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I was thinking about the PBS shows my kids watch (we don't have cable).
Sandra, you are so right- Barney is one big school propaganda show! The
youngest likes the music though. It's funny for me who has been a preschool and
kindergarten teacher to see their huge classroom with great supplies and
beautiful playground plus a clubhouse for fun afterschool stuff, with only 4 or 5
students rather than 20 to 30 - it never occurred to me that my son might think
schools are really like that! Duh, we might have to talk about that one
sometime (me and the kids, that is).
But I was also thinking, my son likes Liberty's Kids about the children who
are reporters during the Revolutionary War, they don't go to school and seem to
learn an awful lot. Also, Cyberchase- the kids on that show talk to the
"motherboard" to save the universe from "Hacker", they don't go to school either
and learn how to estimate, add, subtract, etc.
Yes though, for the most part, kids shows seem to be about school or at least
set in school.
Amanda


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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In a message dated 6/9/04 5:54:21 AM, Mattamandab@... writes:

<< It's funny for me who has been a preschool and
kindergarten teacher to see their huge classroom with great supplies and
beautiful playground plus a clubhouse for fun afterschool stuff, with only 4
or 5
students rather than 20 to 30 - it never occurred to me that my son might
think
schools are really like that! >>

And never a teacher! Just happy music and playing. <g>

-=-But I was also thinking, my son likes Liberty's Kids about the children
who
are reporters during the Revolutionary War, they don't go to school and seem
to
learn an awful lot. Also, Cyberchase- the kids on that show talk to the
"motherboard" to save the universe from "Hacker", they don't go to school
either
and learn how to estimate, add, subtract, etc.-=-

Ah, true! Holly loves Cyberchase, and she used to watch Liberty's Kids but
either it's not on here these days or it's a time she's not watching TV.

Sandra

Cynthia

Liberty's Kids has a companion CD-ROM game. My kids love it and
they range in age from 6 to a "very mature :)" 11. The object is to
report on history by investigating and interviewing historical
figures/events and putting together a "front page" editorial (no
writing involved, you choose from a bunch of prepared quotes and all
the choices have voice over, can be played by a not-yet-reading
child). The journalism aspect of the game really promotes the
concept of journalism as unbiased reporting of facts (ha). Then you
can print the page for keepsake. My kids set up the whole dining
room as Ben Franklins print shop and play out the characters while
they are doing this and we've had some pretty funny spontaneous
reenactments around here (involving teabags).

Funny, the darn thing gathered dust when we were using it during our
school at home phase...hmmm.

Cindi