Tot TV Watch

Welcome to this week’s edition of Beyond Watching the Show, where I give some ideas of activities for kids that enjoy a particular show that go beyond just watching the show. If you have more ideas of activities for this show please comment and share your ideas. Also, please comment here if you have a request of a show to feature in an upcoming edition of Beyond Watching the Show.

This week’s show is Dragon Tales.

Dragon Tales Character Toilet Paper Crafts: The toilet paper roll characters are usually a fun craft and they can be used to put on a puppet show afterwards. The DLTK site has printable templates for Cassie, Emmy, Ord, and Zak & Wheezie. On the party idea part of the site they even suggest lining some of these Dragon Tales toilet paper roll characters up and playing a game of toilet paper roll bowling.

Dragon Tales Coloring Pages: DLTK also has a variety of Dragon Tales coloring pages including characters and Dragon badges. The PBS Kids site also has some Dragon Tales coloring pages here and here.

Dragon Tales Online Activities: The PBS Kids site for Dragon Tales has some entertaining things for kids to do. This includes Connect the Dots, a Sentence Magic game that teaches about making sentances in English and Spanish, Seek and Find with Ord, and Zak and Wheezie’s Music Machine. Also, on the site in the Singing Springs you can listen to some of the different Dragon Tunes that play in the middle of episodes.

Dragon Tales is no longer airing any new episodes, however, it is still one of the regular PBS Kids shows and one of the better ones if you ask me. Animation wise it may not be CGI, but it is still great animation and with dragon characters it really does not have to be majorly flashy to get kids interested. The show does not seem all that education, but it has its good qualities. For example, it does throw in some Spanish words occasionally and it teaches social skills all the time. Basically, it really is a decent eductional show because it is not too overtly educational, which sometimes causes kids to be totally disinterested in a series.

The main characters of the show are two human characters, Max and Emmy, (in some of the last episodes there is also their next door neighbor, Enrique) and their dragon friends. The show starts with Max and Emmy in their playroom and soon they magically transport to Dragon Land using a dragon scale. In Dragon Land they go on adventures usually with their main Dragon Friends Ord, Cassie, and Zak and Wheezie (joined twins). Each episode contains two stories/half-episodes. In between the half-episodes there is a Dragon Tune song. These songs are one of the best parts of the show, as the songs are often catchy and fun for kids to sing along with. Also, the songs often encourage viewers to get up and dance.

Overall this show is a fun entertaining show for preschoolers, although, I do know several early grade school kids that continue to enjoy this show because they can still relate to the situations the characters encounter.

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Curious George - Zoo Night and Other Animal Stories is a great DVD that actually sticks to its theme of animals. These are fun adventures with Curious George the monkey and his curiosity leading to animal themed adventures. This is a good DVD for preschoolers who like Curious George to enjoy when it is not live on television. Plus it is a great option for kids that are particularly into seeing more animals than just the monkey.

In total there are 8 episodes on this DVD. In the first episode called “Zoo Night” several different animals are seen including penguins, but it is the baby panda that is the main featured animal in this episode. Other animals seen in this DVD’s episodes include bunnies in “Curious George’s Bunny Hunt,” a bear in “Bee is for Bear,” pigeons in “Curious George’s Home for Pigeons,” a cat “”From Scratch,” dogs in “Curious George, Dog Counter,” squirrels in “Squirrel for a Day,” and frogs in “Curious George Discovers the ‘Poles.”

Special Features wise this DVD is not too bad. It has two DVD games. One is called Daily Donuts Game and the other is called Magic Numbers Game. It also has some printable coloring pages that can be accessed when you put the DVD into a computer, however, when I tried to get them off the DVD using a Mac I found it quite confusing to find and download them.

Overall I recommend Curious George - Zoo Night & Other Animal Stories as a good DVD release for fans of Curious George because it has a good amount of episodes. Plus it has two decent DVD games as special features, although the coloring special feature is not well incorporated.

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I know Wishbone is an old television series and it probably does not even play as repeats on PBS anymore, but I remember it as being a great kids show during its run and just recently saw one of its DVD releases (do not recommend buying, but well worth renting if you do Netflix like me). The main character of the show is Wishbone, who is a well-read dog.

The show starts with Wishbone and his owner, as well as usually his owner’s friends, in a real life situation, which often involves them doing a good deed. Soon what is going on in Wishbone’s “real” life reminds him of some classic literature story and he begins daydreaming with himself playing the main character (he occasionally does not play the main character of the classic story, but he usually does). At least once during his daydreaming telling of the classic story he is brought back to the real life situation. At the end of the episode he usually tells a little about the making of the daydream segment of the show.

