Imagine a playful chicken, dressed in a tutu, twirling gracefully across the screen to illustrate the concept of rotation. This isn't just any poultry with a penchant for ballet; it's one of the many charming characters that populate the math videos of Doodles and Digits. This innovative educational platform, founded by former elementary teacher Caroline Farkas, is transforming how kids experience math. With colorful animations, engaging characters, and a dash of humor, Doodles and Digits is on a mission to make math accessible, visual, and, dare we say it, fun for upper elementary students.
Caroline believes that “everyone can be a math person." Her teaching approach focuses on connecting math to everyday experiences, making it relevant and engaging. By designing content that resonates with visual, auditory, and hands-on learners, she ensures every student can find their way into math. Through Doodles and Digits, she emphasizes that math goes beyond equations—it’s about creativity, solving problems, and understanding the world around us. Caroline’s goal is to inspire students to see math as an exciting, empowering tool they can apply in their daily lives.
“Everyone can be a math person” - Caroline
I first met Caroline during a lively game of Sushi Go at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. Later, I noticed her sitting by herself and took the opportunity to chat more. As fellow introverts, we both appreciated a break from the crowds, and I found her incredibly easy to talk to. I was fascinated to learn that she had started her own business, and later discovered she had also earned her master’s in "teaching and learning" online from Clemson (Go Tigers!).
As an elementary school teacher, Caroline witnessed the challenges many students faced in understanding math. Like many elementary teachers with limited math backgrounds—she had taken only two math courses in college—she knew how valuable additional resources could be. After seven years in the classroom, she felt called to create math materials that could help all students. Leaving teaching wasn’t an easy decision, but juggling the demands of her job, raising two young children, and managing expensive daycare, along with a school policy that claimed teacher-created materials, motivated her to pursue her own path.
Caroline put a lot of thought into naming her platform, wanting it to reflect both creativity and math. She started by brainstorming words that connected drawing with numbers, aiming for something that captured the playful yet educational spirit of her content. When she landed on "Doodles and Digits," the alliteration instantly clicked. "Doodles" represents the creative, visual side of her work, while "Digits" ties in the math and problem-solving aspect, perfectly blending the fun and purpose of her mission. The name embodies everything she hopes to achieve: making math both engaging and approachable.
Starting her own business was no small feat, especially since she didn’t know anyone with experience in business. One of Caroline's biggest challenges was navigating the legal side, from trademarking "Doodles and Digits" to handling paperwork that protected her company—a crucial step now that she collaborates with large corporations requiring location releases for filming. In the beginning, she didn’t have the proper equipment and filmed many of her early videos on her phone. To streamline the process, she and her husband built a computer to handle video editing more efficiently. Caroline also designed her own website and eventually hired help for video editing. However, finding someone who fully understood her teaching perspective proved difficult; as a teacher, she knows exactly how to explain math concepts, and without that educational background, editors often missed her vision.
As Doodles and Digits took shape, Caroline faced another hurdle: getting her content in front of students and teachers. Marketing was unfamiliar territory for her, and identifying more as an educator than a businessperson, she had to adjust to cold-calling potential partners and sometimes being ghosted. Many businesses were initially hesitant about her filming, unsure of what to expect. But once they saw her videos featuring fun elements like a dancing chicken, their concerns were quickly eased. Now, businesses can see for themselves that her work is all about bringing math to life—no hit pieces, just a whimsical chicken and lots of learning.
Today, Caroline hosts a PBS show titled How It's Math, where she explores real-world math applications by visiting various workplaces. Now three years into her business, she has completed Season 1 and is filming Season 2. The show features a diverse range of occupations, including architects, bakers, dentists, restaurant staff, chocolate factory workers, librarians, structural engineers, ski resort employees, and physical therapists. One of her favorite filming experiences was at a ski resort, where she and her husband filmed the snowmaking process during a late-night adventure. She has also visited companies like Scotts, interviewing workers about how they utilize math in their jobs. Many of them have shared that while math wasn't their favorite subject in school, they now find it essential in their careers. Caroline is on a mission to reshape how kids perceive math, aiming to make it a subject they eagerly anticipate as they progress in their education. Her background as an elementary school teacher is evident in the way she addresses her video audience, treating them like a classroom full of eager learners.
In addition to her PBS show, Caroline also sells packages of her math clipart on Teachers Pay Teachers, and she’s excited to see her materials being used by educators, including tests for students as far away as Germany. Recently, teachers have inquired about merchandise like stuffed chickens, and she’s exploring ways to bring that idea to life. As her business has grown, things have become smoother, thanks to improved equipment and a proven track record; however, the journey wasn’t always easy. Learning to create videos for broadcast posed its own challenges, especially with the specific guidelines required for a nonprofit like PBS. Writing grants added another layer of difficulty—Caroline even described it as more demanding than her master’s thesis. Looking back, she’s amazed at how much she accomplished while juggling full-time parenting during the day and working late into the night and on weekends.
So the next time you see a chicken twirling across your screen, explaining the finer points of geometry, remember that behind that whimsical animation is a dedicated educator on a mission to change the way we think about math. In the world of Doodles and Digits, numbers aren't just digits on a page – they're the building blocks of a magical, mathematical adventure.