Guide to Web Features for Kids

The DESIGN SQUAD NATION Web site is a destination for creative tween and teens, promoting the message: You are creative and can solve problems. You can make things that help people. We want you to join the DESIGN SQUAD NATION. Let's dream big. Let's build something together.

Projects

In the Projects section, kids can use their PBS KIDS GO! login to contribute to the safe, fully-moderated online community. Kids can start a Project by making a wish, or contribute to an existing project by sending in a Sketch or a Prototype. Kids can "work alongside" co-hosts Judy Lee and Adam Vollmer by sending in their responses to the real-life challenges seen on the show.

Video

Each full-length episode of the television series is made available on the site, and is paired with related activities to do away from the computer. Kids can also watch videos that demonstrate some of the projects they can build themselves. In the Profile videos, viewers meet engaging young engineers who demonstrate that engineering is a creative career where you get to work with great people, solve interesting problems, and design things that matter.

Games

DESIGNit, BUILDit, FIDGiT

In this multiplayer game, players employ their problem-solving and engineering skills to save small, cute creatures called Fidgits. They design rooms with various configurations of objects to help get the creatures to safety. Players can also exchange these rooms with friends and work on them together. FIDGiT's overarching goal is to help kids strengthen and build their engineering design process skills while learning along the way that engineers rarely solve a problem on their first try.

String Thing

This interactive feature lets kids exercise their musical talent while learning about the physics of sound and string instruments. Changing the tension, gauge, and length of each string changes the pitch that it makes. Once all the strings are in place, you can add a beat and play it back!

Blog

The DESIGN SQUAD NATION Blog features inspiring engineering and DIY content from across the web. The blog engages with the DESIGN SQUAD NATION community directly by including calls to action, how-to challenges, aspirational examples of kid-made content on the site, and first person video and messages from Judy and Adam—sharing both the fun and the failures that are a part of the design process.

Heroes

The Heroes gallery highlights the amazing kids featured on the show, alongside the show hosts and other inspiring professional engineers. Here, kids are able to browse though the gallery of heroes and link to each of their profile pages.

Me

The Me page is the personal profile, and displays all the items a user has submitted to the site, shows points they have earned, and allows them to unlock and select new Profile Pic icons. Users can also be "fans" of other member's work, and see those who have become fans of them. This is a simple, safe, way for community members to show support for one another.