Tot TV Watch

Dragon Tales is an animated series on PBS. The show features kids that visit the magical Dragon Land by using a dragon scale. With their dragon friends they have different adventures. The animated show usually features a song between the two short stories that make an episode. The DVD Dragon Tales - Let’s Start a Band is a compilation of some of these songs that have been part of Dragon Tales regular episodes. This episode is unique in that it has a live action main plot that the Dragon Tales songs are weaved into at appropriate segways.

The live action plot is about Nina babysitting entertaining two bored kids by singing, dancing, and creating a band with some other neighborhood kids. It is a fun show, but some kids who love the Dragon Tales animate show may be a little disappointed about this DVD unless Dragon Tales songs are their favorite parts of the episodes. Overall I think it is a fun musical adventure to get kids to think about the different ways they can make music and it encourages kids to dance along. Just make sure your kids are not expecting a normal Dragon Tales episode when they watch this or they will be disappointed and might not even give this DVD a fair chance.

Dragon Tales songs included in this movie include “Wake Up,” “Doodli-Do,” “Cassie,” “The Hello Song,” “Be A Dragon,” “Shake Your Dragon Tail,” “Clap,” “Betcha Can,” “Try,” “The Wiggle Song,” “Dance,” “Ord Shuffle,” “The Silly Song,” “Hum,” “Friends,” and “The World Goes Round and Round.” There is a special feature of sing alongs for five of the songs.

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.

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

Even in infancy, it was obvious that my son loved music. I started playing music for him early on and when he was old enough, started searching for TV shows that featured kids music I could actually stand. That is around the time that I discovered Jack’s Big Music Show. From that point on, our TV seemed to be stuck on Noggin. If you are a regular reader of this site, then you know that I tend to write a lot about shows that air on Noggin and my toddler is the main reason. He loves it and I love that they don’t show a million commercials.

Recently I’ve been “shopping around” for some new shows because I pretty much have all of the Noggin shows memorized. My biggest criteria for a show is that is has music that isn’t completely annoying to listen to over and over again (educational value is a big plus as well). It is easy to find kids shows with music, but not so easy to find kids shows with music that adults can stand to listen to as well. That’s why I’ve put together this list of my “Top 5 Shows to Get Your Preschooler Singing and Dancing”. In all of the following shows, the music is bearable and the dance moves you might see from your toddlers and preschoolers while they are watching are priceless.

Here is the list (in no particular order):

1. Jack’s Big Music Show - Shocking, eh? I just absolutely love this show. The music is great. The characters are entertaining, and it always captivates my son.
2. The Backyardigans - The music in this show is so catchy I tend to go around singing it for hours (or sometimes days) after I watch an episode. I just love the song about the “scurvy pirate”.
3. Hi 5 - I’ve seen both bad and good reviews on this show, but I don’t think it is so bad. The music encourages kids to get up and be active while still including educational aspects.
4. Sesame Steet - This one pretty much goes without saying. I don’t think I’ve ever known a kid who didn’t like Sesame Street. Some of the music that I watched as a kid still sticks with me today. Anyone for a “Ladybug Picnic?”
5. The Little Einsteins - The great thing about this show is that it introduces Classical music in a fun way to preschoolers. The songs are catchy enough to get my toddler moving, but are teaching him about some of the fundamentals of music at the same time.

Obviously there are tons more that I haven’t included here, some intentionally, some not. What shows get your preschooler groovin’?

music, dance, singing, top 5, Jack’s Big Music Show, Backyardigans, Hi 5, Sesame Street, Little Einsteins

March 20th is International Earth Day and PBS is celebrating! PBS Kids will be celebrating “Share the Earth Day” by running all new episodes of It’s a Big Big World, special online activities, resources for parents and teachers, and several other Earth Day themed shows.

The new episodes of It’s a Big Big World begin on Friday, March 16th. On March 20th, kids can learn about taking care of the environment and doing their part with Miss Lori and Hooper during the preschool block. There will be Earth Day themed episodes of Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, and It’s a Big Big World, as well as music videos from the band Milkshake.

During the PBS Kids Go! programming block, kids can learn about cleaning up the planet and responsibility during episodes of Arthur, Maya & Miguel, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, and Cyberchase.

The PBS Kids web site will offer games and activities to help children think about what they can do to help the environment and take care of the Earth. To help them put the concepts into action and apply them to real life, PBS Parents will offer resources and ideas for parents to share with their children and encourage them to explore nature and take an active role in protecting the planet.

PBS, PBS Kids, PBS Kids Go!, International Earth Day, Miss Lori and Hooper, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, It’s a Big Big World, Arthur, Maya & Miguel, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, Cyberchase

By the time your child hits preschool age, they no doubt will be able to name some (if not all) of the Sesame Street characters. In fact, statistics from Nielsen Media Research say that 99% of American preschoolers recognize the series’ characters. Even if you don’t watch the show in your home, you can’t go to a grocery or retail store without seeing the faces of Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar, or Bert and Ernie adorning the various products on the shelves. My son asks for snacks according to the character that is on the box. We currently have Cookie Monster applesauce and juice boxes with either Big Bird or Bert and Ernie on them in our refrigerator.

