PBS Kids New Fall Show and Free Resources Help Kids Learn

PEG + CAT is an adorable new show starting next Monday, October 7th on PBS Kids (check local listings for air time).  Kids will like the songs and graphics while parents will love the messages of math and healthy living throughout.

FREE EPISODE
Right now you can download the premier of PEG + CAT on iTunesTV for FREE. Offer expires 10/15/13. You’ll need to search for it in your iTunes to get it free.
SNEAK PREVIEW OF PEG + CAT

FREE CRAFTS, RECIPES AND ACTIVITIES
PBS has an entire parent and teacher resource site with crafts, snacks and activities that correlate with episodes for children’s programs.  Check out all the fun ideas they have created for PEG + CAT.

TWITTER CHAT
A twitter chat for #PegPlusCat will take place Thursday, Oct. 3, 8:00-9 EST. Follow @pbskids to learn more about the chat and show.

A DAY WITH PBS
At our house, PBS is the only channel approved for kid viewing. True, we have limited channels using an antennae, but I’m so thankful to have such wonderful children’s programing available for free.  I often assume PBS is the only channel everyone else watches too. I forget that there are so many screen options to watch right now with cable TV, Netflix, electronic device apps, DVDs and more.  As parents we need to monitor and carefully select the programs our kids watch to get the most entertainment and education for our limited time.
Last month, our local PBS station, KBYU, invited local bloggers to lunch at their studios to learn more about their programs and services.
I was surprised to learn that children in Utah are still not as prepared for kindergarten as they should be. Children could increase their preparedness if more families watched PBS kids programs, which are all curriculum based. Just watching can help, but if parents discuss the shows after, or do activities to extend the learning, it will help even more.
FREE RESOURCES
KBYU 11 wanted to make sure all parents and teachers are aware of their special resources.  Click over for activities, recipes and printables for extended learning opportunities that go along with the PBS Kids programs.

FREE LIBRARY VIEWING
Tell your neighbors (who may not have internet access at home) to visit PBS Kids online at the library for games, printables and episodes (find some on You Tube too). They can also check out DVDs of episodes at the library.
Disclaimer: I received free lunch for myself and 4 children along with a tour of KBYU TV studios in Provo, Utah.  I have had a love of PBS for many years and was happy to learn more about their resources and upcoming new show. All opinions are 100% my own.

Curious George Spring Special on PBS Earth Day

This Earth Day, Monday, April 22, PBS KIDS will air a new CURIOUS GEORGE special: CURIOUS GEORGE SWINGS INTO SPRING. (Check local listings for times. It will re-air Friday and is now available on DVD .)

Courtesy of ® & © 2013 Universal Studios and/or HMH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PBS KIDS ® Public Broadcasting Service.

PBS Kids sent us a screener kit with the movie and spring crafts to check out. We watched the movie as a family last weekend and the kids, including my 2-year-old, loved it.  The story takes off with Curious George having spring fever at the park, then he tries to get his dog friend Hundley to catch the fever but has a difficult time doing it. They explore canoe rides, country animals and more but it takes a hot air balloon to help Hundley catch spring fever.
The music is catchy and our favorite song was “We are the Wiener Dogs.” The movie has us excited for spring but we have to wait a few more weeks here in Utah. It is still snowing off and on.  In the mean time, we can do some fun crafts to get ready for spring.
SPRING CRAFTS:

PBS sent us some pencils and this PINWHEEL TEMPLATE (you can print one too) so the kids could color and create their own pinwheels.

Here is one my son made:

PBS also sent us supplies to create a bird feeder. You can get instructions from PBS here: PLASTIC BOTTLE BIRD FEEDER

CRAFT NOT RECOMMENDED TO TRY AT HOME:
They actually only sent us the bird seed and chop sticks for this craft. We didn’t have a 2-liter bottle so we had to get one at the store this week. That wasn’t the problem with this craft. The instructions tell you to poke holes in the top of the bottle for the string and holes on the side for the chop stick and eating spouts.  It suggests parents use scissors or a sharp knife.  It wouldn’t work on our bottle. We had to get a utility knife out and finally got a little hole. My husband finally pushed through the crack with a screw driver to make a larger hole. It took us over 30 minutes to make the holes. The kids got impatient (so did I).
During the process my daughter told us something she learned at the Recycle plant field trip last week: The bottom of plastic bottles are so tough that they shouldn’t be kept for anything and need to be melted down for re-use.  My husband said a drill is really necessary for this craft (which doesn’t make it very child friendly). Sure enough, I looked online and found directions that suggested using a drill.

