"Seat Belts, Everyone!" - A Look at Our Classroom Role Models

Long-time fans of ours may have noticed something that normally gets added onto our list of content tags on any given item of clothing: Ms. Frizzle Clothing. Not everyone read the books in the 80s or watched TV in the 90s, so some of you may not be aware of what this refers to, but we wanted to take a moment today to talk about one of the most nurturing and empowering role models to young thinkers that has ever set foot in the classroom.

This is Professor Valerie Frizzle, PhD aka “The Frizz.” She’s the main character of a series of novels and television episodes titled “The Magic School Bus” where she teaches a group of elementary school students from grades two to four before going on to be a research professor. Known to many as “the strangest teacher in the school,” Ms. Frizzle is most often seen with frizzed-out red hair and some truly outstanding apparel which almost always ties into what the episode’s adventure will be.

When she’s not in the classroom teaching her students, she’s taking them on field trips, but not the ones you’d think of where a bus driver shuttles them to a local museum or historical site, but rather she takes them aboard the Magic School Bus. This bus has many properties that are probably better left unexplained, but not the least of which are size manipulation, time distortion, and interstellar travel! Through the series of adventures and trips the kids are taken on, they learn things large and small about our world (and a few others besides) and are encouraged to think about them in relation to all they’ve learned before, meaning everyday is a new chapter of an ongoing lesson.

Looking beyond the scripts and stories though, we see the woman at the heart of it all. The Frizz is certainly a magical person with some sorcerous wheels, but she represents the best of what we could ever hope to see from our leaders. She isn’t perfect, but when she makes mistakes she assesses the situation and safely turns them into learning opportunities for everyone involved. She encourages her students to put themselves out there and if they don’t succeed, that’s just something to learn from for when you try again because you shouldn’t give up. Rather than directly answering questions, she would sooner guide her students on their way to finding the answers for themselves.

All of this while being a fun, supportive, and quirky yet mysterious school teacher. She’s the kind of person who will endeavor to find the bright side to any situation and there’s almost never a bad time for a good (or bad!) joke or two, even if she’s the only one who laughs at it. More than just saying to be patient, understanding, welcoming, and nurturing she physically embodies these things in her every motion and action. We love her to death and we’re thrilled that some people associate some of our apparel with what she’s seen wearing.

Here’s a few of our dresses that we made while taking inspiration from The Frizz. While the patterns themselves may not come to life and move around (though some do glow in the dark!) we like to think they get the idea across all the same.

Cat Family

It’s not hard to imagine a lesson being taught about the lineage of cats across the world, and these feline friends are purrfect for your wardrobe. From the tamest tabby to the lordly lion, cats come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and from many different locales. This Parks-style dress sports a collar and a circle skirt for graceful twirling, and plenty of pocket space and can be yours by putting your paws right here!

Mitosis

Molecular science was ever a common topic on The Magic School Bus, so here’s a dress that would unquestionably fit right into the theme. If The Frizz wore this dress, the cells would surely animate on their own and show their cycle of growth and replication, but sadly we’re not so magical so we’re content knowing that our bodies can handle that on their own without the visual aid. Add this to your wardrobe today!

Explore New Worlds

Exploring the unknown and seeking a greater understanding of all that surrounds us is at the core of scientific study and The Magic School Bus both! This dress is all about searching for new life and new environs beyond the veil of our atmosphere, something the Bus has done on more than one occasion. Nothing says “space” like some deep pockets to keep everything an explorer needs in! Find the right outfit for a new world right here.

Honeycomb

Continuing with another dress straight out of an episode of The Magic School Bus, this one’s for the sweet sentinels of the hive! Bees are often feared and misunderstood by people, but they do unbelievably good things for our environment. If you took a page from Ms. Frizzle’s book and went inside a hive, you’d see a symphony of workers going about tasks, maintaining and enriching their own world in concert with ours. Click here to see what all the buzz is about!

So that’s the story behind the tag we put on our posts and clothes. As important as all the lessons and experiences she’s shared with us, we remember the woman behind them above them all, and could never have asked for a better teacher than Ms. Frizzle. If you’ve never read or watched The Magic School Bus, there’s no age limit on it. We’re sure there’s plenty there for you yet to learn, and if you have kids or students of your own, then make an afternoon of it, learn together! It’s as she always says, “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

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