Has children's TV not been educational as it used to be?

[Hawkee]

In TV today I've noticed that there has no educational shows for children and I would like to know why this is? Is it because children are more interested in video games and cartoon shows and educational games for their tablets then learning about the world around them? Because I have noticed that if you look at children's shows they focus more on changing kids attitudes and giving the kids a personality change rather than teaching them to learn. Take for instance in 1969 when Sesame Street was launched Sesame Street started out as a show that actually used to teach toddlers their ABCs and learning how to count on their own but if you look at Sesame Street episodes of today you still find the learning aspect but starting with the famous Mr. Hooper death episode in the 90's Sesame Street started focusing on serious issues such as illness and death and to me death and serious illness is not for a preschooler to see on TV because it can be scary and give toddlers nightmares. A second show that had been a hit and is still considered the best of all children's TV was the show Barney And Friends and when it was launched in 1992 it was a show that not only focused on ABCs and counting but it actually taught preschoolers manners and about growing up. Believe it or not I was a watcher of Barney And Friends and Barney And Friends actually taught me manners when I was a little girl and today I still get coached on manners and poise. But if you look at children's TV today you will not find any shows like Barney And Friends today. A second thing I've noticed about children's TV today is that you watch any kids educational show about animals today all that you see is scene upon scene of animals getting attacked or dying and I don't see how this teaches kids about animals. I remember watching nature shows for kids and they would teach kids about animals in a nice and non frightening way. If there were more educational shows for children that actually TAUGHT children about educational stuff it would make wonderful TV that kids of all ages could learn all sorts of stuff today
Bestie

[Steve_uk]

There may be a grain of truth in this but there's really no substitute for parents sitting down with their children and teaching them to read, reading them bedtime stories and so on. I don't recall any educational programmes for children in my day, though I was not glued to the box for six hours as I believe is customary for the younger generation today.

[Hawkee]

Another show that should make a comeback that also taught preschoolers counting and preparing them for school was Romper Room and when Romper Room made it's debut Romper Room was highly praised for it's educational value for toddlers and when Romper Room was revived in the 80's as Romper Room And Friends Romper Room introduced itself to a new generation of toddlers and still retained it's educational value. But as kids outgrew the preschool shows and got older there was soon shows that taught kids about science and world cultures and phonics. Take for example when Children's Television Workshop launched 321 Contact in the 80's 321 Contact was widely praised for it's subject matter and if you were to show an episode of 321 Contact to a kid today I can bet they would like it. Another show that did this was The Big Blue Marble which made Martin star Tisha Campbell-Martin a huge celebrity as a teen but appealed to anyone interested in science and I wonder if a revival of The Big Blue Marble would work today? Another show that became popular because it showed kids the hottest books and encouraged kids to read a lot was Reading Rainbow and why Reading Rainbow was a hit because it actually helped kids gain in interest in reading and still today Reading Rainbow has gained a new generation of readers but if Reading Rainbow was revived today kids would love it. But if new versions of shows like Newton's Apple and The Electric Company were made for kids today I think the children's educational TV genre would make a comeback and encourage kids to learn again
Bestie

[Hawkee]

In my eyes the main reason why children's TV is not educational as it used to be today is because I think the children's shows that are supposed to be educational for kids have adopted a new image. For instance my mom was watching PBS Kids today and she was shocked at the children's shows they had and after she saw PBS Kids Mom told me that children's TV shows are not educational today and when I was a kid I don't recall children's shows having a new image and in my generation there were children's shows that were wholesome and educational like Barney And Friends and Reading Rainbow. But if you watch children's shows today they seem to focus on topics such as bullying and making fun of people who are special or different than them. And I remember when I would see Barney And Friends as a toddler Barney And Friends was wholesome children's entertainment that taught children lessons such as never talking to strangers saying please and thank you and being friendly and kind to others in a good manner but if you look for good children's educational TV today you will not find it anywhere and it seems that educational children's TV has moved to the Christian oriented channels and now focus on bible stories and Sunday school lessons with morals like be kind to family or honor your mother and father. If children's educational TV made a swift comeback to TV with shows with actual lessons that would actually teach kids it would be a success
Bestie

[danderson400]