On top of all this frustration, it was hard to feed string to go through the holes on top. We had to find a plastic cord to push all the way through the bottle and tie it at the bottle opening then pull back in.  We also misplaced our funnel so it was a major pain to fill the bird seen into the bottle. 
I normally enjoy crafting with my kids but this was a huge craft FAIL. Please don’t try making the bird feeder at home, unless you want to do it without your kids around.
We decorated the bottle with decorative Scotch tape (butterflies) and pink animal print Duck tape. That made it look nice enough to hang in the back yard. Now the kids are excited to see if any birds come.

EASY SPRING ACTIVITIES:
PBS also has a recycling challenge with badges you can print out. Our kids are big on recycling at our house already so it was a good review.Try the Pinwheel for a fun, easy, spring craft. And watch the Curious George movie to bring on the Spring Fever! 
A new CURIOUS GEORGE online game will launch in late April. Featuring natural science concepts such as plant growth and butterfly metamorphosis, the game will give kids an opportunity to create their own music videos about spring.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY and SPRING:
How will you celebrate?

Disclosure: I was sent a screener of the movie with a spring craft kit for review purposes.

Breakfast with The Cat in the Hat: New Episodes March 1

I have a confession: I eat breakfast with The Cat in the Hat every morning. I send two of my kids off to school then sit down with my breakfast and two-year-old to watch The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! on PBS. The thing is, I’m know I’m not alone. I know quite a few other mothers who do the same thing.  The show is adorable with its silly rhymes and songs and I’ll admit I’ve even learned some new things.

My view of The Cat in the Hat every morning. Yes, I’m obSEUSSed.

In celebration of Dr. Seuss’ 109th birthday on March 2, PBS will air two brand-new episodes of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! this Friday, March 1 (check local listings).


On-Air: Kids will join the Cat, Nick and Sally in two brand new episodes - “Rumbly Tumbly / Planet Name Game,” featuring a super shrunken trip into Thing One's stomach as well as a whirlwind trip to each of the eight planets, and “Top of the Sky / Jiggle Bones,” folloing the Cat, Nick and Sally as they travel to Audrey the Astronaut’s space station and visit Dr. Giggles to see why bones are important. 

Online & Mobile: Viewers continue the fun with the Cat in the Hat in the new “Swirly Whirly Pearl Hunt” online game, which is filled with aquatic creatures of all colors, shapes and sizes, and players can catch a ride on the Thinga-ma-jigger to travel deeper and deeper through silly, Seussian schools of fish. Video clips from both episodes will be available for free online at pbskids.org/video and on the PBS KIDS Video App starting March 1.



IF YOU CAN’T WATCH FRIDAY:
My 7-year-old son will be at school Friday when the new shows air. He loves learning about planets right now and would really enjoy the Planet Name Game episode so I’m glad they offer the online and mobile clips (and games) so he can watch part of the show.
Remember to mark your calendars for Friday or view it online.

PBS The Cat-in-the-Hat-a-thon and Birthday Planner

 PBS KIDS is celebrating Dr. Seuss’ 108^th birthday on March 2^nd with THE CAT-IN-THE-HAT-A-THON - a two-hour marathon of their popular series THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT!, which my kids (and myself) love to watch every day.

During the two hour special we’ll get to see TWO BRAND NEW episodes. You can also see video clips from all four episodes for free online at PBSKIDS.org/video and on the PBS KIDS Video App for iDevices.



Dr. Seuss Birthday Party Planner:
Also, on March 1^st the PBS KIDS Shop will launch a Birthday Party Builder Tool – a one-stop-shop for parents’ every party needs offering customizable recommendations based on number of guests with exclusive, personalized products based on The Cat in the Hat. It will offer tips on everything from tableware and party banners to clothing and gifts.

