The Smart News Blog

Few early education programs help kids with math concepts beyond simple counting.   Nickelodeon’s president said that the network saw an opening and took it. “Everybody’s trying to teach preschoolers how to read and nobody is trying to teach them how to do math,” she said.

Math is becoming an area of academic emphasis for young children and Nickelodeon will move squarely into the academic realm, with the introduction of “Team Umizoomi,” which it said is the only preschool series centered entirely on teaching math to children.

In Umi City, math is everywhere, and the math-powered siblings of Milli and Geo (along with their robot pal Bot) are on the case whenever the Umi alarm sounds. Whether it’s a shortage of milk, a lost kite or a subway system stalled by a dropped mitten the show is infused with math and its concepts. Characters use shape matching, counting, simple computation and measurement throughout each episode.

The first episode airs late January, find out when it’s on in your area and click here to save the program to your TiVo DVR.

The Nick Jr. Web site has a section for parents, including the curriculum and activities to help preschoolers master the concepts, as well as games and videos.

Show recommendations are provided by Richard Kahlenberg, a television and media expert.  All program recommendations and are aligned with state and national K-12 academic standards.  Click the program titles  below to find out when they are on in your neighborhood.

Monday, December 14
PBS
“Anatomy of A Pandemic”

This documentary is an examination of the overarching human dimension of a pandemic’s impact on modern society and the science and history of these health crises, in response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic.

Tuesday, December 15
National Geographic Channel
“Secrets of Jerusalem’s Holiest Sites ”

Jerusalem is a city which Judaism, Christianity and Islam regard as holy. To each religion its sacred sites there have varying meanings and often competing claims. Through extremely rare access, the program takes viewers inside two sacred places in Jerusalem rarely filmed.

Friday, December 18
Planet Green Channel
“Discovery Project Earth: Hungry Ocean”

This documentary explains how, by using experimental wave powered pumps to bring more of this life giving water to the surface, it may be possible to restore and enhance phytoplankton production to remove even more CO2 from our atmosphere.

When we watched TV, we learned the alphabet and phonics with songs like “C is for cookie”.   Now, in addition to the gold standard and old standby, Sesame Street, there are fun, new shows that teach early reading skills.  The PBS Ready To Learn Initiative has helped television producers create some really effective programs that research confirms really does help kids learn basic literacy skills.

Think about recording some of these shows to boost language skills:  Super WHY!, Between the Lions, and WordWorld

Click here to read more about WordWorld, Super WHY! and Between the Lions.

The Washington Post reported last week some very interesting information about TV usage in day care centers.  In a survey of childcare programs researchers found that toddlers, ages 1 to 3 and 3 to 5 in home-based day care watched significantly  more television than center-based programs.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television watching for children under 2 and recommends that older children watch no more than two hours of television a day.

While, parents might be mindful about the television that’s watched at home be sure to find out about how your child care programs, babysitters, even relatives use television when you’re not around.

There’s a great quote from the study’s lead researcher. “‘Sesame Street’ is a good show, and there are other good shows.  But, ‘Sesame Street’ was never intended to replace human interaction.”

“We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.”

President Barack Obama spoke those words the other day at the White House as he kicked off a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiative.  Billions of dollars will be granted to schools that can innovate their classroom STEM programs to help produce the next generation of builders and doers and not just consumers.

A number of television companies and channels have joined in this effort:

• Discovery Communications is launching a dedicated commercial-free programming block on the Science Channel among other initiatives found here.

• Sesame Street will be focusing on STEM content in twenty of the 26 episodes this season.

If you’re looking for great science programming for all ages check out some of the most recommended science programs for kids.

Mythbusters – Science, engineering, testing hypothesis and the not so occasional explosion.

Sid the Science Kid – A pre-schooler named Sid, explores  burning questions (such as  “Why do bananas get brown spots? Or why the snowman melted”), in ways that are fun and funny.

Cyberchase – Using gadgets and following clues Matt and his Cybersquad team solve math mysteries and any other problems that come their way.

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It’s Thanksgiving time and if you’re not passed out sleeping off your meal or watching football than there’s nothing better than a good dose of the Peanuts.   The whole Charlie Brown gang will be on television Thanksgiving evening.
Click Here to Save A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to Your TiVo DVR

Looking at the current line up of children’s television there seems to be a lack of what was a common occurrence maybe ten or twenty years ago. This blog post highlights some of the benefits of those great kids games shows from the past. Most notably, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. While current kids television programs are visually amazing with great stories, they seem to encourage very passive engagement with their viewers.