Originally Posted by Hawkee

In my eyes the main reason why children's TV is not educational as it used to be today is because I think the children's shows that are supposed to be educational for kids have adopted a new image. For instance my mom was watching PBS Kids today and she was shocked at the children's shows they had and after she saw PBS Kids Mom told me that children's TV shows are not educational today and when I was a kid I don't recall children's shows having a new image and in my generation there were children's shows that were wholesome and educational like Barney And Friends and Reading Rainbow. But if you watch children's shows today they seem to focus on topics such as bullying and making fun of people who are special or different than them. And I remember when I would see Barney And Friends as a toddler Barney And Friends was wholesome children's entertainment that taught children lessons such as never talking to strangers saying please and thank you and being friendly and kind to others in a good manner but if you look for good children's educational TV today you will not find it anywhere and it seems that educational children's TV has moved to the Christian oriented channels and now focus on bible stories and Sunday school lessons with morals like be kind to family or honor your mother and father. If children's educational TV made a swift comeback to TV with shows with actual lessons that would actually teach kids it would be a success
Bestie

I agree with this Bestie. I remember watching Barney and Friends when i was starting school (as well as the Barney and the Backyard Gang tapes) Barney and Friends (and Barney and the Backyard Gang) was wholesome children's entertainment that taught children lessons such as never talking to strangers saying please and thank you and being friendly and kind to others in a good manner. I remember learning different languages from that show, i remember one episode when the Hispanic girl Luci played by Leah Gloria sang "I Love You" in Spanish, the storyline was Luci was sad she missed a fiesta, so they threw one for her, complete with Barney's friend Rebecca Garcia, a Mexican folk dancer who danced. I had seen on Sesame Street where i heard Spanish too but not to the extent that I heard it on B&F. I remember on another episode, Min and Tina played by Pia Hamilton and Jessica Zucha explained how birthdays are respectively celebrated in Mexico and The Philippines, and they sang birthday songs from both places, i had never heard "Happy Birthday" sung in a different language until i heard it from Tina and Min! I loved the fact the kids were so diverse, it made that show better than Sesame Street.

[danderson400]

Also, i could relate to the characters on Barney much like i'd relate to those on Sesame Street then. For example, i had never learned of the Mexican Culture until i saw the episode "Hola, Mexico!" on Barney, and that i'd never heard of a piñata until that episode either. Another time, Michael, played by Brian Epps (the blond boy) was nervous because he had to play 'London Bridge' on his cello at a school concert and has been unsuccessful, but thanks to Barney, he plays it to perfection- all because of practice and a purple pal (Barney).

[danderson400]

Originally Posted by Hawkee

In TV today I've noticed that there has no educational shows for children and I would like to know why this is? Is it because children are more interested in video games and cartoon shows and educational games for their tablets then learning about the world around them? Because I have noticed that if you look at children's shows they focus more on changing kids attitudes and giving the kids a personality change rather than teaching them to learn. Take for instance in 1969 when Sesame Street was launched Sesame Street started out as a show that actually used to teach toddlers their ABCs and learning how to count on their own but if you look at Sesame Street episodes of today you still find the learning aspect but starting with the famous Mr. Hooper death episode in the 90's Sesame Street started focusing on serious issues such as illness and death and to me death and serious illness is not for a preschooler to see on TV because it can be scary and give toddlers nightmares. A second show that had been a hit and is still considered the best of all children's TV was the show Barney And Friends and when it was launched in 1992 it was a show that not only focused on ABCs and counting but it actually taught preschoolers manners and about growing up. Believe it or not I was a watcher of Barney And Friends and Barney And Friends actually taught me manners when I was a little girl and today I still get coached on manners and poise. But if you look at children's TV today you will not find any shows like Barney And Friends today. A second thing I've noticed about children's TV today is that you watch any kids educational show about animals today all that you see is scene upon scene of animals getting attacked or dying and I don't see how this teaches kids about animals. I remember watching nature shows for kids and they would teach kids about animals in a nice and non frightening way. If there were more educational shows for children that actually TAUGHT children about educational stuff it would make wonderful TV that kids of all ages could learn all sorts of stuff today
Bestie

I remember watching the Barney and the Backyard Gang tapes in the 90s and those shows were good too, also i remember Michael, Luci and Tina were the ones i remember from the tapes that carried over to Barney and Friends, but they had to replace Amy because Becky Swonke had some health issues, so they brought in Lauren King as Kathy, first in Rock with Barney then on the TV show, then they added Pia Hamilton as Min, the Filipino girl.

[Dude111]

Not nearly as g00d........