For years there has been a lack of commercial products available for a Dr. Seuss themed birthday party so we’ve all been crafting, decorating and making our own versions to celebrate. I think it is great to have another resource to pull from to get ideas or order products to make it easier when planning a party. I can’t wait to see what they have lined up. 

SALE: Be sure to use the discount code ‘CELEBRATE’ to save 10 percent on any Dr. Seuss items now through Saturday, March 3.

Find out the time for The Cat-in-the-Hat-a-thon in your local area by clicking here.

PBS KIDS KUED- Utah Reading Marathon Party
We attended this fun party in January as a reward for tracking our reading. The kids had fun meeting the characters. Local children's organizations each hosted a booth with a theme from one of the PBS Kids characters.



The kids got to dig for dinosaur eggs (with prizes inside) at the Dinosaur Train booth, do silly science experiments at the Sid the Science Kid booth and read to therapy dogs at the Martha Speaks booth. We had a fabulous time.

PBS Kids Celebrates with Cat in the Hat Show Marathon

PBS Kids is celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Wednesday March 2, with a special 2 hour long marathon of The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That, featuring two new episodes. (Visit PBS to find your local PBS TV station and times.)

PBS Kids has been our “go to” TV channel for years (we are lucky to have 2 PBS stations in Utah). I’ve always loved the safe and educational programs for kids. This past year made me tune in to PBS even more. They started showing The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That, a Dr. Seuss inspired cartoon that uses rhyming to teach science in a child-friendly format.  We love to sing along with the Cat in the Hat as he he hops in the Thing-a-ma-jigger to “Go, Go, Go, Go, on an adventure.”  Martin Short is the voice of the Cat and does a splendiferous job.  If you have PBS, make sure to check this show out during the day with your kids. Episodes are also available on DVD now.

PBS has a great Dr. Seuss Birthday page with ideas and printables to celebrate the  day.

PBS Kids already has a variety of Cat in the Hat online videos, games, printables and activities to tie into the show, but this week they are introducing two new games. The Great Nocturnal Hat Hunt and Such Great Heights.

Reading Marathon, PBS Kids Party in Utah

Back in December we read books and tracked them on a form to be eligible to attend this amazing PBS Kids party put on by our local TV channel, KUED Kids.  The annual party was held in January and we can’t wait to do it again next year.
I've heard of these parties in many states so check your local PBS station to find out what events they have.

At the Reading Marathon:
We met the Cat in the Hat.

We also met Curious George, Buddy (from The Dinosaur Train), Martha Speaks, and Sid the Science Kid.

They had so many booths it took up two floors of this huge building.  They had Japanese Drummers perform, a magician and fun experiments from a science lab.

They had craft stations all over.  Our kids enjoyed (1) Getting to pick a free book (2) making sentences with magnetic words at the Cat in the Hat station (3) painting a “Word Girl” cape (4) using foam letter beads to make a “Word World” worm (5) making an “Electric Company” kaleidoscope (6) going in the mini planetarium for the ‘Zula Patrol”

All Aboard the Dinosaur Train

The kids dug through wood chips to find dinosaur eggs or plastic toys.

They watched an ice sculpture be made of the Cat in the Hat.

We’ll keep reading and track our minutes this coming December so we can attend again next January.

DVD Giveaway Contest for PBS Cat in the Hat Show

"From here to there, from there to here, funny things are everywhere!" There are already DVDs of the PBS Kids show The Cat in The Hat Knows A Lot About That. It can be purchased at NCircle or on Amazon.  

About the DVD: The Cat in The Hat Knows A Lot About That 'Wings and Things' Features 4 Episodes: Show Me the Honey, Migration Vacation, I Love the Nightlife, Oh Give Me a Home and Many Ants Make Light Work. Wings and Things runs for 60 minutes. Created for Preschool age children.

Some bloggers have reviewed the DVD and are giving away a copy of it.  If anyone would like to enter, here are a few links to sign up on to try to win. I'm entering, How about You?
Simply Stacie

Mom Start

Blommi
Hip Mama's Place
Shop with Me Mama

Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports
Toddler Tales by Mommy
Lorri Jeanne's Ramblings & Reviews
Please contact me on Twitter @obSEUSSed if you'd like me to add your link to this post.