(As we have already established, I think letting your kids watch couple shows a day is, well, necessary. It allows me to take a shower or mop the floor AND there are really some great educational shows out there. If you are judging my reliance on the tv to practice good hygeine, please stop reading.)
Most Annoying Shows
Yo Gabba Gabba - Is there anything creepier than a grown man wearing giant glasses, an orange cat suit and a furry hat? I think not. Oh, except maybe if he is singing and dancing with androgynous fluffy creatures. Which he is.
DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba
(Honorable Mention goes to Imagination Movers.)
Most Educational
The Letter Factory - This Leap Frog DVD is incredible. When Luke was just about two, he began watching this 30 minute show on occasion during quiet time. Within a month or so, he had learned all of his letters and letter sounds. At two, he could identify every upper and lower case letter and tell you their sounds just from watching this DVD. Two thumbs up, only slightly annoying.
Sid the Science Kid - This PBS show is all about, well, science. It does an excellent job at explaining difficult concepts to preschoolers. Examples of topics include, inertia, why food decays, how to make clean air, inclined planes, microscopes, etc. There is enough music and terrible kid jokes to make this appeal to the little ones. I could never explain some of these concepts as well as the show does. Two thumbs up for content.
Most Likely to Put You to Sleep
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Hands down. It is the most mind-numbing show out there. It could be used as anesthetic at the dentist. Toddlers and preschoolers alike are mesmerized by the colors and love to follow Mickey and his friends while they solve painfully simple puzzles. This is a good choice if you need to snooze on the couch for an extra 20 minutes. Your interest will not be peaked unless you need practice counting to ten. The iritating "Hot Dog" song at the end will wake you up and signal your children may require attention.
Dora the Explorer - Dora has a monkey, a singing backpack and a talking map. She has parents, but they let her run all over Mexico talking to trolls and making friends with potentially dangerous animals. Each episode follows a formula, like Mickey Mouse. If you have seen one, you have seen them all. I don't get it, but kids flip for Dora and it is educational. Soooo boring. Pro - your kids will know what a map is.
Best for Parents
Sesame Street - While Sesame Street is pretty slow in the beginning, the producers sometimes pepper the show with adult jokes which make it bearable. They also feature celebrities, sometimes singing, acting or introducing a new word or concept. Jason Bateman on Sesame Street? Yes, please. Nora Jones, Jack Black, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Garner, LL Cool J and Dave Matthews are just a few celebrities I have recently seen on Sesame Street. Elmo is a big hit with the youngest kids! I am going to assume you know about Sesame Steet.
Movies - There are dozens of recent movies that are fun for children and parents alike. Almost anything in the Disney / Pixar family. Despicable Me, Toy Story, Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Cars, Tangled....all of these and more are entertaining for the whole family. The only major drawback is I prefer to let my kids watch 20-30 minutes of tv at a time. With movies, I feel like were are laying around for way too long. We save these for 'movie night' with popcorn and when the kids are tired and cranky.
Most Fun
Timmy Time / Shaun the Sheep - Both my children LOVE these British shows. Timmy is the baby sheep with his own spin-off. There is no actual dialogue. It is from the creators of Wallace and Grommit and all of the animals speak in their animal voices. My kids laugh out loud at this show, which I love, and they learn to express and read feelings through non-verbal communication. Watching them crack up makes it fun for me.
Timmy and his friend, the owl
I figure if my children are going to watch tv, at least I should know what they are watching and be able to engage them in conversation about it.
I hope you have enjoyed my awards. Are there any shows you guys really like or dislike? I would love to hear your opinions.
Insert clapping, yelling, and fist pumping. Love your list, love the laughs.
ReplyDeleteComments from the peanut gallery:
1) Yo Gabba Gabba should only be watching while high because I'm pretty sure the creators are high while writing/filming the show. Note to self: come up with lame concept for kids tv that involves household items such as cotton balls, aluminum foil, and cardboard boxes in order to get rich quick.
Oh and I actually don't mind Cailou because he is one of the only children that has parents present in every episode. Bonus points for family values.
2) I've never heard of Letter Factory but it sounds great. Love Sid as well.
3) Mickey and Dora? Are there subliminal messages in those shows that adults are immune to? I appreciate them for keeping my child quietly tranced but what are you really pumping into their innocent minds?
4) When and where does Shaun the Sheep come on? We used to catch little snippets of that show after Mickey but then it disappeared. Now that we've moved on to Martha Speaks and George in the mornings, I haven't noticed if Disney has put it back on. Colin used to laugh out loud at that too and I always wondered what he was laughing at because I was only semi-conscious after being lulled to sleep by Mickey.
It amazes me how much they pick up from only watching a show 1 time. As many shows as Colin knows, you'd think all the kid did was watch tv.
From Kristen.................
ReplyDeleteSo funny! I laughed out loud and Matt asked me what I was laughing at and I said, Steph Ryall, she is so funny.'
Totally appreciate the heads up on the shows my son would have been watching if we were staying here...now if only I could find a similar blog reviewing French children's tv so I don't put my son in front of something totally inappropriate without realizing it due to the language barrier.
I HATE (and I am not sure if that is really a strong enough word so I will use it again just in case) HATE Spongebob Squarepants. This is one of those shows that no one quite knows who the target audience is so people just assume its ok to watch as adults or let your 3 year old sit in front of for an hour. My 5 year olds come to school with lots of bodily function words, sounds, and discussion that all seem to stem from Spongebob. And what is most baffling to me is that Spongebob should not have any bodily functions as his body is a sponge.
ReplyDeleteDanielle - I always love your feedback! Didn't we all miss the boat not thinking of that one! Curious George is a good one, too.
ReplyDeleteTimmy Time comes on Disney in the mornings. I'm not sure of the exact times b/c we just DVR the series, but I think may super early and then are around 10:30 on the west coast channel. Shaun the Sheep on comes on in five minute clips on Disney randomly, but we first watched it on Netflix on Demand. We also bought a DVD for road trips:-)
Kristen - we will find you some good DVDs in English:-) Little Owen is going to be bilingual soon! How exciting!
ReplyDeleteYou may also want to look for this old school DVD set called Mighty Machines. It is a four DVD set and I think it is insanely boring, but Luke and my cousin loved it. It shows how all different kinds of vehicles work - boats, garbage trucks, bulldozers, planes, etc.
Saralyn, you are so right and you make me laugh out loud. I miss your face.
ReplyDelete