenge our second grade students to think bigger and deeper about science topics such as buoyancy, the water cycle and weather, we look forward to having her back. The students are thoroughly engaged in the information she shares and the great hands on activities to solidify the concepts being taught. One of our students' favorites is 'Don't Sink Your Boat' where students get a chance to design a boat out of foil to see how many marbles they can add before it sinks. They get many chances to redesign their boats and have conversations with their peers about what works and what sinks! This is a wonderful program.
Kim is always prepared , adapts her lessons to fit the audience , in our case kids with ASD, and makes science fun and accessible. We've had Kim present to our families multiple times and she never disappoints. She engages with every child in the room without resorting to talking down to children. Her presentations are informative and fun.
Kim presented the "Dinosaur Dig" program at our library this past summer. I was very impressed with her upbeat personality and energy and enthusiasm for the subject and for helping kids discover more about dinosaurs in a fun, engaging and hands-on way. The kids and families who attended all had a wonderful time. I highly recommend Kim and the Catch the Science Bug programming for anyone needing to book a fun and engaging program for kids.
Catch the Science Bug joined us for a Wind Turbine Engineering program. Program kept the children engaged and everyone there enjoyed it! Kim made the effort to learn everyone's name in a short period of time which was great to see. She was enthusiastic and the children learned a lot from her.
Kim of Catch the Science Bug has presented at Summit Montessori in the past and our students and faculty are always thrilled to see her come. Her programs are engaging and the children love learning and working hands on with her.
My 8 year old son and I attended a birthday party where the Catch The Science Bug attended...She was absolutely amazing, she was able to hold the attention of more than 15 7-8 year old boys for more than 1 1/2 hours..And the boys loved it...They were having so much fun with all the fun ways she had them doing experiments they didn't even know they were learning..As she was getting ready to leave the party my son told her that "science was now his favorite subject"...And he didn't forget her "Science Bug" Volkswagon Beetle...She let them all takes pictures with it before leaving... He thought that was so cool..
Catch the Science Bug made the trek to NJ to Califon Public School. Kim was able to put on five presentations for 10 grade levels, from Pre-K to 8th, with such professionalism, enthusiasm, and gusto, that she was certainly the talk of the town. Her ability to relate to all age levels and present the material in an organized, enthusiastic, and relatable fashion was outstanding. Every student in the entire school particpated enthusiastically. What a great day! We can't say enough about the Science Bug and how thought provoking, educational, and fun the program was.
I had a great time. thank you for coming to our classroom. I am going to make more newspaper towers at home.
Kim is GREAT! The activities she prepaired were always fun and engaging. The kids were always excited to learn and participate in the activities.
As the Enrichment Program Coordinator for our upper elementary school, I try to identify quality science enrichment programming for our students in grades 4-6. After an exhaustive search, we were thrilled to find Kim Bent and Catch the Science Bug. She provided two programs for 500 students in grades 5 and 6 over a period of 8 days. The specific programs, "Be an Earth Detective" and "Energy, Energy, Energy" were professionally delivered and complimented the curriculum. Most importantly, these well-developed programs far exceeded our objectives by exciting and engaging our students in scientific experimentation, and increasing their overall interest in science.
Kim is a bundle of good-hearted, cheerful energy who loves children and loves teaching. She is able to find ways to explain details to children that are fun and educational. She involved the kids in every aspect of the program, and made them feel special and valued. She delighted in the work we do in our field and tried to represent a day at the veterinarian's office in a way children could understand. We all had a lot of fun working with her and her crew, and we are so happy to be a part of educating the younger generation! Kim is a delight!
Having worked two episodes of the "Bug" TV program, I've seen firsthand the tireless efforts and passion that Kim and her colleagues put into every aspect of their work. She has mastered the difficult task of taking an important educational lesson that might be mundane in a textbook or classroom setting, and turning it into an interactive, engaging, and entertaining experience for both children and adults. Kim's uncanny ability to overcome shyness and bring out children's curiosity is a pleasure to watch, and is well served by the broadcast of this program, which reaches countless kids throughout New England.
It was a joy to be part of the video production team on the episodes I've been fortunate enough to work on. Kim has a special way of engaging the children. It's amazing to see how readily they grasp the science concepts she is teaching. The show 'is the children'. They get to do the experiments with Kim, and even present the results of their own investigations in "Science Bug Investigators" Kim has proven that TV can still live up to it's original promise to engage, inform and inspire! As a videographer, and especially as a video editor, I got to see first hand the very high level of work and attention to every detail that Kim puts into her work. No show goes on the air until every detail is perfect! This is one show that deserves more support and one that should be available to children everywhere.
