Young people can be motivated to learn science using the power of various entertainment media. The author states the need to recognise that they are accessing science through informal learning outside school. With children saying they have learnt from cartoons such as Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, it would seem that entertaining animations can also be useful learning resources (Swann, 2013). Children understand what is real based on 'modality judgements' (Chandler, 1997): if what they see on a programme and real-life perceptions are very different, the programme has a weak modality. In this study the author states that young people can learn science from entertainment programmes, as they are relaxed and engaged by novel content and believable situations. They feel that programmes and films can be both entertaining and educational, and content is more important to them than format. It is also valuable for us as educators to know that children can pick up accurate science from many sources of popular culture.