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PBS KIDS: Cat in the Hat Builds That

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I’m really starting to get into this app thing. I was slow to the roll, but am fully on board, for all of these education apps. I feel like if the kids are going to be on the devices let’s at least give them the opportunity to have an educational type app. PBS KIDS has created The Cat in the Hat Builds That! app.

The Cat in the Hat Builds That! app offers the second adaptive learning game from PBS KIDS, with personalization that empowers kids to make choices about their play-based experiences that enhance their learning. Like The Ruff Ruffman Show’s Fish Force, released in the fall of 2017, the adaptive game within the app offers experiences that provide real-time contextual feedback based on what just happened in the game, and shifts challenge sequences to adjust difficulty and match player ability.

More core features, below.

App features:

  • Fully customized backyard that grows the more you play
  • Ability for more than one child to save their own game and backyard progress
  • 3 multi-level games, including an adaptive game experience that progresses based on how a single user plays
  • 4 Cat in in the Hat inspired tools to help with science discoveries and observations including a magnifying Micromaboodle, a Doodlemaboodle sketch pad, the Snap-o-rama camera and a measuring Snaila-ma-bob
  • Video from THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! series, which offers preschoolers more ways to engage with the characters and science

In addition to the app release, kids and families can now watch new episodes of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT!. The episodes air on PBS stations (check local listings) and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream, and will also be available for free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App.

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It’s Martha Speaks Weeketh: All New Episodes Start Monday

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June 16, that’s Monday, PBS KIDS and WGBH will be airing three all-new episodes of MARTHA SPEAKS during “Martha Speaketh Weeketh!” This week, you can watch your favorite talking dog, (My kids love Martha Speaks) she’s more than a talking dog she’s a canine linguist. We received a screener of a few episodes and some books. My kids go nuts over books. The books are already in their rooms and I’m pretty sure Zoe read them all very quickly. She’s such a super reader.

 

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The fun continues online with the brand new game, Martha’s Steaks. Children learn vocabulary as they make Martha’s furry friends hurdle, dash, soar, and tumble to catch treats through Martha’s dream-landscape of steaks, bacon, and drumsticks!

Thinking about when my kids first started watching the show they really thought if you could feed a dog alphabet soup it would start talking. I wonder how many kids in America tried feeding their dogs an alphabet.

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And there will be even more fun with Martha, here is the schedule line up. Tune in Starting Monday.

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June 16th
Thou Callest Me a Dog
A dog speaking Shakespeare?  ‘Tis a consumation devoutly to be wished and achieved when Martha swallows Hamlet.  Never was a dog’s desire for meat so artfully expressed.
Martha’s Paper Chase
It’s the Town Crier deadline and Carolina needs a headline.  Hot on the trail for a story, and a biscuit, Senior Canine Reporter Martha stumbles into a scoop that screams front page: the whereabouts of Big Minnie.  But is exposing Minnie’s privacy worth the story?
June 17th
Alice Tells a Story
When Alice tells the story of how she got Nelson, her class is confused.  She ate pizza while playing hockey in an animal shelter?  With a little help from Helen and T.D., she might be able to tell it correctly, even if it is about cats…
Pirates and Princesses
Princesses Carolina, Alice and Helen needeth a castle.  Skipper Truman and First Mate T.D. are scouring the land for a ship.  The problem: Helen only has one tree house.  Who will prevail in the clash between bucanneers and royalty?
June 18th
Tomato, You Say
Why is there a tomato on T.D.’s shirt?  Helen’s eager to know.  Unfortunately, she’d have an easier time getting Martha to skip breakfast than getting a straight answer from T.D.  Will she ever find out?
Martha Questions
Is Martha only speaking in questions?  Why would that be?  Can Skits help her figure it out?  Did somebody put something funny in her soup?  Will the questions ever stop???
June 19th
Oh, Noooo!
Granny Flo’s Alphabet Soup is taking a licking from the competition, Oodles of Os. If Granny Flo goes out of business, how will Martha communicate? To increase sales, Helen, Martha, and T.D. set out to convince Granny Flo to advertise on the popular TV show, International Icon. Who will Granny Flo choose as a spokesperson?
Bye, Martha
Nefarious con artist Weaselgraft hatches a scheme to kidnap Martha by pretending to be Martha’s long-lost owner . . . from Poland. The family sniffs something suspicious, but why has Martha suddenly begun speaking Polish? Will they really have to say pozegnalny to Martha?
June 20th
Martha Sings
Martha wakes up singing and not just because she’s happy. She can’t stop! Helen and Martha visit the vet, some musicians, and an opera singer, trying to discover the source of her musical malady to no avail. Will Martha ever be able to talk without a tempo again?
TD Makes the Band
Everybody’s singing about Shecky the Sea Lion and it’s driving TD nuts! He could write a better song than that, and that’s just what he’s going to do! He recruits the gang to join his band and then sets out to write a hit song. . . . about Belgium? Inspiration strikes, but what will they do for an encore?