I thought this program was extremely educational. I got to observe the teaching in several classrooms at our kids elementary school. Even a year later the kids are still talking about the program and the things they learned. I was also fortunate enough to watch the taping of one of the episodes of this show. The host asked very educational questions which were geared towards the children so they could understand the answers and it was entertaining to keep their interest. I would highly recommend this program it helps the kids learn and peaks their interest in science.
Some of the students at our school were able to view some of the "Catch the Science Bug" videos on topics that interested and intrigued them. The videos were fun and engaging and provided a "virtual field trip" experience for the students. The videos were well done and I would highly recommend them to others. Keep doing these meaningful productions!
Catch the Science Bug Foundation videos are a great option for educators and parents to utalize for youth. The videos are well designed and align perfectly to scicence cirriculm standards.
My experience with Kim Brent and her staff was a very positive one. Catch the Science Bug filmed engineers (including me) at my company for a segment on Engineering. While working with Kim, she displayed a professional, dynamic and enthusiastic personality, one that wanted to engage with and expose children to different topics. I was even able to share with my children's Cub Scout group the show on Engineering. It ideally complimented my hands-on demonstration by visually explaining the concepts I verbally explained to them. It helped the boys better understand real world engineering. Thanks Kim and Catch the Science Bug!
For the past 6 years it has been my pleasure to work with Kim Bent and Catch the Science bug to present engaging, educational programs to a wide spectrum of children with Autism and their siblings through the Autism Resource Center of Massachusetts. Not only does kim have an ability to make science fun, entertaining and interesting to children, she consistently works to make her standard programs meet the needs of our population who have different learning styles. She went out of her way to assist us in a week long program for teens at our Annual Family Fun Days at Camp by sharing a DVD of an episode on cardboard boat races which gave the teens the knowledge they needed to design and race cardboard boats at the culmination of our camp week in 2009. Kim has worked with us to create craft projects at camp that tie in the theme of her presentations and is never ever thrown off by the sometimes challenging learning needs of our children. She stays longer than the time we contract for until she is sure all children have had a chance to participate in their own way and always leaves the groups excited and wanting more.
I first met Kim Bent when I saw an ad for kids to help as science investigators on her show. I took my daughter, then about age 7, to try out. Even though Morgan was a little timid Kim found a special place where she could help. And, she presented Morgan and all who came that day with a special Science Bug notebook with all kinds of fun projects to try. Morgan found several things perfect for her age and abilities. Her sister, Delaney who was only about 4, found a cute project in the binder too. And, both were highlighted on Catch the Science Bug!! As vice president of the Indian Lake Watershed Association, I had the opportunity to do a show with Kim on protecting the watershed. I was amazed at how many different and informative aspects Kim incorporated into the show. Morgan even demonstrated how to stencil a storm drain with her friend and showed how to use a secchi disk to measure water clarity. This show was shown all through our school so it had far reaching results just in our neighborhood. Kim does a fabulous job. Her knowledge and ability to reach out to our young people and make learning fun is exceptional. To this day, at ages 12 and 9, my kids shout 'The Science Bug!' when they see the familiar green spotted beetle pass our house!!
Catch the Science Bug has produced several engaging, creative, well-researched and overall high-quality videos in their educational series. I'm please to have been a small part of one. The organization, and the founder in particular, is dedicated to excellence in the field of environmental education.
We saw the passion and dedication of this organization early on and we couldn't wait to work with them to help further the promotion (and education for the kids) online. Happily, we were chosen to create the site. We always enjoy the chance to work with the Science Bug and Founder, Kim Bent. What an awesome cause, organization and group of people! In a world where kid's education seems to be taking a nose dive in some areas, it's great there are dedicated people who really care about educating kids.
I worked diligently for several months with Kim Bent to form the foundation, and had personal exposure to her dedication, diligence and total committment to bringing science education to children in ways to enrich and strengthen their knowledge and inspire them to pursue an education in acience. Kim Bent has exceptional, talent and dedication and is one of the most inspiring clients I worked with in forming several non-profit organizations for client over the years of my law practice. Robert O. Doucette Attorney at law.
Science Bug 10/22/2010
Dear James, Thank you so much for writing! I am happily suprised to find your reveiw. I am so glad to hear you had a great time in class. From now on I will request an hour and a half for teaching that program to be able to allow for more more explanation, more tower building and a review of the towers. Thank you! Sincerely, Ms. Kim