PBS KIDS: Triple Feature, Super Why! Martha Speaks, Caillou

July 26, 2010 By Momstart 231 Comments

Picking content for my children to watch is very difficult. I want to know the the program is educational and has clean content. PBS is one of the only networks that I let my children watch programs from. PBS Kids sent us a few DVD’s to review and for me to choose to giveaway or pass out. Well, of course I want to share them with my readers.

Super Why! I never realized that when we were at Zoe’s grandmother’s house that she actually watched Super Why!. I found out just last week that she did watch it because she was talking to me about Super Readers and Super Why! How they tell stories and read letters. She wanted to read the letters.

We also watched Martha Speaks and Callilou, but I know that she said her favorite was Super Why!

Enter to Win:

3 winners each get 3 DVD’s

Super Why! Attack of the Eraser
Street Date: 7/20

PBS KIDS and Paramount Home Entertainment, the SUPER WHY! ATTACK OF THE ERASER DVD includes four exciting and educational adventures, music videos, resources for parents, printable activities and coloring pages.

LICKETY LETTERS

Martha Speaks: Martha Goes to School
Street Date: 7/20

Join Martha and her family as they discover hundreds of new words to teach children. Based on the successful children’s book series by Susan Meddaugh, and now airing on PBS KIDS, the DVD features eight new-to-DVD episodes

BOB

Caillou: Caillou’s Fun Outside
Street Date: 7/20

Delightfully imaginative and intrepid, Caillou is ready to teach kids about nature, patience, creativity and outdoor activities.

FISH

To Enter:

Leave a comment about your favorite children’s program on PBS Kids.

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This is a sponsored product giveaway, these DVD’s were given to me free of charge and it is my decision to give them away on my blog.

This giveaway Ends August 9. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: Attack of the Eraser, Caillou, Caillou's Fun Outside, Martha Goes to School, Martha Speaks, PBS, PBS Kids, Super Why!

Favorite Children’s TV Shows Giveaway

May 19, 2010 By Momstart 201 Comments

I love to watch TV and yes I am so guilty of letting my kids watch too much TV, but most of it is really good for them. They learn so much from some of the programming. Zoe knows her alphabet and we’re working on lower case letters now. Some of that reinforcement comes from TV. Check out a few of our favorites here:

Sesame Street – Firefly Fun and Buggy Buddies

Warner Brothers is a publisher for Sesame Street DVD’s and they sent me a copy of Firefly Fun and Buggy Buddies to review. We watch this episode all the time, it is one of the episodes we recorded before we turned our cable off. So we have Elmo’s World Bugs, Slimey’s Pet Bug Dirty, and Fly, Little Firefly! We like to sing this song and pretend that we are little Fireflies right along with Telly Monster and Baby Bear.

This DVD is all about bugs. Telly and Baby bear try to figure out how to catch a firefly. But once they do, they see that the firefly was sad. So they had to pretend to be fireflies to understand that the firefly was unhappy with the small amount of space he was stuck in.

You know how Oscar has a pet worm? The worm Slimey wanted to get a pet, so Oscar takes him pet shopping. They then pick out a bug and have to learn how to take care of a pet together.

Wow Wow Wubbzy – Escape from Dino Island

Nick Junior sent us Wow Wow Wubbzy newest adventure on DVD; Escape from Dino Island. Wubbzy is a cute and quirky bendy-tailed character that takes viewers on many adventures in the brand-new DVD, “Escape From Dino Island.” Whether it’s exploring the jungle, swinging from vines or “discovering” friendly new creatures, you will find here.

“We are very excited to bring ‘Escape From Dino Island,’ to DVD as the newest title in our collection of award-winning Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! releases,” said Julie Cartwright, SVP of Brand Marketing for Anchor Bay Entertainment. “Preschoolers and families nationwide will dig the dinosaur-themed entertainment that is sure to bring laughs to the youngest set, while imparting important life lessons about honesty, teamwork and more!”

