We’ve got cartoon “diversity”, stellar math role models and even math in children’s TV (like pbs’ Cyberchase) so where’s ECO-diversity in the media and marketing machinations of kids’ entertainment? As those of you who are regular readers know, this stuff is important to me.
I’m quite often scrambling to keep au courant in the wide array of kids’ media popping up 24/7. But let’s be honest here, I can’t clone myself and be everywhere at once…so I’m thankful to find some help in this media mix to report on these issues.
After all, my articles on hip-hop content and cartoon culture (to finish our Racialicious series on stereotypes, gender and sexism in kids’ media) are admittedly still in the hopper. And, um, yes, my tween & teen reviews of High School Musical2 are lagging too. (and don’t even get me started about my Ratatouille healthy eating/kids piece which will come to the forefront about the time I own the dvd, no doubt; gosh, I love that cute lil’ rodent!) Point?
I’m a quality control freak who’s been stealthily seeking a media maven I can trust to provide serious professional chops sharp enough to sink teeth into content with depth, vigor, and more than a cursory glance. So? I found another one. Please welcome Ashley, Children’s Media Consultant, who Shaping Youth is proud to team with as a content partner in the preschool/TV and young children’s realm!
Like myself, Ashley has been (is!) a producer and editor of both television and websites at major media companies and production houses.
Ashley holds a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media from New York University, and I’ve been auditing her content and industry know-how for quite some time. (told you I’m a stealthy sort, I like to intellectually digest the core content for awhile!)
She’s tracking tween trends toward UGC with iCarly and Edgar & Ellen (we’ll be doing an interview with Edgar & Ellen’s pioneering team at Star Farm Productions (see Izzy Neis’ blog) about those mischievous twins now on every end-cap display in Target in time for Halloween next month) and she’s even tapped into the Yo Gabba Gabba retro vibe that 30-somethings love on Nickelodeon’s new show. (video clip here with skateboarder Tony Hawk on E!)
So? I’m adding her officially to our blogroll today, and giving you a heads-up that this will be the first of many ‘content swaps’ between our two blogs in this niche area where she so eloquently sifts out the diamonds in the rough, and polishes her prose to advise how they can shine…
It’s all about raising the bar in kids media overall…to get the cream to rise to the top, n’est ce pas?
Without further ado, I’m proud to welcome Ashley aboard with this piece from her “Green series” titled, “Why Isn’t Kid’s TV More Eco-Friendly?” Meanwhile I’m off to write about the YPulse mashup on the tween scene, early bird deadline is tomorrow, don’t miss it! (even though I will, sigh) —Enjoy! AJ
Why Isn’t Kid’s TV More Eco-Friendly? by Ashley, Children’s Media Consultant
Depending on who you ask, children’s television may or may not have come a long way.New entries like “Yo Gabba Gabba” feel retro in a classic “Sesame Street” or “The Electric Company” style, but offer a more modern take on design and music.
Kid’s TV beat broadcast to the punch and has already issued user-generated content in a mixed media format. Networks have caught on to the lack of diversity in children’s programming, and have debuted “Go, Diego, Go,” “Handy Manny,” and “Ni Hao Kai-Lan” featuring Hispanic and Asian-American characters and culture. And although shows have focused on literacy before (after all, that’s what “Sesame Street” has taught multiple generations since its debut in 1969), there’s a new found effort with programs like “Super Why,” “Word World,” and “Wordgirl” to teach your kids more than just the alphabet song.
But not everything on TV has progressed forward. Saturday morning cartoons are in an ’80s redux this fall, featuring familiar characters such as the Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These shows claim to educate viewers with prosocial skills, but if that’s what you really want your kids to get out of TV, then stick to “Mr. Rogers.” He did it best.
Although less common right now, math is still a subject you can find on children’s television. “Cyberchase” still stands as the best kid’s math show. Joining it, Nickelodeon has promised a new preschool series, “The Umizumiz” for 2008, about a miniature urban repair squad that helps solve everyday preschool problems using basic math skills like counting, patterns, and measurement.