Overall this is an engaging show that is great to use as a way of getting kids interested in classic literature and going on to read to full version of the stories Wishbone tells. Just a few of the classics that have episodes featuring them are The Phantom of the Opera, Great Expectations, and Treasure Island. Many of the episodes have been released on VHS and a few are on DVD, such as Hot Diggety Dawg. If you can find the VHS cheap, then go with that, as the DVDs are simply the episodes and have no special features.

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Cyberchase - Totally Rad DVD contains three episodes of the PBS Kids Cyberchase animated show. The first episode on this DVD is called “Totally Rad.” This episode teaches the difference between perimeter and area as part of a plot of the kids competing in a skate off against Hacker. The second episode is called “The Borg of the Ring.” In this episode the kids learn about circles as they try to get a special powerful ring away from Hacker. The third episode is called “Fortress of Attitude. In this episode the kids use different objects to make measurements to avoid bobby traps as they try to stop a Hacker statue from broadcasting his voice and trying to get all of Cyberspace to surrender to him.

This DVD is a little short on the amount of episodes it has on it, but it does have some awesome special features. On the normal DVD menu there is a how to draw Digit tutorial that is easy to follow, as well as bloopers from the For Real segment. If you put the DVD into a computer, then you can play three games. Best of all these games even work on a Mac, as long as you have the flash player installed. One of the games is a maze that you follow given directions following colored paths, one is a jigsaw puzzle that requires you to double or halve the pieces to get them to be the right size, and one is a fraction matching game.

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Came across this cool PBS Kids decorated airplane statue as I was finding all 50 of the airplane statues scattered around the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, as part of research for an upcoming post on my D.C. Blog.

The plane is called “Be More PBS.” The artist is Pixels & Ink, Incorporated and the sponsor is as expected PBS Kids. The planes are all sponsored by local businesses and no, it is not just a local PBS station that is located in Crystal City. It is actually the PBS headquarters that are here in Crystal City. All this time I thought I was living next door to the local PBS station and just now I realize it is actually the PBS headquarters.

This jet plane is mostly colored green with orange on the wing tips and purple on the back. The base is colored like the sky with clouds. In the cockpit the PBS green kid is painted as flying the plane. The PBS Kids logo is on one wing. In the middle of the plane there are windows with some favorite PBS characters peeking out as if riding in the plane. This includes Arthur, Curious George, Hacker from Cyberchase, Whyatt from Super Why!, Ruff from Fetch! With Ruff Ruffmann, and the Hamster.

I also spotted another PBS character, Big Bird from Sesame Street, as the pilot of another one of the plane statues. He was on the top of the bi-plane called “Flotsam & Jetsam,” which had a lot of odds and ends mostly related to kids toys. The artist is Chuck Baxter and the sponsor is Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant.

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Cyberchase is an adventurous show on PBS that teaches different math concepts through the episode plots that show real life application of math concepts. The show is best suited for kids between ages 8 and 10, but some depending on the math skills some younger kids may be able to enjoy this show without being totally confused. As for older kids, they may enjoy it as well because the plots are good and the math can serve as a refresher to them. Thus it does not just teach math concepts, but teaches that math is an important life skill. For example, this week there are new episodes of the Cyberchase that show how math plays a role in Sports, which is a great theme this time of year with the baseball season starting and March Madness ending.

The three main characters of the show are Matt, Jackie, and Inez, who are three kids from Earth. In the show they transported into Cyberspace, where they try to stop Hacker’s evil plans to rule Cyberspace as well as often save Motherboard. Each episode focuses on a specific math concept, such as fractions and patterns. The concepts are presented in a way that makes learning the concepts fun and useful, which is something a lot of kids do not get when they are learning math in school. Additionally, the show is entertaining because of the different plots and action involved in saving Cyberspace from Hacker’s evil plans. The concepts are further shown as being applicable in real life with the Cyberchase For Real segment at the end of the episode that features real life people using the concept taught in the episode int the real world, i.e. it is a live action segment.

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The show Liberty’s Kids originally aired on PBS back in 2002-2004. On February 27, 2008, the History Channel began reairing this show at 7am on weekdays and from 7am to 8am on Saturdays. While searching the web I learn that this is a test run of the show to see if there is an audience for the show. Apparently, they may not be continuing to air this show, but you can help it stay on the air or support the development of similar shows by following the directions on this website. It truly is an unique show and great for kids from ages 7 to 12 to enjoy learning about history.