PBS KIDS Wild Kratts Bugging Out!

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Wild Kratts “BUGGING OUT” will be available on February 25, 2014. The DVD run time is approximately 55 minutes and its SRP is $9.99. In addition to featuring two fun-filled, laugh-out-loud adventures, the DVD also includes special features – PDF coloring pages and activities. My daughter has no interest in watching it, but I know just the little girl that will love it. My friend and contributor here at MomStart has a daughter that loves bugs. She had the opportunity to hold a tarantula and has loved spiders ever since. She even has a black widow spider costume that she loves to wear around the house. So this DVD is quickly crawling over to her house.

Join brothers and wildlife explorers Martin and Chris Kratt (creators of the award-winning WILD KRATTS, KRATTS’ CREATURES and Emmy-winning ZOBOOMAFOO) as they explore nature, meet up with cool creatures from around the world, and witness never-before-seen wildlife moments. The two episodes featured on this DVD – “Secrets of the Spider’s Web” and “Attack of the Tree Eating Aliens” – are filled with humor, excitement, and science!pbs wild kratts bugging out

WILD KRATTS transforms Martin and Chris Kratt into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and to showcase key science concepts along the way. Geared toward kids ages 6 to 8, each episode of WILD KRATTS presents age-appropriate science inspired by the natural abilities of the animals that the Kratt brothers – and young viewers – meet. The series premiered on PBS KIDS in January 2011 and is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math – education for kids.

“Secrets of the Spider’s Web”

Synopsis – The Wild Kratts team attempts to uncover the secret to spider silk while keeping Donita from including the valuable substance in her latest fashion line.

Learning Goal – How humans can create new objects by studying and analyzing the elements of nature.

“Attack of the Tree Eating Aliens”

Synopsis – The Tortuga crew gets a distress call from some Wild Kratts kids and must investigate why the forest around the kids’ clubhouse is dying.

Learning Goal – How introducing a new species into an ecosystem can have disastrous results.

PBS Wild Krats Rainforest Rescue DVD Review

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We received a copy of Wild Krats to preview!

When I was a kid, we didn’t have cable. Cartoons were pretty much limited to whatever was on on Saturday mornings, and the weekday kids’ shows on PBS. I watched a lot of Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood when I was young, and for as long as I’ve been a mom (going on 14 years now!) I’ve been a connoisseur of PBS cartoons and shows for kids. Back when my oldest was young, I was also teaching preschool, and the show “Zoboomafoo” was very popular among my students. I showed it to Shane, and he quickly became a fan of the Kratt Brothers, their leaping lemur pal, and all of the awesome animals they featured on their show. As a parent and a preschool teacher, I’m particular about shows like that. I want them to be factual and educational, but not preachy or boring. They have to be at their level, but not in a patronizing way. The Kratt Brothers seem to really get that, and the kids found them to be funny and entertaining, but would come into class, full of accurate, scientific information about all sorts of animals! Impressive!clip_image001

More recently, Chris and Martin, The Kratt Brothers, have a new show on PBS, “Wild Kratts”. True to form, this show features the brothers and their adventures with animals, and is packed full of fun and facts. But this time, it’s animated! Cartoon Chris and Martin are still wildlife explorers that teach kids about animals, but they do it by actually adopting their “creature powers” with special suits that simulate the unique traits of the animals they are studying (and usually helping out). The show is delightful – and that says a lot, coming from the mom who has to watch it from the kitchen while making dinner. And my kids like it, too!

Several episodes of Wild Kratts are available on DVD. Most recently, PBS released “Rainforest Rescue”, which features two episodes. In “Rainforest Stew”, kids are introduced to many creatures that call the rainforest their home, and the relationships between them all. In “Shadow: The Black Jaguar”, we learn about these impressive wild cats, and the importance of their special coloring.

This most recent DVD joins others already available, including “Lost at Sea” and “Jungle Animals”, is priced at $9.99 and runs 50 minutes.

Curious George Swings Into Spring Activity Ideas and Review

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We received a “Curious George Swings into Spring” activity kit. The kit included the following items:

    • Materials include: 1 set of chopsticks & birdseed
    • Materials include: PBS KIDS pencil
    • Materials include: crayons
  • “Curious George Swings into Spring” coloring sheet
  • Tomato seed packets

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By Dayna:

Curious George is a big deal at our house.  Since we don’t let our kids watch a lot of TV, we’re picky about what they do watch, and Curious George is one of the few that makes the cut.  We’ve seen every episode at least twice and have the theme song memorized.  So when my daughter saw a new George movie advertised, it was cause for excitement!

