Entertainment that Rocks: PBS Kids

Have you ever been at a restaurant that has a wait that lasts a little longer than expected? Or a time that you are trying to keep your little one distracted/entertained in the house while a little sibling is sleeping? Chances are you probably turned to your TV or your trusty smart phone. I am so thankful for these modern conveniences that make it possible to make a 15 minute wait in Chili’s a little more bearable. (I experienced this very thing last night) and between our two phones we were finally able to wrangle our children and stop them from running through the restaurant tables and crowded entry way of the restaurant. What is even better is that there are now so many options of finding entertainment for our kids that is educational and worthwhile. Don’t get me wrong, I think “Angry Birds” is perfectly fine, but I do love knowing that through “Umi Zumi” “monkey preschool” or “PBS KIDS” that my kids are actually growing their brains while distracting them from tripping waitresses.

Recently My Mommy Style and a handful of other bloggers were invited to come discuss efforts being made to help grow our little human’s brains through media and the resources they have available. I was amazed to learn that each program that is shown throughout the day on PBS kids has a lesson plan, targeted age group, and key concepts that our taught through each and every episode.

“The PBS Kids Programs on KBYU Eleven are designed on research-based curriculum and address a wide variety of topics, age specific learning abilities, and promote a child’s natural curiosity to help them learn.”

 

We have always been big fans of Curious George, Word World and Super Why, but I just recently discovered “Wild Kratts” for Jackson and he absolutely loves the show. It is like “Animal Planet” but kid friendly. (We tried watching purely educational shows with Jackson but found that the very real depiction of animal hunts and mating season aggression gave Jackson nightmares! I love this show because in parts of the show the kids will actually see real footage of the animal/bug/species they are learning about as well as have a fun story to watch that goes along with what they are learning about in animated form. Wild Kratts also comes with online viewing, games, and this app that you can download onto your tablet or smart phone.

I am really excited about “Peg and Cat” a new show that focuses on math and has a female lead character. I think it is so important for our girls to feel capable and excited to learn and understand math and this is exactly what this show is all about. (Not to say that boys wont enjoy it either, but most educational shows involving math/science have a male main character.) Yay for girls and yay for programs that are geared to empower our little ladies.

 

This show will be available this fall and should start around labor day, so in just a couple of weeks!

Some other resources that you might be interested to know about:

PBS offers a “parents website” that offers lesson plans and activities that are specifically catered by age group. It is as easy as a click of a button to print out ideas that could be great for birthday parties, after school boredom, or lesson plans for those who home school. You can find more information HERE.

Looking for educational games, coloring pages, or online resources? You can find your favorite characters and fun with them HERE and HERE.

A big shout out to KBYU who hosted the blogger event and even let us bring our crazy little kids to check out their awesome facility! We had such a great time!

The kids thought the green screen was a piece of magic. In fact, Jackson referred to himself as Harry Potter with the magical invisibility cloak all day! Ha ha (sorry about the low quality phone pictures!)

What educational programs and apps do you love for your kids? I just downloaded ABCmouse and the kids seem to be enjoying it so far!