The show is what would be classified as historical fiction. It is based during the time of the American Revolution with the first episode being about the Boston Tea Party and the final episode being about the Constitution. The show’s main characters are three teenager journalists that write for a newspaper run by Ben Franklin. They do on the scene reporting ending up meeting figures such as George Washington and being present at important events in the Revolutionary War and founding of the United States. In their adventures many characters they met are real historical figures and the main events are real, although the circumstances are fictional in that the three main characters are fictional. One of the three characters is a girl and is interesting in not just that she plays a role women typically would not have played at the time, but that when the war begins she is a British Loyalist and as the war progresses she becomes a supporter of the colonists and a believer in freedom and rights for all including women and African Americans.

This show is currently showing on the TV Guide a only playing two more days at 7am. Those days are this Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11. I guess this is the end of its test period. Hopefully, though it will return or at least a similar show of a different period will be developed. Some episodes of Liberty’s Kids are available to watch online here.

Welcome to this week’s edition of Beyond Watching the Show, where I give some ideas of activities for kids that enjoy a particular show that go beyond just watching the show. If you have more ideas of activities for this show please comment and share your ideas. Also, please comment here if you have a request of a show to feature in an upcoming edition of Beyond Watching the Show.

This week’s show is Thomas & Friends, the show about anthropomorphic trains that has been airing on television for over 20 years.

Parent Activities: The Thomas & Friends website has some downloadable PDF files with some activity ideas to use with young kids to help teach different lessons including Working Together and Exploring Emotions.

Coloring: Here is some online coloring options for coloring on screen. There are also some coloring pages you can print out for kids to color. They can be found here and includes a cool March calendar.

Thomas the Tank Engine Craft: This is a great craft for kids to create their own Thomas the Train Engine using a shoe box to great a 3D model. There is also a related paper craft template to make a flat Thomas the Train Engine on this site here.

Tin Can craft: While this is not directly a Thomas & Friend craft fans of the show can still enjoy, especially if they use their creativity to make the craft into Thomas characters. This Tin Can Train is also a good way of recycling food cans.

Fetch! With Ruff Ruffmann is an interesting kids game show on PBS Kids. This shows game host is an animated dog name Ruff Ruffmann. The contestants are real kids, though, and the game show is also real. In the episodes Ruff Ruffermann sends them the kids on different challenges and the kids earn points as they complete their challenges or answer trivia. For the most part the challenges are related to science and experimenting. It is geared towards kids ages 6 to 8.

One of the series goals is to “introduce children to science and the world of scientific inquiry.” The show also shows kids that it can be fun to learn problem solving and team building skills as demonstrated in the fun activities the contestants participate in such as creating their own good tasting ice cream flavor using vegetables in one episode. The show is formatted so that the contestants work as teams, but from episode to episode the teams change, so it shows that it is more about the experiences and not winning or losing, i.e. it is for the fun of playing and not all about winning.

Check the TV Guide listings of upcoming episodes here to see when this show airs on your PBS station.

Also, for a hands on Fetch! experience check out the locations of Fetch! labs at science museums across the U.S. Perhaps one is near you or near a future vacation destination for your family. A list of locations can be found here. If you are not near one, though, you can still enjoy some great science activities based on the Fetch! episodes. The activities are meant for kids ages 8 to 10 and can be found here.

On September 3rd, 2007, PBS Kids will debut WordWorld, a new 3-D animated series that encourages kids to become friends with words. Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education, WordWorld makes learning to read fun. In the series words are brought to life through a patent-pending methodology that embeds words into the objects they represent. When a word is formed correctly, it morphs into the character or object that it represents, creating a new learning experience. The WordFriends–Dog, Sheep, Frog, Duck, Pig, and Ant–help kids explore the world of words while also focusing on social-emotional lessons and literacy-based skills such as letter recognition and phonological awareness.

It sounds like a really great concept, but one of those that I’ll have to see before I can decide what I think. Don’t forget to tune in to PBS Kids on September 3rd to check it out.

Update:  Mom Gadget has a great review on WordWorld up today.  Go check it out and see what she has to say about it.

PBS Kids, WordWorld, WordFriends, Premiere

Today’s guest post was written by Kelly Erb. You can read more great posts by Kelly over at www.tinytreasury.com

The popularity of some children’s programming ebbs and flows. Some
are faddishly popular for a few weeks and then overstay their
welcome. Others percolate along with a small band of dedicated
viewers. Others are destined to be classics. Clifford the Big Red
Dog is one those destined to be a classic.

The television series, Clifford the Big Red Dog is based on the
children’s book series of the same name. The original book series
was penned by Norman Bridwell beginning in 1962. The television
series didn’t begin its run until 2000 - with a host of recognizable
voices at the helm. Most notably, the late John Ritter was the voice of Clifford. Also lending their voices were Cree Summer (Freddie in the Cosby spinoff A Different World), Kel Mitchell, Grey DeLisle and Edie McClurg.