Curious George Swings into Spring is a one-hour special, to be aired on PBS on Earth Day, April 22.  Without spoiling it for you, the story revolves around our favorite mischievous monkey experiencing spring fever and enjoying the great outdoors.  It didn’t disappoint my kids, so I’m sure it will satisfy your little critics, too! 

What I like best about Curious George is that my kids always learn something without realizing they’re learning.  After watching the movie, my three-year-old suddenly decided to shake of the winter hibernation and started asking constantly to go play outside, a win for any mom!  We made a bird feeder out of a recycled plastic bottle, chopstick, and twine, and had fun watching our little feathered friends flock to it.  Then, we got some tomato seeds to plant and are looking forward to seeing them grow.  All around, Curious George provided a fun family day, watching the movie and then getting outside and enjoying what we learned! Thanks, PBS!

About Dayna:

Dayna is a children’s counselor turned stay-at-home mom after the birth of her first child three years ago.  She is married and has two beautiful daughters.  When kids permit, she and her husband love to travel, enjoy good food, and spend time with friends. And she is an amazing friend.

Back to School with PBS Kids Road-Tested Educational Apps

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With Labor Day just around the corner, families will be hitting the road for one last summer vacation. And when they do, they’ll be sure to load their mobile devices with plenty of apps to keep kids busy and entertained. Well, why not prep with apps that can also get them ready for back to school?

Apps can be more than just a back-seat diversion. Here’s a road-tested list of educational favorites from PBS KIDS:

While you’re traveling during the holiday, your kids can travel around the world on an alphabet adventure with their SUPER WHY! friends in SUPER WHY! ABC Adventures: Alphabet ($2.99 on iPhone and iPod touch or $3.99 on iPad). Kids join their favorite SUPER WHY! characters for an around-the-world alphabet adventure, all while playing an engaging collection of five mini-games with a literacy curriculum.

 

 

PBS KIDS’ first storybook app! SID THE SCIENCE KID Read & Play ($2.99 on iPhone and iPod touch or $3.99 on iPad) aims to get kids excited about science early on and features two storybooks, jokes, games, sing-along music videos, coloring pages and more.

Is your child a science fanatic? Try Sid’s Science Fair ($2.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch), the app encourages preschoolers to explore and experience science.

 

Healthy eating can be fun too!  Everyone’s favorite aardvark ARTHUR helps kids learn healthy eating habits on the go with D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure ($1.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch)

 

 

 

 

Have some Jurassic Park fun on the iPad with All Aboard the Dinosaur Train! ($1.99 – iPad) The Dinosaur Train is getting ready to leave and needs passengers! Players need to match the passengers with the right train cars, challenging them to problem-solve by estimating dinosaur sizes and comparing them with the train cars’ capacity.

You can find these and all of PBS KIDS’ apps here: http://pbskids.org/mobile/

This information was shared with me by PBS it was my choice to share it with you.

PBS Teamed Up With JetBlue Soar With Reading Program For You & Charity

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For some, Summer is about to wrap up but for us we still have a whole month left. We don’t start school until September 1st. So we have a whole month of Summer reading left and for those of you heading back to school you should continue reading books that aren’t on your classroom reading list because it’s good for you to read.

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“Soar With Reading” Program Details:

1. Visit SoarwithReading.com to access free summer reading materials, including an interactive reading list, reading tips and expert advice for keeping kids engaged in literature all summer long. 

2. While on the site, adults can also share the name of their favorite kid’s book, and for every submission, JetBlue will donate an age-appropriate book to a deserving child through partner Barefoot Books. Up to $200,000 worth of books will be donated through this program.

3. As a special thank you, all adults who share their favorite book title on the site can also be entered into a sweepstakes to win great prizes, including a JetBlue Getaways vacation package!

4. Separately, kids traveling with JetBlue this summer can also receive a free activity booklet with literacy-based PBS KIDS games.  

5. And lastly, JetBlue and PBS KIDS will be hosting several local Soar with Reading events in cities near you – visit SoarwithReading.com to learn more!

iVillage PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge

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This year for the iVillage PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge I took all of the supplies to my son’s preschool. My children love to read and we encourage them to look at books all the time by having books with things they are interested in. For examples, my son loves Angry Birds and his grandparents got him a book about space with Angry Birds in it. So he’s learning as we read to him and excited to learn because it’s in a subject he LOVES.

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I talked to his classmates a little bit about reading. I asked them how many of them like to read, or read with their parents and one or two kids raised their hands. Then I looked at Miles and I said, how many kids like Angry Birds, almost every kid raised their hands. So Miles showed them his Angry Bird space book and the kids seemed more interested. I told them that if they read ten books then they can get a free book.

