It’s a really big week for PBS, and as I’m on the road this week at the PBS Annual Meeting in San Francisco as part of my gig with PBS KIDS, it’s a perfect time to let you all know about the next batch of DVDs on the way. On June 10th, PBS Distribution will be releasing new volumes of WILD KRATTS, WORDGIRL and DINOSAUR TRAIN, each hitting retail with more episodes of these great educational series’, ready to watch whenever your little ones are.
Check out all the details below, and look for more PBS KIDS goodness coming to THE ROCK FATHER throughout the week!
“WORDGIRL: MONKEY BUSINESS”
WORDGIRL® is the critically-acclaimed and award-winning animated series from Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company. The show follows the life and superhero adventures of WordGirl as she fights crime and enriches vocabulary usage.
In this new DVD, WordGirl and her sidekick Captain Huggy Face fight the good fight against dastardly villains and bad vocabulary! The super duo faces everything from a meat portal to a peanut butter gun, saving the day and instilling a love of language in children all at the same time. Get ready to be filled with zeal (n., great energy and enthusiasm) when you catch a glimpse (n., a momentary view) of this new DVD!
“Monkey Business”
After a battle, WordGirl accidentally leaves Captain Huggy Face behind (again). So he spends the day doing all of his favorite things. When an overzealous Chuck strikes, it’s up to Captain Huggy Face to single-handedly save the day.
“The Meaty Dimension”
The Butcher discovers the portal where all of his meat is stored and concocts a plan to trap Huggy and WordGirl so that he can take over the city. Will WordGirl and Huggy be able to outsmart the butcher and get rid of his meat portal for good?
“Whammer Anniversary”
Mr. and Mrs. Botsford leave Becky to babysit TJ so they can celebrate their anniversary at a local ice cream parlor. When the Whammer can’t get the sundae he orders he starts whamming. Becky has to find a way to save her parents, babysit TJ, and keep her secret identity intact.
“Peanut Butter Battles”
Chuck adds a new condiment to his arsenal – peanut butter! The highly sticky substance envelops its victims into a giant ball. When WordGirl gets hit with a peanut-buttery blast and Huggy has to roll her around town, will she still be able to save the day?
“WILD KRATTS: TINY TROUBLE”
Join brothers and wildlife explorers Martin and Chris Kratt (creators of the award-winning WILD KRATTS, KRATTS’ CREATURES and Emmy-winning ZOBOOMAFOO) as they explore nature, meet up with cool creatures from around the world, and witness never-before-seen wildlife moments. The two episodes featured on this DVD – “Termites vs. Tongues” and “Bugs or Monkeys” – are filled with humor, excitement, and science!
WILD KRATTS transforms Martin and Chris Kratt into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and to showcase key science concepts along the way. Geared toward kids ages 6 to 8, each episode of WILD KRATTS presents developmentally-appropriate science inspired by the natural abilities of the animals that the Kratt brothers – and young viewers – meet. The series premiered on PBS KIDS in January 2011 and is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math – education for kids.
“Termites vs. Tongues”
When a miniaturized Aviva and Koki are carried away by termites, Martin and Chris must infiltrate the termite ranks – as both termite and termite predator – to get them back.
Learning Goal – Predators and prey develop specific attacks and defenses to counter each other.
“Bugs or Monkeys”
While arguing over their next adventure, Chris and Martin meet a group of spider monkeys! But when a miniaturized Martin is carried away by a baby monkey, the rest of the Tortuga crew must work to find him.
Learning Goal – Certain animals have unique anatomical features adapted to maneuver in particular environments.
“DINOSAUR TRAIN: ADVENTURE CAMP”
Kids will follow Buddy, Shiny, Tiny and Don in four exciting stories as they travel to different ecosystems and learn about erosion, tree lines, rainforests, and canyons. These are the same stories that premiered in January in the hit one-hour “DINOSAUR TRAIN: Nature Trackers Adventure Camp” special on PBS KIDS, which reached three million total viewers during the week it aired.*
Mr. Conductor and his nephew Gilbert lead Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Don and friends on an action-packed journey. Throughout their adventures at camp, the group finds courage as they race down rivers, have a snowball fight, climb a tall mountain, ride a zipline over the rainforest and hike down a canyon to dig for fossils! Viewers won’t be able to resist tapping their feet and singing along as the whole gang makes discoveries about the world around them.
DINOSAUR TRAIN embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains, while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills. Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes, and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history, and paleontology. The Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs and has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous worlds. The Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.
“Adventure Camp: Rafting”
Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don go river rafting for the first time. Their old pal Jess Hesperornis meets up with them, and they all learn about erosion and the importance of rivers before finishing up their adventure by cruising through some rapids!
Educational Objective: Rivers and streams are ribbons of water that start at a high point and flow downhill – often with streams gathering into rivers. Animals and plants living on land depend on rivers and streams to provide fresh water and nutrients.
“Adventure Camp: Mountain Climbing”
For their second outing, Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Don and other friends learn about the tree line as they set out to hike up a mountain. Shiny is determined to get to the top of mountain forest. Buddy wonders if they’ll be able to see anything from the mountaintop, through the tall trees. The kids are amazed that the higher they hike, the shorter the trees and bushes become! Then they reach the tree line – a certain point on the mountain where trees are really small because they don’t have enough air to breathe and the temperature is too cold. In the end, Shiny and all the kids use teamwork to all reach the mountaintop together!
Educational Objective: The timberline, or tree line, is a certain elevation on a mountain where the temperatures are colder, the air is thin and the soil is less moist, making it hard for most plants and trees to grow. Trees may grow as small shrubs. There is less oxygen, so it’s harder for animals to breathe at the tree line and above.
“Adventure Camp: Ziplining”
The campers are back for another adventure – and this time they’ll be travelling to a rainforest! Once they arrive in the dense rainforest, the campers explore different levels of the ecosystem, including the forest floor and the canopy of leaves at the top of the forest. After a hike through the rainforest, the campers’ adventure culminates as each kid takes a ride on a zipline, where they all get a bird’s eye view of the entire rainforest!
Educational Objective: Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet, forests that are home to a vast array of different life forms. Rainforests get a lot of rain, at least 70 inches per year. Rainforests, often called the “lungs of the Earth,” generate much of the oxygen we breathe.
“Adventure Camp: Canyon Hiking”
The campers are led by Mr. Conductor and Gilbert on a hike down a canyon, where they can see the different layers of the Mesozoic Era! At first, Lily Lambeosaurus is reluctant to go, thinking that a new adventure sounds hard, but Don convinces her that a new adventure can be worth the effort. At the bottom of the canyon, the kids dig for fossils. Each camper goes home with a “new” Ammonite fossil, and Lily is so glad she tried something new!
Educational Objective: Canyons are deep cuts in the earth’s surface. They are formed by erosion. Erosion is mainly caused by the flow of rivers. It takes millions of years for canyons to become the grandiose natural landmarks they are today. The bottom rocks in canyons can date back billions of years, beyond the Mesozoic. Canyons can also be formed by a shift of the earth’s tectonic plates.
*Source: Nielsen NPower. 12/30/2013 – 1/26/2014. Live+7 AA ratings for PBS and select competitive cable networks. To qualify for the ranker, on-going series must have a minimum 4 telecasts/ month, and a 15 min duration.