Each half hour episode consists of two stories with an educational
message in each, referred to as Clifford’s Big Ideas. The lessons are
usually short and predictable and are along the lines of the value of
sharing or telling the truth. The biggest lesson of all, though, is
what it means to love someone or some dog (!) unconditionally. You
see, Clifford wasn’t always big - he was the runt of the litter. But
Emily Elizabeth loved him, and her love, the story goes, made him grow.

The show is designed for children ages 3-7. The simple, flat
animation drawn in primary colors and short episodes are cleverly
tailored towards the toddler and elementary education set. And it’s
not so bad for parents either.

Hi folks! I’m out of town on vacation this week, but I have some excellent guest posts lined up while I’m gone. Today’s post was written by the fabulous Kelly Erb. Kelly writes about children’s books at www.tinytreasury.com.

It’s rare that I find myself actually looking forward to a particular
kids’ TV show. I’ll admit to even manipulating the “choices”
available to Katie and Amy merely to avoid another second of
Caillou’s whining or the same episode of Dora over and over.

But that all changed when I got a peek at Jakers! If you haven’t
seen, put it on your list. I think it’s the best animated kids’
series on TV.

Jakers! is geared towards the 4-7 year old crowd (though my 3 year
old LOVES it) and is based on a simple premise: it’s a story about a
boy growing up with his friends in rural Ireland in the 1950s. Okay,
the boy is actually a pig and his friends are a duck and a bull, but
otherwise, it’s pretty straightforward. Each story opens and closes
with the boy, Piggley Winks, in the future, old and gray (well, as
old and gray as pigs get) telling stories about growing up.
Sometimes he remembers things a little bit differently than his
sister does, which adds to the fun.

Jakers! isn’t flashy which is part of its charm. I love that the
show focuses on simple stories that are fun and entertaining without
being preachy. It nicely reinforces the importance of family,
especially grandparents, without being obvious. There are lots of
cultural elements focusing on music, holidays and tradition thrown
in, too, - and not just Irish - with a really nice touch that doesn’t
feel forced.

While the animation is beautiful and soft with 3-D images that will
remind you of “Finding Nemo”, the appeal of Jakers! really is in the
story. When is the last time that happened? Of course, if you find
yourself tuning because Wiley the Sheep sounds familiar, he is. He’s
voiced by the inimitable Mel Brooks.

And in case you’re wondering, the name Jakers! is based on an Irish
expression meaning “wow!” or “amazing!” And that it is.

PBS Kids will be launching the second season of the interactive preschool block with Miss Lori and Hooper on September 3rd, 2007.  The new season will include new curriculum themes, more original music, and kid-created content with Dot’s Story Factory.  Super Why!, a new literacy-based series, will join the content line up beside favorites Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Dragon Tales.

The new curriculum themes will be presented in a structured format such as “Music Time,” “Math Time,” “Art, Time,” and “Reading Time.”  Kids will almost feel as if they are in a preschool classroom as they learn about letters, shapes, and colors.  They will also experience familiar environmental elements such as smocks, easels, mini tables and chairs, books and more.  Topics such as sharing and healthy habits will also be explored.

Miss Lori and Hooper, PBS Kids, Dot’s Story Factory, Super Why!, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales

PBS Kids Sprout announced last week that they will be adding a new afternoon block, The Let’s Go Show, to their preschool line-up.  The new interactive show will debut on Monday, June 25th, and will encourage kids to ask questions, be curious about the world around them, and participate in a daily musical adventure.

(Image: http://www.fishwithfeet.com)

The Let’s Go Show, airing weekedays from 3:00-6:00 EDT, will be hosted by Miles (Milton Barnes) and his puppy friend Banjo.  Each day, the two of them will embark on a new musical journey where they will make many new discoveries, play, and learn.  After each show, kids can go to SproutOnline.com to find out more about the questions posed on the show.

Here are some of the things you can expect to see on The Let’s Go Show:

– Learn a song and have a “boogie woogie break” at Music Hill;
— Enjoy a special healthy snack prepared for them by Brussel Sprout at the Sprout Diner Field;
— Create age-appropriate science experiments at Wonder Why Valley;
— Encourage viewers to become “Sprout Scouts” by helping Miles and Banjo find their way to each location by asking questions;
— Inspire kids to be creative and discover all the great things they can make and do at home with their parents and caregivers.

PBS Kids, Sprout, Preschool, The Let’s Go Show, Miles, Milton Barns, Banjo