 

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I love his classroom because it’s all done up in Dr. Seuss books. It’s such a creative room inspiring the kids to learn. They had a great year this year and I hope all the kids continue to read with their parents this summer.

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The iVillage PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge begins June 18 and features free literacy-building resources for parents and children designed by the experts at PBS Parents and PBS KIDS.  Challenge Coach, Angela Santomero, Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer of SUPER WHY!, will provide daily reading activity assignments, answer parent questions and offer advice throughout the online event. Guest coaches such as cast members, characters, authors and series creators from PBS KIDS will also provide activities and ideas each week.  PBS KIDS will also offer other summer literacy resources on-air and online, with themed weeks airing on PBS KIDS, as well as online tips and resources for parents to use with their children this summer.

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We received a kit of PBS KIDS and iVillage summer literacy goodies to hand out to friends at school.

Check Out These PBS Educational Apps

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PBS KIDS’ fun, educational apps, based off of several of their popular series, are a great way to help curb the “Summer Slide” and keep kids learning all summer long on convenient mobile devices.

Your kids want to have fun, and you want them to learn…PBS has the best of both worlds with PBS KIDS apps! Here are some of their top apps for kids this summer.

  • Science fanatic? Try Sid’s Science Fair ($2.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch), the app encourages kids 3 to 6 to explore and experience science. image
  • Augmented reality makes FETCH! Lunch Rush (Free – iPhone & iPod Touch) super cool. Based off of the web-series Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, it teaches kids ages 6 to 8 math skills while blending a virtual world right on top of the real one. image
  • Healthy eating can be fun too!  Everyone’s favorite aardvark ARTHUR helps kids ages 4 – 6 learn healthy eating habits on the go with D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure ($1.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch)

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  • Dinosaurs? Trains? It doesn’t get better than that! Dinosaur Train Camera Catch! ($1.99 – iPhone) is the latest PBS KIDS app to utilize virtual reality. Kids “catch” the dinosaurs with their phone’s camera function in a designated pattern, building patterning skills. Dinosaur photos will be stored in a child’s private gallery.

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  • Continue the Jurassic fun on the iPad with All Aboard the Dinosaur Train! ($1.99 – iPad) The Dinosaur Train is getting ready to leave and needs passengers! Players need to match the passengers with the right train cars, challenging them to problem-solve by estimating dinosaur sizes and comparing them with the train cars’ capacity.

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You can find these and all of PBS KIDS’ apps here: http://pbskids.org/mobile/

NCircle Entertainment Halloween DVD Review Kooky Spooky Halloween & Tricks and Treats

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By Reviewer Emily:

When October rolls around, I get my TIVO ready to search out all sorts of Halloween programs on television. There are plenty that I can watch after the kids go to bed: Horror movies, creepy ghost documentaries, Halloween themed cooking and decorating shows, etc. However, there isn’t much for my 2 and 5 year old to choose from. At these ages, many of the kid shows are still too scary or they are just a bunch of garbage. When I was given the opportunity to review NCircle Entertainment’s PBS Halloween DVD Line, I was thrilled since my kids and I both love PBS programming. The two DVDs, Kooky Spooky Halloween and Tricks and 100709_Kooky_SpookyTreats, feature two of our favorite PBS Kids’ shows, WordWorld and The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That.

In Kooky Spooky Halloween, the WordFriends get their share of scares the night before Halloween, when Pig sleep walks and everyone thinks he’s a ghost. Then, Sheep is making herself a super special fairy costume to wear for the big Halloween Party. But what will she do when her WordFriends need pieces of her costume for their own use?

Tricks and Treats features The Cat (voice by Martin Short) and his friends Nick, Sally, Fish and the Things. Meet the eeriest critters you have ever seen, arrived just in time for this Halloween! There’ll be lots of tricks and, of course lots of treats, to share with the animal friends you will meet! 100416_tricks_and_treatsThere’s a coconut crab, spider monkeys and bats, and plenty more fun with The Cat in the Hat!

Each DVD is 30 minutes long and are not only fun for getting into the Halloween spirit, but pretty educational as well. The Emmy award-winning WordWorld, uses rhyming, phonetics and spelling in each episode as well as colorful motion graphics to keep both kids and parents entertained. The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That series is just plain fun with the use of classic Dr. Seuss rhyming and silliness. The animation looks like it jumped right from the pages of the well-known books. Both Kooky Spooky Halloween and Tricks and Treats are big hits in our home and two DVDs I don’t mind watching over and over (and over and over) again!

Kooky Spooky Halloween and Tricks and Treats can be found at your local retailer or online, including www.NcircleEntertainment.com. They typically retail for about $6.99 each (but I recently visited NCircle Entertainment’s website and both DVD’s were on sale for $5.99 each). Be sure to also visit NCircle Entertainment on Facebook for a chance to win in their DVD Giveaway.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.