Hello Moms,
My kids watch little TV, but when they do I want it be educational and fun. My son loves the Magic School Bus series and I feel like he learns lots and loves watching it. Both children also love WordWorld. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Thank you all so much for your great suggestions. I've set my DVR to tape many of them so I'll have them when I need them.
Between the Lions. many libraries carry DVD and VHS of this show that used to air on PBS
Good Luck
V
Hi there,
My daughter loves a show on PBS called, "Sid the Science kid". Great music and great science concepts for the age group. Hope they like it as much as my little one does.
C.
Do you have cable or satellite? Discovery Kids channel has some great programming! Animal Planet also has great shows for kids.
My all time favorite is still Sesame Street. They did it first and they do it best.
D.,
OK, I am going to be the spoiler here and suggest that maybe what they are watching is enough TV especially for the 2 1/2 yr old. Watching television deprives sensory perception. It shuts down brain function and in children under 5 it is especially damaging. It's great for mom because they are quiet and glued to the tube so you can get things done, but just think how hypnotic that effect can be. There's a reason it's called programming. I'm not saying no TV ever, I'm just saying a little goes a long way. Games like dress up where the kids can invent their own characters and stories are much more beneficial. Anything that expands the mind and encourages creativity is far more preferable. I know you will use good judgment and already do.
At those ages my son never watched T.V. I stayed at home to be with him, and all my time was spent with him. I read to him, I taught him geography,some math, nature, we took walks everyday, today he is an engineer, and he rarely watches T.V. he enjoys hiking, national parks, etc......
Hi- I came across this media company- IAG. IAGmedia.net or intothegreatoutdoors.net.
It stands for Its all Good. All content and shows are what they call "Truly G" meaning true G rating. Their Chipper series is really cute and teaches being well mannered on your adventures. Their first was about nature which I thought was so relevant to today and getting kids outdoors to play again. They have other incredible books and music as well.
I know they are correlated with the school systems and have won a bunch of awards for their products.
Super Why on PBS is great! Also, Growing up with, whatever animal they chose on Animal Planet it wonderful too!!
Enjoy :)
Sid the Science Kid, Super Why, Bob the Builder and Sesame Street.
I have found that my local city and public libraries to be a wonderful resource of education programs for kids. I love letting my kids look around the movie section of the library and bring me things that catch their eye! (Their movie needs mommy's approval, of course!). I have made it fun by getting my two older kid's their very own library card which makes them feel "big" taking their own movies (and books) to the check-out counter. My girls like getting the print-out receipt, as it makes them feel oh-so-important. My county library allows eductional movies and books to be checked out for longer periods than my city library. (3 weeks versus 7 days). So the kiddos can watch their shows a few times before turning them in! I love it too because I get to do the same, borrow movies about different countries, national parks, specific type of animal, etc and make a family movie night out of it. Maybe even do something fun and festive like make Mexican dinner if we are watching about Tulum Mayan ruins, or make mini paper lanterns if we watch a movie about the pandas in China, or get a video about a specific holiday, say Valentine's (it's right around the corner!) and make some handmade greeting cards to hand out to family, friends, and neighbors! I hope this helps!
sesame street! love it!
R.
I think "Signing Time" is very educational. It is shown on PBS and they also have a website.
My daughter loves Super Why on PBS. But her all time favorite is Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickjr. I love it too. It's incredibly creative, has great music and they teach the children about feelings, sharing, getting along in the world. I highly reccommend it!
We like little bear. It comes on Noggin at one p.m. every afternoon for a half hour. We watch it about two or three days a week. I find it wholesome and educational.
My 4-1/2 yo daughter loves "Peep" and "Imagination Movers." They both show the characters solving problems, and Peep also leans towards teaching science. She used to watch Word World, but not so much anymore. She'll sometimes still watch Word Girl and Super Why. Anything that's on Nickelodeon channel we Tivo because I don't want her watching the commercials.
Bill Nye the Science Guy is cool, especially for your boy. Also, the National Geographic KIDS - but I would pre-watch them bc sometimes the animals may mate or eat each other. There is also another science series for kids called "Eyewitness."
I would try Noggin. Check with your cable provider to see what channel it is and whether you get that channel and every show is educational in some way. My 2 year old loves it and whenever we turn on the TV I know that whatever happens to be on at that moment on Noggin will entertain her and also teach her something. Before every show they tell you what the specific thing each episode teached also. Have fun. We do.
Handy Manny is good along with the others mentioned.
Hi D.,
If you have DirecTV, there's a channel for young babies/toddlers on channel 293. It's called Baby First. It has various developmental shows. Your little boy might be bored, but your daughter would like it. My 1 year old son loves the musical shows.
My daughter's only 8 months but she really loves Imagination Movers and she even likes Handy Manny. I let her watch those because they're educational and fun.
Cyberchase & Super Why are great. I think Word Girl is another one we like. They are all PBS shows. And Sid the Science guy.
Good luck
Our family LOVES a show called Yo Gabba Gabba. It is on Nickelodeon once a day usually around 10:30am. A lot of people are turned off by it but give it a chance and your kids will love it as much as my daughter does!
I don't know how much of it has to do with the show (we dvr it and use it to calm her or for our busy work time) or how much to do with how we are teaching her things...but she will not be 2 until Feb 23rd, and can say her whole abc's, count to 14, knows all colors and shapes, and sings the actual words to songs when they come on.
