My girls are watching TV (actually netflix streamed through the PS3, to be annoyingly accurate) at the moment ... it's pretty much a regular "fix" for them in them mornings. And while the sound of small animals singing is wafting through the house, I have been reflecting on the many "shows" (as my kids refer to all TV--they don't even know what I am talking about when I use the term "cartoons") that we have made our way through in the past 7 1/2 years.
There are those I have tolerated with mild to moderate annoyance but have put up with since they are fairly educational (Dora, Barney, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Word World, ...)
There are some I have just plain loathed and rid our home of them immediately, when possible (Wow Wow Wubbzy comes to mind; also Eloise, Caillou, Imagination Movers)
And others I actually find funny and don't mind having on now and then. My favorite (as mentioned in a prior post) is Phineas and Ferb, but I kind of like Wonder Pets and Toot and Puddle too (not that I'd sit down and watch those, but the desire to scratch my eyes out doesn't come out as forcibly).
I find it interesting that some of our favorite dvd's from when Chatterbox was small (Baby Einsteins, the Wiggles, and Winnie the Pooh) are avoided at all costs by my other kids and get absolutely no use anymore. It's like the younger kids only watch what the older kids like. I see that phenomenon with our toys too. Kind of makes me sad.
My kids also watch their shows in spurts. We are on a Wonder Pets kick at the moment (for Queenie). The older two prefer the Pink Panther, though their TV time is severely limited due to school, chores, play dates, and such.
My current relationship with the TV is much more friendly than in past years. I got to a point where I resented it mightily and felt I was always in a battle of controlling how much my kids watched. Now we have our ticket system, and for the past year we haven't gotten any regular programming, nor do we have a dvr. It makes it so much easier that the only option is whatever we can find on netflix, though there is plenty of that to choose from.
Do you have any "shows" to add to my lists? Do your kids watch in spurts too? How do you feel about the TV in relation to your kids? Summer time is coming .... it will be interesting to see if the TV makes a larger appearance in our lives when we have more time on our hands. :)
Oh, and thank goodness my 2 year old has abandoned her recent Scooby Doo craze. It was "Camp Scare" every morning for weeks! The groans from my older girls were hilarious. "NOT CAMP SCARE AGAIN!!"
4 comments:
my most loathed shows that seem to be some how loved are Caliou and WonderPets and Dora. Richard Scary Busytown on Netflix is pretty good, and I think Bare Naked Ladies does the music. Kai-lan is tolerable too. Fireman Sam is a current favorite.
That's funny that you hate wonder pets and I like it. (The others I completely agree with!) I think WP is so cute--I love the classical music exposure, the dialogue can be pretty clever, and the voices are not horrible like Caillou and Dora (so whiny!) I haven't seen Richard Scarry but I used to love the books. We'll give it a shot.
I forgot to mention Max and Ruby. We used to love that one.
Our kids have moved on to the Disney 'tween scene, which I am not happy about. I try to keep them on Phineas and Ferb, but I think they've seen them all. When our Direct TV contract is up we'll be going the Netflix route too. Glad it's working for you. Team Umizoomi is math-oriented, and Kara is somehow fascinated with Bubble Guppies, although the concept is a bit weird to me.
I haven't heard of those shows, Amy. Probably bc I can't get them on Netflix? I always did try to follow your lead on the public television route ... :)
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