Kid Shows I Like

I don't know about all of you mothers out there, but I have found it difficult finding good educational type shows for Clark to watch. I started by just Tivoing a bunch of different ones and then seeing which ones Clark liked. I had taped some on Disney, Noggin, etc., and then picked a few on PBS. As it turns out, Clark's two favorite shows are on PBS (we are taking advantage of our tax dollars at work!), and I was just thinking this morning how much I really like both of them so I thought I would share. While I would love to provide enough entertainment for my children so that they don't ever watch TV, it is just never going to happen if I am going to maintain my sanity. Sad, but true!

Word World

I think this show is great and is just a really great idea. The show is based on a world that is made up of letters/words, literally. When you see a house, the house actually spells out house. The characters: Dog, Pig, Sheep, Frog, Duck, etc. are made from the letters of the character they are. When the train goes by, you see the word STEAM in the cloud of steam coming from the train. It is more difficult to explain than just to see it. I actually think this show has really helped Clark learn his letters and help identify things better and faster. I am a huge fan.

Peep and The Big Wide World

This show is actually only on PBS on Fridays, but I also found out it is on Discovery Kids everyday. I actually didn't find this show until Clark was watching PBS one day and saw the advertisement for Peep. He shouted out "Bird!" and then I forgot about the whole thing. The next morning, he kept asking for Bird! and I didn't know what he was talking about. It just so happened that he was watching on Friday morning later that week when it came on, and he just started jumping up and down so excited that Bird! was on. I finally put two and two together and he has been hooked ever since. I think this is my favorite show I have come across so far. It is funded by the National Science Foundation, and it is definitely geared toward teaching little kids in a cute and fun way about science stuff. The three characters are Peep, Chirp, and Quack. They are really cute, and it is even fun for me to watch because Quack has some great one liners in there. He is kind of a know it all...and he is usually wrong, but he is really funny. There are two shows in the 30 minute time and after each one, they do a real life application of what they talked about in the show with actual kids. For example, in one show, they are talking about reflections. Peep finds a piece of a mirror on the ground and runs back to Quack and Chirp saying "There's a hole in the ground with the sky in it!" During the show they learn about mirrors and reflections, and then in the real life segment they have the kids do different things with mirrors. I think this is a great show for a wide range of ages. Also, Clark and I get on the computer together to play games, and I have to say I like the games on the Peep website the best for his age.

Anyway, I would love to know what shows you like, and what you think of the two I listed here. It's okay, I take criticism well...about tv shows at least ;-)

P.S. We have been 6 days mice free!!!!