In Escape form Dino Island has six episodes and a bonus episode making seven total episodes for your preschooler to watch, and if they are anything like the two of mine then they will love Wubbzy in Escape from Dino Island. Start off with the adventure Escape From Dino Island, Then you’ll find Wubbzy The Hero, Call of the Mild, Wubbzy and the Sparkle Stone, Daizy’s Purple Thumb and Mt. Fizzy Pop. Then the final episode is Too Much of a Doodle Thing.

Also a star on the Internet, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! remains the top game for the past two years on Nick Jr.^®’s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) and boasts the first-ever video podcasts for preschoolers at www.wubbzy.com.

Sid The Science Kid – Weather Kid Sid

NCircle Entertainment and PBS sent me a copy of Sid the Science Kid Weather Kid Sid to review with my family.Sid the Science Kid is about Sid and his friends and the discoveries they make at school. They have science lessons every day, as they sing, play and interact with one another just like children do every day. The feel of the show is so natural, every day Sid gets up, struggles to get his breakfast eaten, goes off to school and plays with his friends. He occasionally has a play date after school with his best friend Gabriela. Gabriela is my daughter’s favorite character because of the pigtails, but she is also partial to May and her purple hair.

Weather Kid Sid has four episodes with the first episode introducing the rain. They learned all about how the rain helps things to grow, and that it doesn’t just rain to ruin play dates. Another episode was about spending the day with his dad out in the sun. Sid was protesting the sun block, the same way mine did, but he learned all about why it was necessary to put on sun block.

To Enter:

What is your kid’s favorite TV Show?

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The contest will run until May 31st 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

All of the DVD’s above were sent to us for free to review from the companies listed.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: Escape From Dino Island, Firefly Fun and Buggy Buddies, Nick JR, PBS, Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, Warner Brothers, Weather Kid Sid, Wow Wow Wubbzy

The Answer to Kids Sunscreen Protests, Weather Kid Sid

May 15, 2010 By Momstart 5 Comments

Cover Image - Sid the Science Kid: Weather Kid Sid

Yesterday I wrote a review about one of my favorite programs to watch with my kids, Dinosaur Train, today, I’m writing about my husband’s favorite show, Sid the Science Kid. NCircle Entertainment and PBS sent me a copy of Sid the Science Kid Weather Kid Sid to review with my family. I’m quite excited to have a new copy of Sid the Science kids because my husband is so fond of watching it with the kids.

Sid the Science Kid is about Sid and his friends and the discoveries they make at school. They have science lessons every day, as they sing, play and interact with one another just like children do every day. The feel of the show is so natural, every day Sid gets up, struggles to get his breakfast eaten, goes off to school and plays with his friends. He occasionally has a play date after school with his best friend Gabriela. Gabriela is my daughter’s favorite character because of the pigtails, but she is also partial to May and her purple hair.

The Answer to Kids Sun Block Protests:

Zoe and Miles both absolutely detest having sunscreen put on them. Miles has to be held down, and Zoe was the same way until she watched Sid The Science Kid, Weather Kid. After watching the episode about sunscreen she will tolerate it.

At school, Sid and his friends discover that sunscreen is a great way to protect your skin from the sun. And they also learn about the amazing ways the sun helps the Earth. Parents and their children can explore and learn more about sunscreen at the Sid the Science Kid official website at PBSKIDS.org/sid.

This was our conversation after she watched Sid the Science Kid.

Mommy, Sid doesn’t like sunblock

No he doesn’t does he sweetie?

No

But he wears it right?

Yeah

Can I put some on you now?

Yeah, I won’t scream like bubby.

Thank You Baby

She lets me put it on her now without complaint. I missed the actual episode, I watched the rain episode with them, but I missed whatever conversation she had with her dad and what she actually learned from Sid. Whatever went on, I’m very grateful to be down to only one protesting child instead of two. You know, when you’re out in public and your child is screaming, other parents stare at you and give you looks.

