There is a kids television station that we have on digital cable here called PBS Kids Sprout. It is almost like PBS Kids’s version of NOGGIN — it’s television for pre-schoolers. In addition to all of the PBS Kids shows like “Curious George,” “Sesame Street,” and “Caillou,” there are also what I like to call their “mini-shows.” Really what this means is that the shows are only about five minutes to ten minutes long, or they only play about five to ten minutes of the show’s episode. The following are some of PBS Kids Sprout’s mini-shows.
Pingu
Pingu is the story of a little penguin named — you guessed it — Pingu. He has a little sister named Pinga, and his best friend is a seal named Robby. The fun thing about Pingu is that all of the characters speak “Penguinese,” which pretty much sounds like gibberish. When Pingu gets angry at something, his beak flares out like the end of a trumpet and he yells, “Nook, nook!” My daughter and nephew find this show absolutely hysterical. Unfortunately, it is only five minutes long and is shown sporadically throughout the day.
Thomas & Friends
I am sure you have probably heard of Thomas the Tank Engine. Well, this is the show based on the original stories. I consider this one of the mini-shows because even though they may show a straight half-hour of Thomas on the weekends, usually during the week they are just the ten-minute episodes. Plus, they are always treating it like a mini-show by showing the credits after every single ten-minute show.
The Birthday Show
This is a cute little show and you might even be able to get your little Sproutlet on it! Let me explain. On the birthday show, the host Kevin presents birthday cards from the parents of kids who watch Sprout. This program is shown several times throughout the day, and they have different cards every time. This way, plenty of kids get to have the chance to be on television. For those whose cards do not get presented on the show, there is a ticker that runs across the bottom of the screen to wish them a happy birthday.
All of PBS Kids Sprout’s shows are rated TV-Y, which means that they are appropriate for children of all ages. Even though these programs are mainly geared toward two- to six-year-olds, you can feel comfortable that a child of any age can watch them. My daughter is not yet two and she enjoys the programming on this channel.
Since PBS Kids Sprout is only available in my area on digital cable, I am not sure what the availability is in other areas. Check your local listings and if you do not have Sprout, call your local cable company and see if they can get it! For more information, visit Sproutletsgrow.com.
Enjoy, Sproulets!