My kids have been pretty geeked this week because PBS is airing brand new episodes of one of their favorite tv shows, DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD. My daughter actually quotes Daniel Tiger to us during "teachable moments" when we want her to do something like "eat a new food" or "try something new" so it has been a useful show to let our children watch. In fact the other day when I was noticeably upset about something my daughter came up to me and said from the show "Daddy, when somethings seems bad turn it around and make something good." DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD supports behaviors that as parents we are trying to encourage such as eat vegetables, brush their teeth, play outside, and make friends with other kids. Of course, what else would you expect from a show that is based off of Mister Rogers. The show is actually produced by The Fred Rogers Company to follow-up on the themes and purpose of the original Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Unfortunately, Fred Rogers who hosted the children's educational program Mister Rogers Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001 passed away in 2003; but his mission to educate kids through children's television programming continues with DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD airing on PBS. The animated show revolves around 4 year old Daniel Tiger, who is someone my 4 year old twins can really relate to themselves. Daniel Tiger carries over the legacy from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as he is the son of a character from that original show, the puppet Daniel Striped Tiger. The new show also features cartoon characters that are meant to be the children of the puppets from the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in the original Mister Rogers tv show. The children of Katerina Kittycat, O the Owl, and Prince Wednesday are featured in DANIEL TIGER. The Trolley also plays a big part in the new cartoon. I have to admit I always found the original puppets from Mister Rogers somewhat creepy, but these new animated versions are fun and entertaining compared to their predecessors. Another fun tidbit is the show brings back a popular original character from Mr. Rogers in an animated Mr. McFeely the postman ... did you know "McFeely" was Fred Rogers middle name? In one of the episodes of DANIEL TIGER, Mr. McFeely saves the day!
Haven't seen an episode of DANIEL TIGER yet? Check out this clip featuring Mrs. Rogers talking about how the new tv series continues her husband's legacy:
And here's a sample clip of the show where Mr. McFeely saves the day:
If you want to check out a full episode of the show online they periodically make some of the episodes FREE on iTunes or you can check out the PBS website. DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD is a fantastic program I highly recommend that promotes educational issues in an entertaining way for kids. This week all brand new episodes with the theme of PLAY DATE are airing on PBS. Check them out!
Have you ever found yourself humming a tune to yourself at work or when you are out and about on an errand that you might be embarrassed if someone realized what it was? I’ll admit it happens to me; in fact I seem to find myself singing the theme song to one of the cartoons my kids watch on television all the time. You have to admit though that the Ziggy Marley reggae beat which serves as the theme song to ARTHUR is a great tune! Haven’t heard it? Take a listen:
ARTHUR is the second longest running cartoon in the United States behind The Simpsons and has been broadcast on PBS since 1996. The show follows the youthful misadventures of an 8 year old aardvark named Arthur Read and his friends in their hometown of Elmwood City. It’s a show that I can sit down as a parent to watch with my children and find it enjoyable and entertaining myself. The stories for the episodes are really well written and they often include inside jokes that will make parents chuckle without the kids realizing something humorous is going on. More importantly, the shows contain important educational messages and themes with teachable moments children can learn from while they are being entertained by the show. I am a big proponent of finding ways to incorporate FUN into learning as an educational tool. I believe parents should be careful in limiting the amount of television that children watch, but also some tv programs like ARTHUR can be a beneficial experience for kids too and are a fun way to help your child with learning some life lessons.
In its 16 seasons on PBS, ARTHUR has approached some weighty subjects in an age appropriate manner for young children: adoption, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, the death of a pet, dyslexia, and food allergies. As the parent of a daughter with a severe food allergy, I really appreciated the episode “Binky Goes Nuts” which dealt with the topic of peanut allergies (watch it hereor click on the video at the bottom of the post). For more information on the educational elements of the show, CLICK HERE, for a great post on the PBS website written for teachers on how to utilize ARTHUR for their lesson plans.
