Tot TV Watch

May 13th is quickly approaching and mothers everywhere will be celebrating one of their most important roles in life. If you are still searching for a gift, you can check out the great lists here, here, or here. However, sometimes the best gift for Mom is letting her have some quiet time to relax. I suggest bringing her breakfast in bed (along with hand-made cards from the kids), then whisking the kids away for a while so that Mom can have some quiet time to read a book, peruse her favorite blogs, or just take a nice hot bath without any interruptions. If you need a way to entertain the tots while Mom is relaxing, you can always keep them busy with some of these Mother’s Day specials, new episodes, and activities:

• Dora the Explorer’s Mother’s Day Marathon will be airing on Nick Jr. Friday, May 11th, from 12:00-2:00p.m ET/PT, but you can always record it to a VCR, DVR, or TiVo and save it for the big day.
• Noggin will be celebrating by airing an all-day Mother’s Day marathon on Sunday, featuring an all new episode of Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends. The marathon will run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
• Playhouse Disney will be airing new episodes of My Friends Tigger and Pooh at 10:00/9:00c and Handy Manny at 10:30/9:30c on May 13th. The Handy Manny episode will feature special guest Marion Ross as Mr. Lopart’s mother. Kids can also find some great Mother’s Day craft ideas on the Playhouse Disney web site.
• The PBSParents web site also has some great craft ideas and activities, as well as Mother’s Day breakfast recipes that are definitely worth checking out.

If those don’t interest your kids (but I’m sure they will) you can always watch their regularly scheduled favorite shows. Of course, you could just take the kids out to the park for a couple of hours. I’m sure when you return, Mom will be ready for some snuggly family time.

If you have any other great Mother’s Day tips you want to share, please leave them in the comments section below.

Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day Tips, gift ideas, Dora the Explorer, Mother’s Day Marathon, Nick Jr., Handy Manny, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Playhouse Disney, PBS Parents, crafts, recipes

Playhouse Disney’s new computer animated series My Friends Tigger and Pooh is set to premiere Saturday, May 12. Much like Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger and Pooh will feature classic characters with an updated look that is sure to attract young viewers.

The new show will feature Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and all of their classic friends, as well as newcomer Darby and her dog Buster. Darby is a 6-year-old red-haired girl who is a bit of a tomboy. Along with her new friends, she will explore and discover the Hundred Acre Woods.

Each episode of My Friends Tigger and Pooh will consist of two 11-minute stories, sing-a-longs, and repeated theme music. The show will tackle problem solving on a preschool level and explore educational themes. It will cover concepts such as how to work with others, resisting the urge for immediate gratification, the value of patience and reasoning, and a sense of responsibility to the environment and community.

Games, video clips, and activities, including a printable Super Sleuth Pack, can be found on Playhouse Disney online.

Tune in for the premiere episode Saturday, May 12th, at 10:00/9:00c and another new episode Sunday, May 13th.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Playhouse Disney, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, premiere, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Darby, Buster, problem-solving, preschool, environment, community

May 7-11 is Mystery week on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey and his pals need some super sleuth skills to help them solve a new mystery every day.

Mickey Mouse and his friends at the clubhouse have come a long way since they originally debuted. In the new CG animated Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, kids help Mickey, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Pluto solve a problem each day using basic skills appropriate for the preschool set. The show presents cognitive, creative, and social learning opportunities. It also features two original songs by They Might Be Giants, including the opening theme song.

Tune in each day this week at 7:30/8:30c to watch the following episodes:

* Monday, May 7 - Mickey-Go-Seek
* Tuesday, May 8 - Daisy Bo Peep
* Wednesday, May 9 - Donald and the Beanstalk
* Thursday, May 10 - Pluto’s Ball
* Friday, May 11 - Mickey’s Treasure Hunt

Kids can also play Mickey’s Treasure Hunt and print out coloring pages at Playhouse Disney online.

Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, They Might Be Giants , Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Pluto, Disney, Playhouse Disney, mystery, sleuth

Are you and your kids looking for a little musical adventure this week? The Little Einsteins might have just what you are looking for. Get ready to sing and dance with June, Annie, Leo, and Quincy as they go exploring on a different musical mission each day this week. You can catch the following episodes on Playhouse Disney at 8:00/7:00c:

* Monday, April 30 - Quincy and the Magical Instruments
* Tuesday, May 1 - Melody, The Music Pet
* Wednesday, May 2 - Hello, Cello
* Thursday, May 3 - Brothers and Sisters to the Rescue
* Friday, May 4 - Annie and the Little Toy Plane

If you want to explore a little further, you can also play the new “Quincy and the Magic Instruments” game at the Playhouse Disney web site.

