A to Z Challenge: W

W = Wild Kratts

There are so many Ws I could have used: Wednesday (how lucky was that?), wonderful, woot, weary, etc. But I had long ago (meaning early on in this challenge) decided to post about Wild Kratts.

What?

Wild Kratts. It's a new PBS Kids show that my kids just love. All THREE of my kids love this show! And let me tell you, that is no small feat! My kids are 3, 5, and 7 years old. Any show that appeals to all three is quite the show.

It's from the same guys (not surprisingly, the Kratt brothers) who brought us Zoboomafoo, as show I remember my now-13-year-old niece loving when she was my kids' ages.

It's an excellent show that helps teach kids about various species of wild animals. From monarch butterflies and elephants to flying squirrels and fish, there's no species these men shy away from.

My kids not only love the show, they love the games based on the show, too. (Those can be found on the PBS Kids Web site linked above.)

For the curious, here is a preview video posted by PBS:

And another video. This is like the informative/educational tidbits at the end of each show. Enjoy:

Top 10 Kids' Shows

As I sit here, Abby is watching one of her favorite kids' shows. And that served as inspiration. I thought I'd share with you what shows my kids watch that I don't mind having on the TV. These are in no particular order.

1. Martha Speaks ~ This PBS Kids show is great. I have no idea how long it's been on air, but we discovered it in the fall. Abby immediately took a liking to it. While the concept is kinda goofy, it's very educational. I have noticed a significant increase in her vocabulary since we've started watching this show. Plus, it's hilarious. There are times they put little witty comments in there that my husband and I both find ourselves laughing at. It's a great, educational, and witty show!
2. Word Girl ~ Another PBS Kids show that we just love. Like Martha Speaks, it is funny, educational, and another great show. This, too, helps Abby's vocabulary. In fact, when I hear her use a big word, I often ask her where she learned that word - and nine times out of 10, she'll say one of the two shows. Pretty cool, if you ask me! While I don't find it quite as amusing as Martha Speaks, it still cracks me up on occasion.
3. Little Bear ~ This one's a Noggin fave in our house. The kids love it. I like it, too. I'm not sure why - it's definitely not the most educational show. But, it is cute.
   
4. Jack's Big Music Show ~ Another Noggin fave here, JBMS is a music-centered show. The kids love it - the puppets are attention grabbers, and the music is a hit. My kids are especially fond of Laurie Berkner. I like this because it actually teaches them about music and even exposes them to different genres of music. As a music fan, I find that a HUGE plus!
5. Little Einsteins ~ Another music-centered show, Disney's Little Einsteins is another big hit in my house. My favorite thing about this one is they use classical music. I don't always like the lyrics they add - and sometimes I wish the kids were better singers - but the exposure to classical music makes me very happy. Plus, they teach kids all sorts of musical terms.
6. Sid the Science Kid ~ While this one tends to be annoying at times, I appreciate the fact that this new PBS show goes beyond the typical teaching of the alphabet and numbers to teach youngsters science. I have been very impressed by the stuff it covers - from irreversible change to caring for your teeth to why some people need glasses. It's pretty neat - and my son just loves this show.
7. Word World ~ I love this PBS show because not only does it teach letters and words, but it teaches phonics, too. It helps children learn to sound out words - my 3-year-old son can read three- and four-letter words and I'm sure it's partially thanks to this show.
8. Curious George ~ Yes, this is another PBS show. (We do not have cable/satellite TV.) It's based on the popular series of books, and it's a highly entertaining show. It was one of the first shows we discovered after we canceled our DirecTV service almost two years ago. It's quite funny at times, and it still finds a way to teach kids subtle lessons. We like it, though, purely for its entertainment value!
9. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ~ Another Disney hit, MMC is a favorite in our house. Grant, especially, loves it. It teaches everything from counting and shapes to colors and numbers. The kids find it highly entertaining, and that's always good.
   
10. Super WHY! ~ I don't know why, but PBS is big on reading. And that's a good thing - I am NOT complaining! This is a cute show that takes common - and not-so-common - fairy tales and childhood stories and uses them to help kids learn some reading skills and letter recognition. Sometimes I get annoyed by the retelling of some of the fairy tales, but that's just the purist literature lover in me! ;-) This show is another one that's helping my kids learn to love reading. I'm not gonna complain.
    

So, there you have it. My 10 favorite shows for young kids. All of these are guaranteed hits in my house.

Now it's your turn. Please share a list of your favorite kids' shows, and post a comment with a link to your post so I can come see! :-)

God Bless Miss Rosa

As the parent of an unreasonably picky eater I can't accurately express just how frustrating it can be to feed my children. Interestingly, my girls are my good eaters - it's my son who is a PITA to feed. (I thought boys eat their parents out of house and home, but apparently either that's coming later or he'll be the exception to the rule.) Some days, I will try almost anything to get him to eat something other than cheese as the main part of his lunch and/or dinner. I have even mixed peanut butter and honey, hoping he'll like it extra sweet. Nope.

Somewhat recently I participated in a BzzCampaign with BzzAgent for Smucker's Uncrustables. I was skeptical - they sounded kinda gross to me! But, I gave them a try. (For free, I'll try almost - key word here is "almost" - anything!) I was pleasantly surprised. They are VERY good - and I actually bought a stash for me to eat! LOL Anyway, I knew Abby would love them - she's all about PB&J. Natalie doesn't have PB yet, and Grant won't touch it. Although, he would eat just jelly - like almost any kid! LOL But, they have a Cheese variety - kinda like grilled cheese. I tried it back then when I was doing the BzzCampaign. Grant kinda nibbled at it.

Enter Miss Rosa! Who is Miss Rosa? She's one of the hosts on PBS Kids mornings. Grant seems to think she's cool, as do my other kids. But, there's one segment she does that apparently inspired him. Unfortunately, I can't find a clip online anywhere, so we'll have to go with my (probably not entirely accurate) description, but I think you'll get the idea. Between shows, she sits there with a sandwich. She says she's going to try a new sandwich: cheese and pickles. She takes a bite (or pretends to, it's hard to tell), and says "mmm. It's actually pretty good. I like it." Then she says how good it is to try new things, etc.

Well, today at lunch, I was feeding Grant some of the aforementioned cheese sandwiches by Smucker's. He started acting out this little clip with Miss Rosa, and ate more of that sandwich than I'd ever seen him eat before! More than half! Knock me over with a feather! I kept thinking "God bless Miss Rosa!" LOL So, I decided to share. It's amazing what these seemingly insignificant things can help with!