Top 10 Reasons Why Humans are Weird
If you’re not watching the NOVA series on PBS, “Becoming Human,” you’re really missing out. It’s a three-hour series about the evolution of humans loaded with whens and hows and whys. Science has come a long way since you last sat in a high school classroom. In fact, the series is done so well that , once and for all, you’ll finally get the whole Lucy/Turkana boy/Human and homo erectus/homo habilis/homo sapien characteristics and sequencing. (Or was that just my little problem?)
So what’s the big deal about humans, anyway? Well, we’re just so darn special! And in ways that we hardly ever think about. Live Science has reduced our extraordinariness to 10 typically human features. Continue reading »
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Tags: babble lists, Becoming Human, big brains, humans, Live Science, Madeline Holler, pbs, Top 10, what makes us human
Mr. Rogers - How Well Do You Know Him?
Fred Rogers has been gone for eight years, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood has been off the air on most PBS stations for one. The adults who knew and loved him as kids are left nostalgic for his calm voice and gentle story lines that just aren’t as common in today’s programming for kids (can anyone say Spongebob?).
Gone, yes, but not forgotten. Mental Floss list 15 reasons why Mr. Rogers was the perfect neighbor: He was tolerant, he was exceedingly kind, he never let fame get to him, and every one of his sweaters was hand-knit by his mother. Even Koko the gorilla was a fan.
When you get done reminiscing, take the quiz and see how well you really know Mr. Rogers. I got six out of 10, passing but barely. How did you do?
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Tags: mr rogers, mr rogers neighborhood, pbs, quiz
Scary Japanese Sesame Street
Sometimes we learn more about ourselves through the lens of another culture. For instance, who knew that Bert is a razor-toothed, screaming, jaundiced man with a giant flap of skin dangling horrifyingly from his neck. And who knew Ernie was such a perv. The Japanese knew, that’s who.
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Tags: bert and ernie, childrens television, entertainment, funny, japan, Japanese, kid, language, pbs, sesame street, Society and Culture, you tube
Levar Burton Relieved Reading Rainbow was Canceled
Levar Burton, host of the now canceled PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow,” is glad to have closed that chapter of his life. What started as a steady paycheck following his acclaimed performance as Kunte Kinte in the TV series “Roots” turned into 26 years of lost opportunities and even greater acclaim.
And for what? The children? Not really. In “My Living Nightmare of Encouraging Kids to Read is Over,” Burton writes:
Fact is, I couldn’t care less whether kids learn to read. There, I said it.
And he says even more. Continue reading »
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Tags: children's TV, levar burton, Madeline Holler, pbs, PBSkids, Reading Rainbow
“Who Doesn’t Love School?”
In case you (like me) missed last night’s PBS documentary about the difficulties many children face in getting a basic education, Jezebel has a great synopsis, with clips, that is well worth a read. Time for School is a 12-year documentary project that follows seven children from around the world as they struggle to complete their studies; the third episode, which follows an Aghan teenager, aired last night and will continue on September 12. Continue reading »
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Tags: afghanistan, children, education, girls, pbs, school, taliban, time for school
Video: Reading Rainbow Tributes!
This week the TV incarnation of the long running PBS show Reading Rainbow came to a close. The on- air ode to books was slammed shut. A Buzzfeed member complied a great list of the 11 Best Reading Rainbow tribute covers. It’s a song that despite how much it annoys me will get stuck in my head for hours…so this is like my worst nightmare. But it’s pretty cool that so many people possess such a great love for the show and it’s ultra catchy theme song. The collection includes - along with the original - a emo, punk and even host LeVar Burton doing a rendition. Check out some of the stellar versions here:
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Tags: pbs, Reading Rainbow, video, you tube
No More Pot of Gold for Reading Rainbow
There will be no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. After 26 years, a Peabody Award and 26 Emmys, the pages of the hit PBS show Reading Rainbow will slammed shut. This Friday the contract for the show will expire on the weekly airing of the show will be no more. Hosted and produced by Le Var Burton, the show aimed at kids age 4 to 8 will be longer be available on PBS since they opted not to renew the contract.
The show had actually ceased production in 2006, when the funding had run out, but it continued to air on local PBS stations across the land until now. The show itself, with it’s honoring of children’s literature, will be missed but one thing that won’t be? That theme song which after I’d hear it once, would be stuck in my mind for the remainder of the day.
Wanna get it stuck in your head too? Check out this ode to the theme song from Rhett and Link here: Continue reading »
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Tags: books, Kids + TV, pbs, Reading Rainbow, Sunny Chanel, tv
Kid Smokes Elmo in a Dance Battle
Yeah, Elmo’s been know to bust a move, but he ain’t got nothing on this toddler. Hey Elmo, you like panckakes? ‘Cause you just got served. This kid totally OWNS that muppet. And really, don’t we wish all conflicts in the world could be resolved in dance battles?
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Tags: childrens television, cute, dance, elmo, funny, kids, muppets, pbs, sesame street, television, videos, you tube