The Little Einsteins, Musical Missions Week, Playhouse Disney, Quincy and the Magic Instruments, game

Yesterday, April 22nd, was Earth Day and people everywhere are talking about ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle in order to slow down the damage we are inflicting on the Earth. It is important to teach kids early on about the benefits of taking care of our planet. Recently there have been several new kids’ TV shows that focus on teaching kids about the environment, including Johnny and the Sprites and It’s a Big Big World. A deal was recently signed for a new series called Snapper, that will focus on the environment as well.

I’ll be posting information about those three shows later this week, but in the meantime you can explore some of these great Earth Day activities offered around the web:

• Disney’s Guide for Grown-ups lists several kid-friendly activities, as well as a list of links to other pages related to Earth Day.
• PBS Kids has a list of activities, information about connecting kids to nature, and a list of books about nature divided by age groups. You can also watch three new videos from Milkshake about taking care of the Earth.

Earth Day, Earth, environment, planet, Johnny and the Sprites, It’s a Big Big World, Snapper, Disney, PBS Kids, Milkshake

(Source: Nickelodeon)
One of the most common complaints I hear about children’s television is that it encourages kids to sit in front of the TV instead of being active and using their imagination.  TV shows and video games are often cited as some of the leading causes of childhood obesity and other pediatric health problems.

In 2005, Nickelodeon partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to try to combat this problem.  The “Let’s Just Play” initiative was formed to encourage kids to engage in healthy and active lifestyles.  Using Nickelodeon’s multimedia platforms, the group has been able to spread their message and reach millions of kids.

Beginning Sunday, April 29, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, Nickelodeon will premiere the second season of its Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.  The six month series, airing during TeenNICK, will showcase real kids participating in a challenge to live a healthier lifestyle.  It will feature two 12-year-olds, Kenderick and April, as they participate in the challenge to become healthier.  It will also include a revolving third storyline each month that will focus on an individual or group of kids working to improve health and wellness in their personal lives or communities.  Various NFL players will also appear in the new “Workout Like a Pro” segments, where they will provide fitness tips.

This year’s challenge will include all new multimedia content and tools online to help kids participate.  Beginning April 5th, kids can download a personalized tracker to their desktops to help them track their progress during the Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.  The tracker includes a list of favorite activities and healthy food options.  Kids can use the tracker and an online e-calendar to keep their activities and healthy habits organized.

In order to reach the most viewers, the Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge will be available on multiple platforms.  TurboNick will be streaming the full episodes, along with behind-the-scenes footage of the challengers.  Episodes will also be available as free downloads from iTunes and made available  on video-on-demand platforms.  Profiles of Kenderick and April will also be featured in the April and May issues of Nickelodeon Magazine.

While the television segments may be aimed at the elementary and tween/teen crowd, I think parents can also adapt many of the healthy habits showcased for the younger audience as well.  There is no reason that your toddlers and preschoolers can’t start learning healthy habits early on.

TV, television, video games, childhood obesity, health, Nickelodeon, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Let’s Just Play, Go Healthy Challenge, TeenNICK, Kenderick, April, NFL, Workout like a Pro, multimedia, TurboNick, iTunes, Nickelodeon Magazine

Source: Nick Jr.
It looks like the Wonder Pets won’t be saving the day this time. In fact, they’ll be the ones needing to be saved! When Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming head into the sea to help a baby blowfish stuck in a sea plant, a large whale accidentally swallows them. The Wonder Pets find themselves calling on their underwater friends to rescue them. The new musical special, “Save The Wonder Pets,” premieres Monday, April 23rd at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT). A two-minute sneak peek can be seen on Nick Jr. Video (on nickjr.com) beginning April 16th.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070410/NYTU087)

Nickjr.com will also be featuring a new interactive “Save the Sea Creatures” game beginning April 13th, as well as an interactive poll, artwork and photos from fans, printables, and crafts.

A “Save the Wonder Pets!” DVD will be released on Tuesday, April 24th, by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Besides the title track, it will also include three other episodes, as well as reusable stickers and a “Meet The Wonder Pets!” photo gallery with character facts.

On April 10th, Nick Records released the first ever Wonder Pets CD. It features 16 full-length songs from the first season, a limited edition celery recipe book, and a Wonder Pets coloring poster.

Wonder Pets, Save the Wonder Pets, DVD, CD, premiere, Nick Jr.