She demands to watch it, and if she ever stops loving it I'm afraid I'll have to go buy the whole toy store again because those character toys are the ONLY ones she picks out on her own.
Oh, and about the commercials...They don't cut into the show at all, they leave all the commercials until the end so when it's over, it's over! (I think Dora is like that too, but it's less educational)
In addition to Word World, my kids are also in love with Sid the Science Kid, Super Why (both on PBS), and Bindi the Jungle Girl (Discovery Kids).
Anything on PBS in the mornings are great also Nick Jr has some really good shows as does Playhouse Disney but only during the week before like 12:00. Manny's Tools is cute, Back Yardagins in great also Wigglytown Hereos, Seasame Street, We also love Wordworld too. You can go to the library and check out a lot of good videos too. Good luck!
Super Why! Is great. Imagination Movers and The Upside Down Show.
We didn't watch much TV either, but when we did, it was Noggin. I'll include a link here that gives information on their philosophy of what they teach on their shows.
The channel's slogan is "It's like preschool on TV".
Before many shows they will even mention the concepts that are being presented during that show.
And - no commercials! That was big one for me!
My son's favorite was The Upside Down Show.
The collection of shows teach various educational concepts as well as character building and cultural diversity.
Here's a link:
http://www.noggin.com/parents/
Take care!
M.
Sid the Science kid & Super Why.. They are both very educational and fun to watch for both kids and adults!
My son loves Blue's Clues--and he's almost five. He's been watching it on and off since he was just over 12 months. (When he was a toddler, he'd watch for five minutes to listen to the opening theme). Now that he's older, he can "play along" with the show--he has a "handy dandy notebook" to write down the clues and he can answer the questions posed by "Joe" or "Steve." This is a nice show because it's interactive and focuses on problem-solving, the expression of feelings, and logical thinking. There's also cultural aspects, academic concepts, and encouraging the use of one's imagination. Besides, it's fun!
The best part is that Blue's Clues can be accessed on the Freezone section OnDemand service--it's located on the Noggin channel. My son was thrilled that there was a Valentine's Day episode added to the list of choices today.
:-) D.
P.S. I have a friend who swears by the show SuperWhy on PBS. Reading Rainbow is pretty neat, too, but that might be for older kids.
Zaboomafoo with the Kratt Brothers. Signing Time. Not sure what channels you get but those are available on video as well.
We like Noggin the best, then PBS Kids, then Disney.
Not sure how you feel about video games, but we just got last years Vsmile game system for the kids and my 4 yo loves! All of the games are educational in value. We got our used through craigslist for $30 with 3 games. And I just bought another 7 games through craigslist for $35.
My kids love Veggie Tales, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go. All are educational & fun!
Also, Schoolhouse Rock is available on DVD. LOVE IT!
Good Luck!
T.
My 5 year old son is also a huge Magic School Bus fan. His other favorites are Martha Speaks, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, Cyberchase, and WordGirl. They are all very educational. You can get info on all of these at http://pbskids.org/.
If you get HBO Family, "Crashbox" and "I Spy" are great for school age kids.
We love SID THE SCIENCE KID on pbs. In North Hollywood, CA it's on at 9am and 2pm. Great lessons about every day things taught w/ fun music & experiments. Check it out! Also, SUPERWHY is a great book-inspired cartoon that's on right after it.
Good luck!
A.
Have you heard of the Your Baby Can Read Videos (DVDs) by Robert Titzer? You order them from an infomercial, or online at www.YourBabyCanRead.com They really do work, they are meant for even younger children, but are fun for all ages up to about 7 because of the animals and songs. They are useful for increasing receptive and expressive language skills too. I have found them enjoyable and effective for developmentally disabled children too. You don't have to buy the big deluxe package, I bought the first five DVDs and matching cards for under $100. You can probably buy smaller amounts on the website. You can add on other stuff later. My delayed, vision impaired 2 year old is already recognizing a few words and she just got it for Christmas. Oh, also on the computer, check out the excellent free phonics program on Starfall.com (Can you tell I am a reading teacher?). The ABCs part is fun for babies and toddlers, and the reading part is excellent and fun for 5 and ups as a supplement for school programs that are weak on Phonics. B.
I wouls also suggest Time Warp Trio for the older child. Both my girls atrted watching it about that age and they really enjoyed it!
PBS...the best children's shows, they learn without realizing it (too much) & it fosters the "idea" of learning, also.
Curious George on PBS is really fun and sweet. My children love it. Every episode centers around a math or science concept and then shows a real-world example afterward.
My kids love the "Little Bear" TV show (and they have DVD's), by Maurice Sendak. I like it too.
Also:
Blues Clues
Ni Hao Kai Lan
Dora
Diego
The Upside Down Show- (but I don't know if its running on tv anymore)
Oobi- (but I don't know if it's running on tv anymore)
The Big Comfy Couch -(from www.amazon.com)
DVD's by "Leap Frog"- (ie: "Letter Factory" and "Talking Words Factory" which you can get on www.amazon.com)
these are shows my kids love... and me too. :)
If some of these shows are not on your tv schedule, just do a Google search on it... it's real great and creative and imaginative... it helps kids to 'see' the world creatively, and learning that way.
All the best,
Susan