So if your having issues with your kids, maybe their favorite cartoon character knows a thing or two about putting on sun block. Even the Imagination Movers sing about sun block.

Filed Under: personal, review Tagged With: Jim Henson Company, NCircle, ncircle entertainment, PBS, PBS Kids, review, Sid the Science Kid

Dinosaur Train Returns with Four New Episodes

May 14, 2010 By Momstart 1 Comment

PBS Kids has quite a few shows that entertain and educate my children. We like Sid the Science Kid, Dragon Tales and Dinosaur Train. Dinosaur Train is one of my favorites personally, I love the catchy song. “Dinosaur Train, Dinosaur Train, gonna riiiiiiiide, the Dinosaur Train. I’d love to ride it myself except for a royal fear of dinosaurs.

On May 24, PBS KIDS will bring the series back with four new episodes. Dinosaur train is a CG-animated preschool series created by The Jim Henson Company. The Pteranodon family is going on world tour learning about all the dinosaurs around the globe and your kids are invited to tag along. The Pteranodon family have an adopted son named Buddy and he’s a T-rex with lots of hypothesizes on his mind.

We’ve been lucky enough to receive a screener copy of the four episodes and it must be partly my excitement but we’ve moved on from watching The Princess and the Frog to Dinosaur Train every morning. We have watched as The Pteranadon family travels the globe journeying to Asia, Europe and Africa with a new character Gilbert, the conductor’s young nephew. These new summer-themed vacation episodes, are just the spirit for those going on summer vacations and families doing their own exploring with kids.

In addition, two new games will be featured on the Parents’ Choice Award-winning website, PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain. The All Aboard game (launching in May) will give kids control of the Dinosaur Train as a junior conductor, helping to seat different types of dinosaurs as the train moves from station to station. And in Dinosaur Tracks (available now) Buddy and his friends are making tracks in the mud, kids can help them figure out which footprint comes next.

One of the episodes is about a bird, the Confusiousornos and it looks a little bit like a peacock, at the end of the episode when the paleontologist is talking about peacocks, Zoe just lights up. We took a trip to the zoo last week and her favorite animal was the peacock. So she just loves it. I love to see my kids get excited about learning. Each episode takes everyone on a journey like this one and ties in with a lesson about that species of dinosaur at the end.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: Dinosaur Train, PBS, PBS Kids

Rockin’, Rollin’ and Ridin’ with Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck #giveaway

September 22, 2009 By Momstart 50 Comments

Product Description:

Familiar to families across the country through their their music videos on the Noggin Channel and PBS KIDS, Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck will release their fifth album in time for the holidays.

Rockin’, Rollin’ and Ridin’ features Roscoe Orman – known to millions for his 35 years as “Gordon” on PBS-TV’s Sesame Street - as guest artist.

Rockin’, Rollin’, and Ridin’ is a 23-minute EP, featuring six new Rebecca Frezza songs, plus two special, remixed audio tracks and a bonus video, each one highlighting the high energy, tight ensemble work of vocalist Rebecca Frezza and the precision backup singers and instrumentalists of Big Truck. The album will be “stocking stuffer” priced at only $8.99.

Rockin’, Rollin’ and Ridin’ will be released on November 10. Would you like to receive a review copy? If a giveaway is a possibility, we would love to do that, as well.

My Description:

I think that just knowing that Roscoe Orman is on one of the tracks makes me feel like muppets are dancing in the background. If you watch Sesame Street, you know that they have hip artists redo the lyrics to their hit songs and sing with the muppets. It just makes kids and adults happy to bounce to familiar tunes you hear on the radio. Putting in this cd gave me this vibe.

Hip, hopping jumping action comes alive in this cd. I want to get on my toy motorcycle and ride while listening to these tunes. These are great motivational songs to get your kids bouncing and giggling.

I also feel this would make a great stocking stuffer.

