Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

I love this! PBS Kids is offering a collection of summer programming to help make education fun. Starting on May 23, PBS KIDS has ten weeks of themed programming that emphasize literacy. Each week features reading-related episodes from a different PBS KIDS series. Here’s their line up:

    * SID THE SCIENCE KID – “Weather Week” – starting May 23
    * ARTHUR – “Arthur Author Week” – starting May 30
    * CURIOUS GEORGE – “Country Monkey Week” – starting June 6
    * DINOSAUR TRAIN – “World Tour Week” – starting June 13
    * SUPER WHY – “Family Story Week” – starting June 20
    * MARTHA SPEAKS – “Martha Summer Fun Week” – starting June 27
    * THE ELECTRIC COMPANY – “What’s the Story? Week” – starting July 4
    * WORDGIRL – “WordGirl’s Ludicrously Literate Library Week” –  starting July 11
    * WILD KRATTS – “Wet Kratts Week” – starting July 18
    * THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! – “Cool Cat Week” – starting July 25

So, don’t just piddle away your summer eating popsicles! Use that good ole TV as a “stealth” learning device. Why not. If your kids thought of it first, they would.

Along with the themed episodes, PBS KIDs will have more toolds available online, on-air and via partnerships with iVillage and JetBlue Airways. For details, go to http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/PBS-KIDS-Summer-Reading-2011.aspx

In conjunction with the DVD release of the feature film Gnomeo & Juliet coming out May 24th, here’s an outrageously fun event that that the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (the organization that turned a weekend chore into a national competitive sport!) pullec off last weekend. Riders dressed as the film’s iconic red and blue feuding gnome families raced for the right to be crowned the winner and present The Berrien County Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmers with a donation earmarked for agricultural education in Berrien County schools. I grew up in Michigan and when I read this, I could imagine my former countrymen pulling off this nutty event. It’s been a long winter there.

The world of lawn mower racing gathers new mowmentum as this high octane sport continues its complete season of lawnmower races across the country with 140 sanctioned races in 37 states.  Featuring seven classes of mowers, participants will compete against one another for the right to be named turf titan!

And, in case you haven’t seen the film, Gnomeo & Juliet, is tryly a fun, animated comedy the entire family will love. See our review by 7-year-old KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Ny’Asia Bell.

This is great. You can now download PBS Kids Videos on a new iPad app that gives you free, streaming access to more than 1,000 videos from top PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! shows. What a great way to blend education and fun where kids develop their reading skills, learn about science and other subjects through their favorite characters from these shows. 

As a true app fan, I can’t tell you how exciting this is and, of course, like all of their content, the PBS KIDS Video FREE, designed with kids in mind, and supports curricuular goals. Whether your kid is below grade level in these areas, or exceling, this is wonderful and fun content to help them work on these skills, particularly over the summer. Don’t go to school, go to your iPad.

For more information, go to the App Store on iPad or at http://to.pbs.org/pbskidsvideoipad.   More information about PBS KIDS mobile apps is available on PBSKIDS.org/mobile.

The Colorado Film Society, the non-profit organization that produces the Boulder International Film Festival, will conduct its “World Cinema Day” program for students age 13 and above on Friday, April 29, 2011, a no-school day due to teacher in-service meetings.

This World Cinema Day program will be held at the Boulder Public Library Auditorium at 9th & Canyon from 1 to 3 p.m. and will feature a program of six short films screened previously at the Boulder International Film Festival:

There is no cost for students to attend, though seating will be available on a “first come/first served” basis. CFS staff will be present at the screening.

The program is appropriate for ages 13 and older. It is NOT appropriate for younger students.

The Colorado Film Society is a non-profit organization that produces the Boulder International Film Festival. The CFS is dedicated to building a cohesive film community in Boulder through educational outreach to area students and providing educational forums and networking opportunities to filmmakers and industry professionals in Boulder.

“World Cinema Days” are presented by the Colorado Film Society/Boulder International Film Festival, and are made possible through support from The Community Foundation, Xcel Energy and the Colorado Council on the Arts.

Please call 303 449-2283 or email [email protected] for more information.

Shalom Sesame, a twelve-part DVD series offering North American children and families an introduction to Jewish life and culture, won a Hugo Television Award Certificate of Merit: Children’s Program for the episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!”  This marks the first Hugo Television Award for Shalom Sesame, which is co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and Channel HOP!, the leading children’s channel in Israel.

The winning Shalom Sesame episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!” finds the zany blue monster Grover and his friend Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven, Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast) on a visit to Israel and it is almost time to celebrate Passover—only there is no horseradish to be found. Grover and Anneliese, along with Avigail, a beloved Muppet friend from Rechov Sumsum, put their heads together to track down the missing horseradish, exhibiting teamwork and problem solving skills, all while learning about the traditions of Passover. The Shalom Sesame series is designed to introduce Jewish culture and traditions, as well as the diversity of Israeli life, to American children and their families, through storylines drawn from Jewish traditions. The series also celebrates introducing Jewish values and concepts and introduces viewers to the Hebrew language.

The Hugo Television Awards were founded 47 years ago to acknowledge those who keep the television medium vibrant and shape its future. The Hugo TV Awards are presented annually in Chicago by the Chicago International Film Festival.

Shalom Sesame is available on DVD from SISU Home Entertainment, to order visit http://www.sisuent.com/.

“It’s Passover, Grover!” can also be seen on PBS (check local listings). For more information, including materials for parents and educators, please visit http://www.shalomsesame.org/. For clips from the series, visit the Shalom Sesame YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/shalomsesame.

PBS KIDS has launched a series of online videos for preschoolers that combine video shorts with interactive game play.  Available on the PBS KIDS Video Player, the Play-Along Videos feature DINOSAUR TRAIN and SUPER WHY. In each Play-Along Video, kids interact with characters to help them complete tasks, such as matching items of the correct size or finding the right words to complete a sentence.

“We are always looking for ways to make media more engaging by exploring new technology that fosters fun and learning,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS. “Initial research of our Play-Along Videos has been promising, and we are excited about the learning potential for this technology that effectively integrates the power of video and interactive gaming.”

PBSKIDS.org, ranked as the top kids’ site for free videos streamed for the past six months, according to comScore Video Metrix, is often the first internet experience for young children. Play-Along Videos are designed to offer educational content supporting childhood development, including social emotional development, artistic expression, language development, and reading skills. The SUPER WHY Play-Along Video helps children build key literacy skills, including vocabulary and spelling.  In the DINOSAUR TRAIN Play-Along Video, children build their science skills, exploring concepts such as investigation and dinosaur anatomy, while on a fossil excavation.

Innovative Online Content Combines Games with Video to Amp up Fun and Learning.