Cartoon Recommendation for Moms (from Katie)

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, and the sweetness of The Busy World of Richard Scary.  If you’d like to contribute your thoughts, I’d love to have them.  Here’s the form to fill out.  I promise it will take ten minutes or less and we’ll all be glad you did it.  On with the recommendations!

Recommendation from: Katie (mom of two little boys)

The show: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

Where to find it:  PBS Kids and you can watch episodes on PBSkids.org.

Why kids love it:  The characters are adorable. There is a lot of music. It’s really colorful. I don’t know, my one year old likes it most and he doesn’t talk much!

Why moms love it:  It’s just sweet. Daniel Tiger is really sweet… his family is cute, his friends are great. It really does have great songs. The topics covered are all things that are prevalent in our house: grown ups leaving, going potty, having something happen that kids don’t like. The show always addresses the topic with a one-liner song: “Grown ups come back!” or “If you have to go potty, stop and go right away!”. I quote those songs daily. It is based loosely on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood (which I never liked growing up) so you might appreciate the references: Daniel Tiger puts on a red hoodie and tennis shoes during the opening song, there is a trolley, and the songs are similar. Oh, and the mom and dad say “Ugga mugga” and rub noses with Daniel Tiger, which I like to do with my son.

Moral content:  I don’t know if it is morally wonderful, but it addresses real life issues in the life of a 1-3 year old. I think it is applicable to their life and has good lessons.

Any warnings:  Not from me… but I’m not very sensitive to these types of things… other than the songs will be stuck in your head for days. Oh, and on one of the episodes the mom makes strawberry pancakes. Whenever that episode comes on, it is requested that I make strawberry pancakes. Be prepared! 🙂

Link: http://pbskids.org/daniel/