Thursday, May 8, 2008

PBS Mother's Day Special with Mama Mirabelle


A while back I wrote about the PBS Kids’ hit series called, “Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies”. My children enjoy watching this series and when the television is on, I try to make sure PBS is the station we choose. You have to check your local listings and make sure you watch the Mother’s Day Special that will air this weekend. My son and I curled up on the couch during rest time the other day and both of agreed that it was a great show. He’s even requested to watch it again! It showcases the bond a mother and child have in the animal kingdom. Some adorable footage of mother animals and their babies, made me squeeze my little one closer to me. Something I really enjoyed about watching this episode was the message that not all animals are the same and its okay for animals to want to be independent but they need their mommies too. This elicited a great deal of conversation and turned into a wonderful parenting lesson. I think, when possible, parents should watch television with their children and when a conversation can’t come of it and learning takes place, the time is well spent. Have a great mother’s day weekend and be sure to enjoy this show with your child; it will be well worth it.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

National Geographic and PBS make going green for kids a little easier!



As an early childhood educator, teaching my own children is at the top of my list. My son loves television and I know what a great debate this is amongst educators, parents and professionals. I take middle of the road approach and like all things, moderation is the key. He’s active, has a great imagination, plays outside for hours and hours and has tons of interaction with other children. So if he watches a few hours one day I just don’t freak out. We also monitor what's on the television and vote for the public broadcasing channel most times. Even my daughter loves the television and she’s only 15 months old. I could care less about it but my husband is addicted. So maybe it’s genetic.

Seeing that Earth Day is around the corner and both of my kids love the television the upcoming Mama Mirabelle’s Earth Day Special—“Kings and Queens of Savanna” is perfect! Have you watched this series? My kids enjoy PBS and this is a National Geographic series on PBS kids. It’s darling, educational and best of all incorporates the Earth and respect for the environment and animals. I was lucky enough to get a screening of the Earth Day special that airs the weekend of April 20th. My little guy and I curled up in the chair after bath and watched it together. A real treat! The real footage of the animals, the clarity of there being a balance in nature and that animals play a role, and how every animal is important was so well demonstrated. Teaching such big concepts to a little boy is not easy but this show makes it easier. We both enjoyed the humor and talked about the episode afterwards. Any episode that can get a child talking about nature, animals and harmony is a show worth watching!

I’ll write this until I’m green in the face but had I not enjoyed this screening, I wouldn’t have blogged about it or I would have simply told you to avoid watching the episode. If you’re looking for a good way to bond with your child, talk about Earth Day and then to even do some interactive computer work (great hand eye coordination and fine motor skills) after the show or the next day, check your local listing and fit it into your schedule. We’re a moxi/record and watch later family!

My son says, "You can booger this and say it was real good." He calls blogging booger! Hey, it's green!

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