Super Why is a new show for preschoolers on PBS that encourages early reading skills. The show is also available to view online or download as a podcast. One of the Super Why show goals is to make reading adventurous and fun. Super Why does that, and more. The characters go on reading adventures, discover the alphabet, practice the magic of spelling, and use the “power to read” to change the story.
Each show starts with a social or manners problem preschoolers can relate to, like being considerate, asking before taking something, or how to be a good friend. The characters on the show put reading to use to solve these everyday problems. “When we have a question, we look in a book.”
Each show provides lot of repetitions for alphabet letter recognition, reading along with highlighted words, figuring out what sounds go which each letter, and even writing the letters.
The four characters are Red, Pig, Princess, and Whyatt. Red is from Little Red Riding Hood. She zooms around on roller skates. Pig is from The Three Little Pigs, Princess is from The Princess and The Pea, and Whyatt is Jack and the Beanstalk’s little brother.
In each episode the characters journey into Storybook land to solve a problem. Once inside this magic land, they become Alpha Pig who has special alphabet powers, Wonder Red with word power, Princess Presto with spelling power, and Super Why with the ability to change words. Super Why uses a Blackberry / I-pod device to collect “Super Letters”. These letters can be found glittering in the background. They fit into a hangman like screen to spell out the answer to the problem.
The show does some take some liberties with fairy tales. In Super Why’s version of Hansel and Gretel, the witch doesn’t eat the children, but simply gets mad and closes the door. At times the show is silly, but that’s great for preschoolers. They will giggle as the witch in Hansel and Gretel eats her door instead of closing it.
If you have children from age three to six at home, give this show a try.
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