Math Patrol facts for kids
Math Patrol was a fun educational television show for kids. It was made by TVOntario in 1977 and shown on TV in the late 1970s and early 1980s. TVOntario is a public broadcaster, which means it's a TV station that gets money from the government or donations, not just from commercials. The show helped children learn about math in an exciting way.
Who Was in Math Patrol?
The main character was "Sydney," played by John Kozak. Sydney was a special math detective. He would often go undercover to solve math mysteries. His favorite disguise was a kangaroo costume! The show joked that it was the only disguise that fit him.
Other actors who helped Sydney on his math adventures included Carl Banas, Jessica Booker, Luba Goy, and Nikki Tilroe.
How Did They Teach Math?
Each episode of Math Patrol was about 15 minutes long. The show was made to teach basic math skills and words to kids around 8 to 10 years old.
In every episode, Sydney would get a new case from his boss, "Mr. Big." Mr. Big was never seen, only his silhouette (shadow) was shown. Sydney had to use his math skills to solve the problem or complete the task. This helped kids understand how math can be used to figure things out.
What Math Topics Were Covered?
Over 20 episodes, Math Patrol taught many important math ideas. These included:
- addition (putting numbers together)
- subtraction (taking numbers away)
- multiplication (repeated addition)
- division (splitting numbers into equal parts)
- area (the size of a surface)
- fractions (parts of a whole)
- length (how long something is)
- shapes (like squares, circles, and triangles)
- geometry (the study of shapes and spaces)
- symmetry (when something is the same on both sides)
Because Math Patrol was so good at teaching, many primary school teachers showed it to their students during class time. It was a fun way to learn math!
