The Discovery Channel is awesome.  I have another show on there you have to watch.  It’s called When We Left Earth, and it is all about the space program.  You get to watch the real footage from when man first went into space, and when he went to the moon.  I know the next show is going to show the Challenger mission.  The reason I find this so interesting is that I wasn’t even born in the time frame of the first two shows.  It is one thing to read the history in a book; it is another to actually see it unfold in front of you.  You can feel the tention in the room while you are waiting to see if they actually make it into space.  They even interview the people involved now to tell you what they thought back then.  The technology they had back then (there was no such thing as dell memory chips) is just mindblowing. It is hard that they made it into space with what they had.  I accidentally caught this one night, and I am glad I did.

As you can tell, Noggin is packed with great education programs for our children. Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends does not disappoint. It is an animated program that follows the adventures of Miss Spider and her family. Yes, Miss Spider is really a spider. Her family consists of a bed bug, spiders, a beetle, and a dragonfly. (Do you think a spider would wear maternity clothes?) The main theme of this show is getting along with one another.  This is blended family at its finest.  I have to admit that kids programming has come a long way from when I was little.  Again, I think I like this show just as much as Madison does.  Another theme they also explore is showing consequences for your actions.

Another show that we like to watch at our house is Little Bill. This is another show we watch on Noggin. Little Bill is 5, so Madison completely relates to him. The show is based on Bill Cosby’s book series, and he works with a panel of educational experts too! As an adult watching the show, you really get a feel for how a child sees the world. My daughter gets to learn that she really can make a difference. There definitely is an emphasis on family. You get to see Little Bill work his way through things such as what to do when you are snowed in to learning how to do a somersault. If you are lucky, you may even see him try some renaissance clothing on! You will often hear Little Bill saying “Hello Friend!”. This was inspired by the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation. This foundation was established in memory of Ennis William Cosby, the son of the Bill Cosby.

Your son or daughter won’t learn the ABCs watching this show. However, they will learn about self esteem, dealing with conflicts, and developing social skills. It also won’t bore you to tears.

One of the my favorite shows that Madison watches is called The Upside Down Show. It is on Noggin, and it is about two guys named Shane and David. They have an imaginary remote control that causes them to do silly things. They even allow “you” to control their activities. The show is about all the new things they learn about. It is truly a silly show but so educational. The learning goals that are worked on are:

Imaginative Play

* boosts creativity by modeling pretend play (they even check the time with their Chopard watches!)
* fosters a humorous approach to problem-solving
* models a think-outside-the-box attitude

Language and Early Literacy Skills

* introduces new vocabulary in surprising and funny ways
* reinforces phonological awareness with use of alliteration, rhyming, and other kinds of language play

Cognitive Skills

* reinforces logical thinking skills such as making predictions and noticing connections
* models using abstract thinking and imagination to find new ways of looking at a problem
* demonstrates and explores relational concepts (high/low, inside/outside, light/dark)

Social and Emotional Development

* models cooperation and negotiation
* models accommodating and supporting the needs of others

If you are looking for a great show for your kids to watch, The Upside Down Show ranks pretty high up there at our house.

This is another new show on the Discovery Channel. I am not sure, but I think somebody did some market research and thought we need more shows about/in Alaska. Unfortunately, I have to disagree. I love Discovery Channel — I hate this show.  Honestly, I feel like I am watching Survivor.  If I wanted to watch that, I would tune into regular TV.  When I do find something interesting in the show, the people on it start whining again and ruin the moment.  I just find that The Alaskan Experiment annoys me more than anything.  I don’t find it interesting enough to keep my attention.  (If you haven’t seen the show, it is about a couple of teams that get dropped off in different parts of Alaska and they have to brave it on their own out there for 30 days).

Have you seen this show?  What do you think?

One of the best crime shows out there is Criminal Minds.  Its a tad gory since it is stories about serial killers.  I find the show very interesting, and you have a hard time guessing the endings.  They did a great job over the last season or so when they added new characters.  Not only do you get caught up in the drama or the crimes, you also get catch up in the drama of the characters’ life.  This is one of those shows that you catch once, and you find yourself addicted.

Do you like the creepy crawlies? I don’t, so really don’t know why I watch the Verminators on the Discovery Channel. However, even though I cringe the entire time I am watching this, I am addicted. Basically, the people from Isotech go around and take care of pests for people. You would cringe too if you could see some of the houses they go into. The worst had to be the one that had roaches running in the crib. Some of these are so bad that I don’t think an IQAir purifier would save them. Another interesting episode involves them moving a stove, and you can see about an inch and half of cockroaches. I am getting the creepy crawlier just thinking about it. Even though it grosses me out, I love this show, and you should go check it out!