Question
E/I programming? Is it really educational and informative
when it comes to my kids watching TV I am very protective. I let them watch the morning cartoons that are suppoosed to be E/I programming but the other day when I watched it with them I was amazed; there was nothing educational of informative about those shows at all! I was very disapointed in network TV. I want to buy them some good educational DVD's or find them a good shows but just don't know where to look. Any ideas? I know PBS kids is a great network. But my kids don't like any of those shows. weird huh? they are boys and I think they crave a little more adventure! The next big headache is managing their internet curiousity!
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8 Answers
My husband just had a great idea. Suprising huh :)
He's suggesting to tivo shows I've approved and have them ready for the kids. So when I allow them TV time I know exactly what they are watching. So now I'm going to research some shows for them. Any ideas?
When my daughter was really young, I'd sit and watch everything with her. So I got a good sense of what shows had some value. I feel like most of the shows on PBS (you're talking about Sprout, right?), Noggin and Nick Jr. really do have some value. Some instill good social skills or manners, some introduce pre-reading concepts, some (though very few) introduce math. Noggin and Nick Jr. actually recently merged and now all their shows are under the Nick Jr. umbrella. I haven't had time to figure out if they still have two channels and/or what shows are missing, if any. But what I liked about Noggin, and I noticed they still do now that they're Nick Jr., is that before each show they tell you what value that particular show adds.
Some of my favorite shows that I believe do have some educational value are: Pinky Dinky Doo (vocabulary), Dora (Spanish vocabulary), Jack's Big Music Show (music), Oswald (social skills). There are tons more. The thing to do is watch them yourself. If you feel like your child could learn something, he or she probably could. Of course, there's no substitute for real-life learning!
Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum and Tri-Counties Moms, http://www.mothersclick.com/moms-club/tri-counties-moms-sb-ventura-slo-c...
My kids don't watch much actual TV (network TV). Most of the time we pop in a DVD, in fact they call everything a "movie" and wonder why sometimes there are actual commercials :)
I have not been impressed with what I have seen on TV for kids, of course I work during the day so it's hard for me to know what's on at those times. The cartoons I see are not great, pretty silly and nothing much educational about them. But when I'm scrambling to make dinner, I sometimes let them watch for half an hour.
I also do the tivo thing. My kids like Sesame Street and I grew up on it so how bad can it be :) I tape it once or twice a day (season pass) and then it's always there when it's TV time, or in a pinch!
I agree with Patti, that the Nick Jr. shows are very educational along with being fun. For older boys, there's a new channel called Disney XD. I wouldn't call it educational programming but there's usually a moral lesson threaded through many of the stories.
If you have On Demand on your cable, you might have Kids Unlimited, this is a mix of PBS and Scholastic educational programs for kids and since it's On Demand, you can play them when ever you want.
Discovery also has a great kids lineup during the day. Science and animal programs that are likely to be appealing to young boys. Even some nighttime "adult" science programs are fun - ever watch Mythbusters or Catch it and Keep it? These shows use science and logic to destroy things - my "boys" love it but we always learn something.
We only have basic cable, and nothing fancy like TiVo, so our choices are limited. But, the best educational show (besides Sesame Street) I ever found for my little guys is called SuperWhy. I have very energetic little boys, but they are riveted by this show, and I saw incredible growth in their letter recognition, spelling, and even reading. It's got great action but lots of educational content. They don't even realize they're learning. Plus, it's got a catchy tune, and that's never a bad thing, since those things get stuck in our heads, eh? Also, Canadian TV (and CBC for kids on the computer) has some great programming you could check out. They have a show called Animal Mechanicals that looks kind've stupid, but, when you really watch it, it's all about working together, problem-solving, cooperation, etc.... Plus, it's robot animals doing the "teaching", so the boys love it. I also go to consignment shops and pick up cheap educational DVD's to watch with the kids. Things like Blues Clues are great to pop in for the little guys. Good luck!
Beth
http://www.chickennuggetmama.blogspot.com
Oh yes I love Super Why! And there's another good show on regular PBS stations (not Sprout) that I forgot to mention called Sid the Science Kid. It shows Sid just being curious about his world and conducting little kid-appropriate experiments, using magnifying glasses, etc. Very neat show.
Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum and Tri-Counties Moms, http://www.mothersclick.com/moms-club/tri-counties-moms-sb-ventura-slo-c...
We usually let Peanut watch Nick Jr (was Noggin) or PBS. I personally like Super Why, Word World, Diego (he does a lot with animals and wildlife and saving them and Peanut loves that. He's 3 and it appeals to his adventerous side. Of course Blues Clues will always have a special place in my heart and I'm glad Peanut likes watching it now that's he's old enough for it.
I do recommend watching the shows before the kids if it's ever possible. I DVR stuff to watch for him all the time. Also, there is a show that is on REALLY LATE at night so you have to tivo or DRV it but it's called The Upside Down show. It's silly and funny and Peanut laughs outloud when he watches it.
Wow thanks everyone. Recently I found some shows they really like. Zodiac Island, Seasame St. I think are the best. I really like that both of those shows have live kids with cartoon characters and muppets, eduactional and fun