Kids' Learning Resources: PBS Kids

Sid the Science Kid

Do you ever wonder what your kids are watching? PBS Parents is linked directly to PBS Kids and provides parent summaries so you can get an overview of a show's content. You can look up Sid the Science Kid and find out that he's the host of a show that engages preschoolers' curiosity about things like shadows or how birds communicate.

Watch a full episode (like Reused Robot) with your child at PBS Kids and then together try a related hands-on activity (like recycling) featured on a video clip. Other episodes have online games that reinforce the lesson covered by a particular show. For instance, your child can play I Sense to test his or her understanding of touch, smell, sound, vision and taste. You can always click on 'Tell Me More' to find out fun facts.

WordWorld

This show introduces phonics and rhymes to preschoolers. A new word is animated every episode, built from letters and sounds. For example, when Pig and Frog are racing to get to Mystery Island, they realize that only with teamwork can they reach their goal of building a B-O-A-T. You see, the characters and objects in the show and interactive online word hunts are personified words themselves. The sheep is sheepishly shy, for example. Your child will see these words as friends, instilling a love of words and an excitement to read.

Dinosaur Train

Your budding scientist will enjoy learning about dinosaurs from real-life paleontologist Dr. Scott Sampson. The animated Dinosaur Train chugs back 250 million years through time, introducing the volcanoes of the Triassic period, jungles of the Jurassic period and swamps of the Cretaceous period - all habitats for dinosaurs. PBS Kids offers related games and activities that you can complete with your son or daughter to reinforce natural history concepts, like drawing the parts of a bird to illustrate its relationship to its dinosaur predecessors.

Maya and Miguel

Celebrate diversity and family values with the 10-year-old Santos twins, Maya and Miguel. Geared towards ages 6-11, the show explores different cultures and languages. Your kids can play Web games, like Cooking with Abuela to learn about different foods or Global Groovin' to be introduced to new kinds of instruments. You'll also find online instructions for arts and crafts to make for various holidays, including Chinese lanterns for the Lunar New Year.