Science shows, on the other hand, aren’t too abundant. Once upon a time we had “Mr. Wizard,” “3-2-1 Contact,” and new episodes of “Bill Nye, the Science Guy.” Now, with a little digging, we can find “The Zula Patrol,” which emphasizes national science education standards, focusing on scientific investigation and discovery, and astronomy, and “DragonflyTV,” a multimedia science show for 9- to 12-year-olds on PBS.
Despite all of this, there is STILL something missing on children’s television.
Ecology. Environmentalism. Going green.
Although the inhabitants of our world are diverse, the one thing we all have in common is the planet on which we live. We share the same sky, the same oceans, the same soil. And all of it is in danger. In order to tackle issues that have and will continue to affect each and every one of us – like global warming, animal extinction, pollution, conservation, etc. – we must embrace an “eco” frame of mind. If the next generation learns to make a minor, habitual change – by practicing recycling, for instance, even on the most local level – there is the potential to make a huge impact on the global environment.
The challenge lies in how we can teach such a subject effectively, and how to use what children already embrace as an educational tool.
Children’s television has the ability to effectively teach its millions of viewers about environmental issues, yet very few programs attempt to do so.
“Captain Planet” was really one of the first to do it in the ’90s, featuring super heroes out to save the planet against eco-villains with names like Sly Sludge and Looten Plunder. It’s obviously a very commercial example, which you can catch in re-runs on Cartoon Network’s Boomerang channel. But what’s come since then?
It’s a Big Big Win
The best example of an ecology curriculum on current children’s television is It’s a Big Big World on PBS. The show uses a diverse collection of animals who live in the canopy of the rainforest. Through their stories, viewers aged 3- to 6-years old experience scientific discovery, the diversity of animals and what they need to survive, and geography, providing the viewer with a basic understanding that the world is more than just what’s outside their own neighborhood.
By emphasizing discovery over the memorization of facts, It’s a Big Big World is able to foster a sense of excitement about the learning process. After all, curiosity is the basis of all good scientific inquiry. If you haven’t caught an episode of this groundbreaking series, don’t miss it. The preschool series Franny’s Feet, also on PBS, is another ecologically-minded children’s television program, although the emphasis is less obviously “green” and more about globalism. The show’s pedagogy teaches exploration, world awareness, and problem solving.
Have you seen something on children’s television that teaches basic environmental concepts and fosters an appreciation of the natural world?
Why do you think there is so little on this topic on kid’s TV? Is TV (as an indoor, inactive medium) the right place to teach ecology? —Ashley
Visual credit: Common Sense Media. Here’s CSM’s review on the new Icarly tween interactive, show, and here’s the iCarly site itself. (fyi, a slumber party full of older (12) tween advisors here at my place just emerged with an ‘eh-not so great, so-so’…hmn…)
If any other readers would like to blog about their own experiences in their own families, we’re interested in submissions that take into account a global sphere of influence and ability to ‘see all sides.’
Feel free to ping me for publication, anytime. –Amy Jussel
we just finished work on a new childrens show called mr furry fur fur and his friendly earth friends.. we encourage you to take a look.
http://www.friendlyearthfriends.com
Mr. Furry Fur Fur is a gentle and curious raccoon (puppet) who explores everyday, urban environments familiar to children with his human friend Flutter. They imagine Blink, the butterfly, who inspires them with words of wisdom as if she is speaking to their inner consciousness. Mr. Furry Fur Fur visits (interviews) people who are advocates for the environment and its inhabitants. Science lessons and environmentally conscious information are taught through the empowering and ethical actions and conversations of the characters. Mr. Furry Fur Fur often teaches Flutter facts about the earth and expresses his observations and thoughts. Sometimes Flutter has ideas to share too. Together they exemplify cooperation, loyalty, and friendship. Mr. Furry Fur Fur’s challenge is expressing his true self in an unfamiliar environment. He enjoys learning from many various earth friends, both human and puppet. An ongoing and expanding storyline introduces other characters such as a farmer, squirrel, dog, cat, bird, and opossum into the everyday life of Mr. Furry Fur Fur. This children’s television program encourages imagination, creativity, love, honoring self, and peace between all people through educational lessons, music, and interviews. Most importantly, this show teaches children how to think critically. Flutter happily states, “I use my imagination!”