On Friday, April 13th, Nickelodeon will finally reveal the origins of the biggest feud in Bikini Bottom.  We all know that Plankton and Mr. Krabs are sworn enemies, but do you also know that they used to be the best of friends?  The whole story will come out on the SpongeBob SquarePants “Friend or Foe?” episode.  According to Nickelodeon:

In the new episode, Mr. Krabs recounts the origin of his bitter rivalry with Plankton following one of Plankton’s failed attempts at stealing his Krabby Patty formula. He reveals that there was a time when the two were actually the best of friends, and through a series of flashbacks, tells the tale of how their friendship turned sour. Patchy the Pirate hosts the show and joins in the fun by attempting to create his own Pirate version of the Krabby Patty.

Leading up to the new episode, Nickelodeon will be airing an interactive SpongeBob marathon from 5:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT, with the “Friend or Foe?” episode airing at 8:00 p.m.  Nickelodeon will also be holding a live-action contest from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., where two teams of kids will compete in a series of funny and messy physical group challenges.  It will air during a special edition of ME:TV.  Each team will be infiltrated by a secret “foe” who is working for the other team.  Kids can play along at home by signing on to Nick.com and entering clues and statistics about each team member to determine who might be the “foe”.  Kids can log on to TurboNick now for a sneak peak.

“SpongeBob SquarePants: Friend of Foe?” will also be released nationwide on DVD on April 17th.

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Nick Jr. is holding asking for photos of kids that love the Wonder Pets. Your child’s picture may be showcased either online or on TV. The picture must be of your child dressed as one of the Wonder Pets, showing off a Wonder Pets craft, or holding an original drawing of the Wonder Pets.

Go snap some photos, submit them to the Nick Jr. Fan Gallery, and then watch Nick Jr. to see if your child’s picture is shown. I bet your kids will love to see their picture on TV. Heck, I would like to see my own picture on TV.

Wonder Pets, Nick Jr., photos, fan gallery

Did you grow up with the stretchy green character known as Gumby? I remember being introduced to Gumby by my cousin who was wearing a bright green Gumby shirt during our vacation one summer. I had no idea who Gumby was until he professed his love and explained what in the heck that green thing was. I’m not sure I ever really understood, but to each his own. If you loved Gumby as much as my cousin did and have a desire to re-live the days of your youth, you now have it. Thanks to DMGI, you can now watch Classic Gumby shorts on YouTube, Google Video, and In2TV. They will also be released on DVD later this year. Check a few of them out and share them with your kids. You never know, they just might like them.

tip: TV Squad

Gumby, claymation, YouTube, Google Video, In2TV

Voting for Nickelodeon’s Annual Kids’ Choice Awards is now well underway, but you still have time to cast votes for your favorites before the show airs on March 31st. Rumor has it that this year’s KCA’s will be the best yet. Justin Timberlake will be hosting the festivities. Nickelodeon has also lined up Beyonce, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Queen Latifah, Mike Myers, Zac Efron, Bindi Irwin, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears, George Lopez, Jon Heder, Chris Evans, Drake Bell, Emma Roberts, Jesse McCartney, Nelly, Ciara, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Panetierre, Ice Cube, Masi Oka, Ty Pennington, Tyler James Williams, Devon Werkheiser, Lil’ JJ, Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, Chris Brown, Tom Kenny and Ryan Sheckler to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the awards show. If that isn’t enough to be excited about, Gwen Stefani will also be teaming up with Akon for a musical performance of her song, “The Sweet Escape” during the show.

The Slime Across America Tour is going full force, with the next stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 21st. You can get a taste of what’s happening on the slimey tour by checking out the tour’s photo album. You can also catch clips of the tour during Nick’s Me:TV segment. There are only six more stops before they arrive at the Kids’ Choice Awards, where the truck will serve as a stage for celebrity interviews during the pre-show telecast hosted by TEENick’s J. Boogie.

Besides the regular coverage of the KCA’s, Nicktropolis will offer a new virtual Kids’ Choice Awards themed world for kids to explore and chat about the awards in real time. They will also be able to watch the live TurboNick webcast together in viewing parties. TurboNick will be covering the Orange Carpet, backstage, and the Kids’ Choice Awards after party. The TurboNick segments will be hosted by ME:TV’s Alex and Jordan.