Each half hour episode of ARTHUR is divided into two 15 minute stories. New episodes of ARTHUR have been on hiatus since December 2012, but Season 16 continues from May 6 – 10, 2013 with 5 brand new episodes (10 stories). This week ARTHUR will be addressing a new issue for its young audience, the topic of BULLYING. As a kid, I was personally bullied to the extent that it still has negative consequences on my own self esteem and confidence. Based upon the incidents I experienced in my youth, I’ve devoted a significant portion of my professional career as an adult addressing the topic of reducing bullying in our society. So I am excited to see ARTHUR tackling this topic in its newest episodes!
Airing on Monday, May 6 in the story “The Last Tough Costumer” the school gang known as the “Tough Customers” realize it is time to stop bullying and find a new hobby. But can their leader Molly ever truly change her ways? Than the week concludes on Friday's episode with the story “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” where Arthur thinks his jokes about Sue Ellen are in good fun but her feelings are hurt. Has Arthur become a bully?!
Check out this clip from “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” dealing with bullying:
According to PBS, other new episodes airing this week include:
“Brain’s Chess Mess” Brain starts a chess club at school to improve his game and beat Los Dedos, the local chess master. Who knew the best player in the club would be…Rattles?!?
“Baseball Blues” It’s Grebelings season and George can’t wait to play! After all, no one knows more about baseball than George. But when he realizes knowledge of sinkers doesn’t guarantee success in the field, will he throw in the towel?
“Brain’s Biggest Blunder” When Brain gets teamed with Buster and Binky in the annual Arithmattack competition, he immediately enrolls Buster in binomial boot camp. Can Brain transform Buster into a mathematic marvel? Or will he be forced to eat humble pi?
“Buster’s Book Battle” Lakewood Elementary has just instituted IRP; a program where kids can earn points (and prizes!) for reading. Buster’s thrilled and gets to work straight away! But will he earn enough points for a skateboard?
“On the Buster Scale” Buster and Brain never agree on movies. Buster rates every film a 10+, while Brain doesn’t seem to like anything…Only one of them can be right…or so they think.
“Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story” The unthinkable has happened! Fern has writer’s block! Fortunately, Ladonna’s full of stories. Faced with a tight deadline, Fern decides to “borrow” the tales and simply change the names. Has Fern confused write and wrong?
“Sue Ellen Vegges Out” When Sue Ellen decides to stop eating meat, Muffy and Francine compete to be the best vegetarian. Can they successfully resist meat? Or was this a missed steak?
“Best Day Ever” It’s a beautiful afternoon and everyone is reminiscing about their “best days.” Everyone, that is, except Arthur. Is it possible he doesn’t have one?
ARTHUR is a top notch show with great writing and stories that delve into important issues that is both entertaining and educational. If you haven’t seen the show before I encourage you to check it out.
Sid, the inquisitive preschooler who has a popular 1/2 hour television show on PBS where he and his friends engage in scientific and educational themed adventures is getting his own feature length movie. SID THE SCIENCE KID: THE MOVIE will be airing on Monday, March 25 on PBS stations across the United States and than will be available for purchase on DVD and via iTunes on April 2, 2013. CLICK HERE to check out when the movie will be broadcast by your local PBS affiliate.
While most of the Sid the Science Kid tv series episodes are based at Sid's preschool or home, the movie takes the adventure on the road. Sid wins a contest and gets to go for a VIP tour of the Super Ultimate Science Museum along with his friend Gabriela who he picks to tag along with him on the trip. When they get to the museum their tour is led by a scientist named Dr. Bonabodon, voiced by the man who set the standard for crazy scientist characters in movies Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd, and his robotic tour guides. From their hijinks and adventure ensue!
Check out this preview from the movie:
PBS has a nice web site section for parents that gives an overview of Sid the Science Kid: The Movie and provides some interesting tips and tools to use for interacting with your kids to increase the fun and educational value of watching the movie together. It shows you how to make a marshmallow catapult and a robot from recycled materials. It also provides a fun coloring sheet for your kids. Visit www.pbs.org/parents/sid-the-science-kid-the-movieto download the info.I know we'll be trying out this catapult idea and tuning in to the movie at our house next week!
