This summer we’re doing cartoon recommendations by moms for moms (or by aunts/dads/nannies. . . just basically a grown-up who knows this is a cartoon that won’t make other grown-ups run screaming from the room). So far we’ve heard about the wonders of Phineas and Ferb, the educational benefits of Martha Speaks, the sweetness of The Busy World of Richard Scary, the addictive songs of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the adoption-friendly plot of Dinosaur Train, the British adorableness of Peppa Pig, the fun settings of The Backyardigans, and the soothing pace of Oswald. On with the recommendations!
Recommendation from: Chris and Valerie
The show: Wild Kratts
Where to find it: PBS and Netflix
Why kids love it:
Chris- Chris and his brother (whose name I currently can’t remember) are always turning into new creatures in the forest in order to rescue some sister or brother creature, population, habitat, whatever. They wear awesome creature power suits in order to enable whatever powers they need to help in their mission. They’re like forest animal super heroes.
Valerie- It’s like a more grown up Go Diego Go meets Animal Planet. My science loving 4th and 5th grader love the real animal facts, my kindergartner loves the superhero feel of the show. My preschoolers all love the interesting animal interactions especially the frequently present baby animals.
Why moms love it:
Chris- I literally learn something new every time I actually sit down and watch the show with them. I have trouble getting up to cook dinner or do whatever I should be doing. My kids will now quote random facts about animals’ habitats, eating habits, sleeping hours, etc. When I ask them where they learned these things, they inevitably tell me, ‘Wild Kratts’.
Valerie- The show was created by the real life Kratt brothers and each episode begins with them in a real life animal habitat exploring nature’s coolest creatures before switching to a what-if situation in animated cartoon format. In the cartoon their engineering and inventive friend uses a DNA sample from the animal to create creature power suits that enable the brothers to engage with the focus animal in its natural habit and to experience some of it’s cool “powers”. I love that the brothers work together to solve problems and seem to have a real friendship. Each team members specific talents are appreciated and put to use. The episodes focus on taking care of our world and its creatures without going over the top into some of the weird environmentalist agendas.
Moral content:
Chris- Great. Totally appropriate. No snarky talk or innuendos.
Valerie- The brothers have a good relationship. They are young adults so you don’t see any parental interaction. There is occasional good natured teasing. Many episodes have a “Villain” that is looking to exploit the focus animal for personal gain and is usually portrayed as a bumbling idiot that doesn’t succeed because they don’t take the time to really study the creature at hand. The villains are either left behind at some point because they weren’t able to keep up or handed over to authorities at the end of the show.
Any warnings:
Chris- You may find yourself wanting to study strange bugs?
Valerie- I have not watched all of the episodes. It is possible that there is inappropriate content that I have not seen. There are occasionally remarks that stem from an evolutionary view point (I.e. millions of years ago) but I have yet to see an episode that highlights any evolutionary content .
Favorite Quote:
Chris- “Let’s put on our creature power suits!”
Valerie- I don’t have a favorite quote but seeing the wonder of God’s creation often brings up interesting discussions with my kids after watching this show and I am able to highlight the creativity of God easily even if they don’t pick it up. For example, “Wow, isn’t it so cool that God gave that animal such and such ability. He knew it would need that to be able to protect itself from that predator or to find food, etc. God is so creative!”
Read more from Chris (and see some fun photos of their home remodel) at: http://www.gordonsinlincoln.blogspot.com