Nickelodeon, Kids’ Choice Awards, Justin Timberlake, 20th anniversary, Slime Across America Tour, Beyonce, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Queen Latifah, Mike Myers, Zac Efron, Bindi Irwin, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears, George Lopez, Jon Heder, Chris Evans, Drake Bell, Emma Roberts, Jesse McCartney, Nelly, Ciara, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Panetierre, Ice Cube, Masi Oka, Ty Pennington, Tyler James Williams, Devon Werkheiser, Lil’ JJ, Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, Chris Brown, Tom Kenny, Ryan Sheckler, Gwen Stefani, Akon, J. Boogie, ME:TV, TurboNick, Nicktropolis

A while back I signed up for an account at Nickjr.com. Once you have signed up for a membership, you have access to Nick Jr. exclusives that they offer from time to time. Today they are offering some exclusive SpongeBob SquarePants stickers for St. Patrick’s Day. If you have some SpongeBob fans in your house, I suggest printing these off and having some St. Patty’s Day fun. If you don’t have any sticker paper handy, you can just print them out on regular paper, cut them out, and use some tape on the back to stick them where you want them. You do have to sign up for an account, but I promise it isn’t too painful. Besides, they’ll send you a weekly e-mail to let you know what special activity they are offering each week.

(Image: Nickjr.com)

SpongeBob SquarePants, Nick Jr., St. Patrick’s Day, stickers, printables

Nickelodeon has announced yet another new interactive series that will include viewer uploaded content. Premiering in September of 2007, iCarly will join ME:TV as one of the numerous convergent entertainment experiences recently launched by Nickelodeon. iCarly is a comedy about a young girl who produces her own home-grown web show. Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove (of Nick and Jake fame), will give viewers a specific assignment and direct them toward the web site to upload their creations. The uploaded content may be included in a future episode, or as part of Carly’s online web cast.

The description from Nickelodeon is as follows:

In iCarly, Miranda lives with her twenty-something brother/guardian Spencer (Jerry Trainor) and produces her web casts from a makeshift third- floor loft studio. Grappling with adolescence, she never aimed to gain fame as a rising star/underground celebrity to kids. As events unfold in the pilot, it all happens by accident when a teacher (guest star Mindy Sterling, Austin Powers’ Frau Farbissina) puts her in charge of the school talent show. She and her sassy best bud Sam (Jeannette McCurdy) turn the audition process into a show, which Carly’s tech savvy smitten friend Freddy (Nathan Kress) tapes — including their hilarious banter and great chemistry — and posts on the web unbeknownst to them. The online audience clamors for more, and a pop phenomenon blooms, with Miranda and sidekick Sam’s regular web casts ultimately featuring everything from comedy sketches and talent contests to interviews, recipes and problem-solving.

iCarly is set to begin taping the first thirteen episodes in March of 2007. Personally, I can’t wait to see this show take off. Nickelodeon has found a fresh new way to foster creativity in kids and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more shows combining television and user-uploaded content in the future.

iCarly, Nickelodeon, Miranda Cosgrove, ME:TV, interactive, user-uploaded content, web cast, Jerry Trainor, Mindy Sterling, Frau Farbissina, Jeannette McCurdy, Nathan Kress

One of the more entertaining aspects of writing on the web is watching the page’s stats. Occasionally I like to check and see where my visitors are coming from so that I know what to focus my writing on. The most common search string I get for this site is generally some variation of “Steve Burns on Jack’s Big Music Show” or “Steve Burns groundhog video”.

In order to appease my readers, I have been searching for the video online but haven’t been able to find a copy that I could post here. It was available on YouTube for a short while before Viacom insisted that all of their content be removed from the video sharing site. As of now, the only place online that the “I Hog The Ground” video can be seen is on the Noggin web site. Go on, you know you want to rock out with Steve one more time!

Steve Burns, Jack’s Big Music Show, I Hog The Ground, ground hog day, search strings, YouTube, Viacom, Noggin

As part of the “Learn Along With Sesame” program, iTunes is offering six free educational episodes from Sesame Workshop. That’s right, I said free.

The episodes, featuring all of your favorite Sesame Street characters, cover topics from health and safety, to handling emotions, to music. Following is a brief summary of the available episodes from iTunes:

Talk, Listen, Connect–Elmo finds it hard when his Dad has to go away. This program helps military families and their young childdren cope with the challenges experienced during deployment.

Happy Healthy Ready for School–Elmo discovers some wonderful things as he learns to get ready for school.

Music Works Wonders–Elmo helps Mr. Hoots put on a concert, and learns a lot about music.

You Can Ask–Elmo, Telly, and Big Bird present four stories that explore fear, loss, bullying, and differences. Their experiences can help parents and kids find positive ways to talk about their feelings together.

A is for Asthma–Elmo and Rosita learn what to do when their friend has trouble breathing.

Lead Away–Oscar, Elmo, and Rosita learn how to protect themselves from the dangers of lead.

In order to download the episodes, you do have to have iTunes installed on your computer. You can download the free application here and then click here to download the episodes. You can also find the Learn Along With Sesame episodes by browsing the “kids” portion of the “TV Shows” section within iTunes.

iTunes, Sesame Workshop, Learn Along With Sesame, Elmo, Sesame Street