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As a rule, my family doesn't watch much TV. What little they do watch is limited to whether they do their chores and if it's appropriate (in other words, mostly educational). To tell the truth, we don't even subscribe to sattelite or dish because we just can't afford it. Besides, even if we could, we wouldn't subscribe because I can't stand all of those darn commercials. One of my biggest pet peeves is the commercialization of TV and the children wanting a product simply because they've seen it on TV or it has a certain character on it, not necassarily because they need it or really and truly even want it.
I must admit, that not exposing my children to a ton of TV and the bombardment of the assorted advertisements that come along with it has led to a quieter, if busier life. While it's true that I have to work harder to keep my little ones occupied (sitting them in front of the electronic sitter is not the norm here) they no longer clamor to have that box of cereal because it has Dora on it or that pair of shorts because of Spongebob. They do know who these characters are because they watch TV at other people's houses but they also understand that we won't by them that item simply because of the character on it.
But, I digress. Once in a great while, I find a TV show that I think is great (it isn't full of banal repetition and boring or full of violence like so many children's shows are now) and the kids like too. Such as the vintage Seseme Street (I can't stand the newer shows made within the last 12 years or so), The Magic School Bus, School House Rock, etc. Those are some of the few shows that I will make an exception to and will seek out episodes on disk or perhaps to watch online (there are several places to do so for some of these, including Netflix).
We recently discovered this show while visiting Grandma Sue (Carey's mom). She often watches the children for me during James' appointments, and this was one such time. She doesn't always turn the TV on, so it's a special treat there as well. This time, she had tuned in PBS and I didn't really notice the show they were watching when I arrived to retrieve them until I was trying to gather them up over numerous protestastions. So I finally took a look at what had them so absorbed and then quickly found my own attention caught as I watched the bright characters scurry across the screen and play out their adventures. 
I have now added WordWorld to that small list. WordWorld is "the first preschool series where words are truly stars of the show". In WordWord words come alive, words save the day, and words become a childs best friend. This animated world is full nimals and other objects whose bodies are literally made up of the letters that spell the word they are. The stars of the show include such animals as Pig, Bear, Frog, Duck, Dog and Ant. Each adventure the friends make center around a certain theme such as "ST" of "SH" and that's the words they focus on. The viewers will join in on a series of comic adventures that are resolved only by finding the correct word and in the process sounding out words, rhyming and more as you accompany a host of colorful friends in a computer animated world with fun music that has an engaging beat that the kids love.
For e xample, one of the kids favorite episodes is one entitled "Snug as a Bug" and the adventure centers around Frog and Bug. Bug is tired and he wants a place to sleep but he doesn't know where so he enlists Frog's help (Frog of course, isn't too happy about this but follows along). The basis is that classic "snug as a bug in a rug" line that everyone knows and loves. So off they go, trying to complete the rhyme and meeting such words as Jug, Mug, Hug etc. before they finally find the word they're looking for and Bug has a comfy cozy place to go to sleep. And, of course, they have to sing a little song about finding their word before forming it and sounding it out. :D
So, lets see:
- Fun, upbeat music
- A colorful world
- Pre-reading skills
- Rhyming
- Only 12 minutes long
Hrmmm............What's not to like? This is a wonderful show that I have no problems recommending to other parents and the best thing is, my kids love it too! There are lots of so called educational shows out there that bore the daylights out of my little guys and they wander off rather quickly but I'm glad to say this isn't one of them. Even the two year old loves it and has memorized the opening theme. If she hears it, she comes running from whatever project she had going (usually digging in the kitchen drawers or pawing through the numerous book shelves overflowing with books) just as fast as her little legs will go and screeching "Puppy!" (it opens with Dog) as she hurtles herself onto the couch. LOL
Go to the main WordWorld site and you'll be able to watch a few short clips and even download an entire episode entitled Runaway O! And the PBS site of WordWorld is full of information and fun activities too! It opens with flash games to keep your little one engaged. There are games many Build A Word Adventures for several characters of the show. One of them is helping Bear form a band. Each member of her band needs an instrument and you help collect the "words" to form the instruments. (You can watch a video similar to that Adventure here entitled Dancing Dog.) Or, you can go to the main map to find other adventures such as Alphabet Falls to collect letters to decipher a code and collect the treasure. Or, go to the Parents & Teacher's Area where you'll learn more about the show, watch a couple of short vids, find lots of activities based upon different episodes, etc.
One of the activities is related to "Snug as a Bug" and it's to make an UG!! book. The kids had lots of fun over this one. They enjoyed finding different pictures of 'ug" words to fill the pages. There is also an activity page with three printable pictures to get you started (bug, mug, rug). I provided colorful stickers for them to spell out their names and the other assorted words. So not only did this reinforce rhyming skills but also letter recognition. Oh, and before I forget, you can "read" that same "Snug as a Bug" adventure here as well as print out the book!
LOL, I chose this episode as an example because it's one of five that we have available to watch (the only ones I've found online so far, and this one is at Netflix) and then I found several activities pertaining to it, so it worked out quite well. :D I couldn't have chosen a better one if I'd tried.
And for other fun activities not necessarily related to WordWorld, check out PBSparents.org |
