'Sesame Street' to Push STEM curriculum in 42nd Season

Will emphasize math and science; O'Brien, Kidman among celebrity guests

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/8/2011 5:22:02 PM

Sesame Street will be brought to you this season by the letters S, T, E and M.

Sesame Street says that its 42nd season, launching next month, will emphasize math and science education and include Conan O'Brien and Nicole Kidman among its celebrity guests.

Taking its cue from the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum being pushed by the Obama administration, the iconic show will add a "Murray's Science Experiments" and work investigation and experimentation into the episode themes.

The new theme of the season will be "Let's find Out."

"Sesame Street's curriculum fosters children's natural inclinations to ask questions and encourages investigation and experimentation in order to make new discoveries," said Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, VP of Education and Research, Sesame Workshop, in a statement. "By approaching STEM education as an integrated discipline through the process of scientific inquiry, rather than individual domains, the curriculum helps children develop a better understanding of how things work, and builds stronger cognitive reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving skills."