To Enter:

Take a look at the Big Truck Website and tell me what gets you happy.

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Review: Dinosaur Train on PBS This September and on-line now!

July 14, 2009 By MomStart 2 Comments

“Dinosaur Train”

“We’re going to ride”

“The Dinosaur Train”

Finally my daughter is asking for something other than My Friends Tigger and Pooh. PBS Kids, sent us a preview copy of Dinosaur Train. We have been watching it at least once every day since we got it.

Site Sneak Peek: July 2009
Full Site Launch: mid-August 2009

Dinosaur train is a new CGI animated series by Jim Henson’s. It is 15 minutes long with cute musical songs to teach children about dinosaurs. Buddy doesn’t belong in the family of Ptederons but they accept him and make him part of the family. He happens to be a T-Rex. His Siblings are Tiny, Shiny, and Don. They all ride the Dinosaur Train, to learn new things. Each episode is summarized at the end by Scott D. Sampson, PH.D. – Paleontologist. This preview disk had two different episodes. One was about Herbivores and the other was about working together. You can watch both episodes yourself on-line.

Tiny Loves Fish

and

Triceratops for Lunch

Filed Under: review Tagged With: cgi animated series, Children's Cartoon Show review, Dinosaur Train, PBS

Dinosaur Train Premiers in the Fall

June 6, 2009 By MomStart 1 Comment

The Jim Henson Company, who brought us "Sid the Science Kid", has announced another PBS project called "Dinosaur Train" that is set to air for the first time on Monday, September 7, 2009.

They contacted me and asked me to tell all of my readers about it.

About Dinosaur Train:

An adopted preschool-age Tyrannosaurus Rex named Buddy is the star of the show. He and his Pteranodon siblings ride the Dinosaur Train to learn all about various dinosaurs as they go on their adventures. My kids love dinosaurs. There is something about going “RWWWAHHHHHHH” really loud that appeals to my son.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: Dinosaur Train, Jim Henson Company, PBS

Sid the Science Kid Excites Kids for Earth Day

April 19, 2009 By MomStart 4 Comments

**************Update for EARTH DAY!********************

Visit Sid the Science Kid special earth day site. There are a lot of great activities that your little scientists are sure to enjoy (printable coloring pages, jokes, and experiments! There are also fun resources that relate to each episode topic. This is a great way to explore and learn together- all while encouraging kids to be friendly to our planet.

Zoe and I watched “The dirt on dirt today” a special episode of Sid the Science Kid . I loved it. I didn’t think she got anything out of it until later in the day; after their naps we went outside like we do in the afternoons. This time, Zoe saw the dirt and she wanted to play with it. She asked for her shovel and bucket and she started playing. She dumped the bucket of dirt out and said “yah”. She looked at the dirt. Then she was done until she saw mommy cleaning it up. She wanted to play with it. So I helped her use the shovel to put the dirt back in the bucket. (We have a separate bucket of dirt for her to play in because our ground is all rocks and impossible for her to play in.)

About Sid the Science Kid

Sid the Science Kid is an animated series that looks like 3-D computer animation. It is designed around children’s creative desire to learn and explore. Sid asks a lot of questions and wants to learn. His pre-school teacher is very creative and sings to help teach them about the world around them. The scientific process can be used even at their learning level. I found the singing and dancing to be very cute and funny. I think if my daughter wasn’t sick right now she would have danced as well.

“The Dirt on Dirt” is part of a day full of shows that are Earth Day inspired. Check your local listings for time and don’t forget that Earth day is April 22. This episode investigates dirt. How many kids of dirt are there? What’s in the dirt? I haven’t thought of things like that in a long time. Seeing things through the eyes of a child is eye opening.

So my daughter was encouraged to play and explore dirt from educational TV. Not all TV is bad. PBS Kids is completely educational. There are shows about reading and letters and words. Then of course you have Sesame Street which is one of my daughter’s favorite sites to visit.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: PBS, Sid the Science Kid