Produced by the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street is without a doubt the most highly regarded children’s educational television program. Since its beginning in 1969, it has been the winner of 109 Emmy Awards and has been televised in 120 countries. In 1999, Sesame Street surpassed Captain Kangaroo for the longest running American children’s program.

Recent budget cuts proposed by the Bush Administration may put the future of Sesame Street in danger. If the cuts are passed, federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be decreased by almost 25 percent. This would limit their ability to support popular shows such as Sesame Street. Children’s Media Consultant explores in more detail what this might mean for the future of Sesame Street.

If you don’t want to see these cuts take place, stand up and let your voice be heard. Contact your local Congressional Representatives and let them know what you think.

Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Captain Kangaroo, budget, Bush Administration, PBS, Congress

LeVar Burton, Executive Producer and Host of the PBS show Reading Rainbow, is calling it quits. Among the reasons for his departure was the sale of the “Reading Rainbow” brand to an educational company last year. At the time of the sale, co-Executive Producer Twila Liggett gave up her position leaving behind a trail of questions as to what was in store for the future of Reading Rainbow. According to Burton, the new leadership does not align with his work.

So what is in store for Reading Rainbow in the future? Only time will tell. Previous reports were that the new producers would like to reformat the show “to address changes in literacy education and technology as well as to make the program more engaging for children.” Personally, I can’t imagine watching Reading Rainbow without LeVar Burton’s sunny face smiling back at me.

More information can be found at Children’s Media Consultant.

LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow, PBS, Twila Liggett

Franny’s Feet is an animated series about Franny Fantootsie, a 5 1/2 year old girl with a great sense of adventure. Franny visits with her Grandpa every day in his shoe repair shop until a customer arrives. Franny helps her Grandpa out by carrying the customer’s shoes to the storage room where she secretly tries them on. As she tries on each pair, they lead her to a magical adventure where she helps new friends solve a variety of problems. In the episode “A Home For Herman,” Franny tries on a pair of flip-flops that lead her to a tide pool on a beach where she meets Herman, a hermit crab who has outgrown his shell. They set out together to find Herman a new shell and after a few mishaps they are finally able to find a shell that is just right.

After each 11-minute story there is an interactive segment, Franny’s Treasures, where Franny speaks directly to the viewers as she further explores the concepts presented in the story. Following Franny’s Treasures there is also a sing-along music video.

Franny’s Feet is intended for children from ages four to seven years and focuses on problem solving, global awareness, science, and vocabulary development. For video clips of the show, you can visit the PBS Kids web site.

Franny’s Feet, Franny’s Treasures, PBS, PBS Kids

Curious George is probably not new to many parents out there, but the cartoon series based on the popular books by Margret and H.A. Rey is fairly new. Curious George is a monkey whose intense curiosity often leads him to some wild and funny adventures. His quest to learn never fails to entertain as George explores the areas of science, math and engineering in the world around him. The creators of Curious George hope to help children explore and learn about the world, as well as help parents learn to use their child’s natural curiosity for teaching opportunities.

Each thirty minute episode contains two animated stories, each followed by a live-action segment where real children explore the concepts presented in the show. Parents are encouraged to further explore these concepts using real life examples and the resources provided on the Curious George web site.

The series is narrated by award-winning actor William H. Macy. Among the Executive Producers are Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Kirschner and Jon Shapiro.

Curious George, H.A. Rey, Margret Rey, science, engineering, math, PBS, PBS Kids, William H. Macy, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Kirschner, Jon Shapiro

Who are The Hoobs? They are the latest Jim Henson creation to make their way to US television. Aimed at 3-5 year olds, the show follows The Hoobs as they spend their days seeking answers to simple questions about the world they live in. Tula, Groove, Iver, and Roma hail from far away Hoobland. The four colorful puppets travel the world in their Hoobmobile to learn as much as they can about life on Earth. They report their findings back to Hubba Hubba Hoob, who then records it in the large Hoobopedia.

The show appears to be fairly educational. It helps children learn the process of asking a question, looking for clues to the answer, following the presented information and eventually coming to a final conclusion. It also includes a nice variety of singing and dancing which helps to keep the child’s interest.

The one factor that I personally find a little annoying is their use of the Hoob language. Some of the common words that you will hear throughout the show are: tiddlypeeps (kids), Hooby groovy, Hooble-toodle-do, and Hoobalicious.

The series was first aired in the UK in 2000 and premiered in the US, on PBS’s Sprout, on December 25, 2006.

The Hoobs, Jim Henson, PBS, Sprout

I feel like I am always so behind after the holidays. There always seems to be so much to keep up with and my brain just doesn’t hold up. That’s why I wasn’t at all surprised this morning to realize that I missed the PBS special that I wanted to watch lastnight.

Sesame Workshop has created a new special for military families regarding how to keep families connected when a parent is deployed. Even though neither my husband or I are in the military, many of our family members are. This special, hosted by Cuba Gooding, Jr. is primarily addressed to parents and focuses on how to cope with the anxiety and fears that the family may have before, during, and after deployment.

The project was speared on by the overwhelming reaction to Sesame Workshop’s recent educational outreach program produced in partnership with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. titled, “Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment”. The bilingual DVD and print package is available for free. A free copy can be requested here or you can download both the child and parent video on your computer.

Sesame Workshop, PBS, Cuba Gooding Jr., military, deployment