[Hawkee]

Originally Posted by danderson400

I remember watching the Barney and the Backyard Gang tapes in the 90s and those shows were good too, also i remember Michael, Luci and Tina were the ones i remember from the tapes that carried over to Barney and Friends, but they had to replace Amy because Becky Swonke had some health issues, so they brought in Lauren King as Kathy, first in Rock with Barney then on the TV show, then they added Pia Hamilton as Min, the Filipino girl.

Was Kathy the little girl with the teddy bear named Teddy? Mom liked Kathy because she loved teddy bears like Mom does and Kathy even sang a song called Me And My Teddy that was so cute? But I think educational TV shows for children that actually teach children lessons need to make a comeback to TV. But another show that taught children lessons was Dragon Tales and Dragon Tales I can say taught great lessons to children which isn't seen on TV today

[danderson400]

Originally Posted by Hawkee

Was Kathy the little girl with the teddy bear named Teddy? Mom liked Kathy because she loved teddy bears like Mom does and Kathy even sang a song called Me And My Teddy that was so cute? But I think educational TV shows for children that actually teach children lessons need to make a comeback to TV. But another show that taught children lessons was Dragon Tales and Dragon Tales I can say taught great lessons to children which isn't seen on TV today

Yes, that's the one. I remember that too, she had a teddy bear, and it was cute!
I remember one time where Kathy was singing hush little baby to the teddy bear and the green dino (Baby Bop?) interrupted her and then they sang Rock a Bye baby to the bear, that was so cute! I remember Lucy (isn't she the Hispanic girl?) singing "i Love You" in Spanish once then Barney and her sang it in English, that was so cute too.

[danderson400]

Originally Posted by Hawkee

In my eyes the main reason why children's TV is not educational as it used to be today is because I think the children's shows that are supposed to be educational for kids have adopted a new image. For instance my mom was watching PBS Kids today and she was shocked at the children's shows they had and after she saw PBS Kids Mom told me that children's TV shows are not educational today and when I was a kid I don't recall children's shows having a new image and in my generation there were children's shows that were wholesome and educational like Barney And Friends and Reading Rainbow. But if you watch children's shows today they seem to focus on topics such as bullying and making fun of people who are special or different than them. And I remember when I would see Barney And Friends as a toddler Barney And Friends was wholesome children's entertainment that taught children lessons such as never talking to strangers saying please and thank you and being friendly and kind to others in a good manner but if you look for good children's educational TV today you will not find it anywhere and it seems that educational children's TV has moved to the Christian oriented channels and now focus on bible stories and Sunday school lessons with morals like be kind to family or honor your mother and father. If children's educational TV made a swift comeback to TV with shows with actual lessons that would actually teach kids it would be a success
Bestie

I remember as a child, watching Sesame Street and seeing Megan (i think who that was, it was a film) where Megan was at the doctor because she broke her wrist after she fell off her bike. So they showed her getting her wrist getting X rayed & the cast being put on. They showed her playing tennis (it looked like tennis) w/the cast on. Then they showed the doctor taking the cast off Megan's wrist. The final shot was Megan swimming (since she was told she couldn't swim w/the cast on). On Barney, i remember for his birthday, Min and Tina played by Pia Hamilton and Jessica Zucha explained how birthdays are respectively celebrated in Mexico and The Philippines, and they sang birthday songs from both places and then, i remember another SS episode where Kermit The Frog interviews Old King Cole, and discovers he no longer has three fiddlers, but rather a bass player, a drummer, and a saxophone player. They have a jam session with Kermit joining in the festivities. I think those are good examples of educational programming. Another good example, from Barney was (and this applies to the language learning that i encountered both on that show and SS) was when the Hispanic girl Luci played by Leah Gloria sang "I Love You" in Spanish, the storyline was Luci was sad she missed a fiesta, so they threw one for her, and also, Luci sang several songs in Spanish outside of "I Love You" so i agree, with moments like those, SS and Barney and Friends could actually teach you something!

[Hawkee]

Originally Posted by danderson400

I remember as a child, watching Sesame Street and seeing Megan (i think who that was, it was a film) where Megan was at the doctor because she broke her wrist after she fell off her bike. So they showed her getting her wrist getting X rayed & the cast being put on. They showed her playing tennis (it looked like tennis) w/the cast on. Then they showed the doctor taking the cast off Megan's wrist. The final shot was Megan swimming (since she was told she couldn't swim w/the cast on). On Barney, i remember for his birthday, Min and Tina played by Pia Hamilton and Jessica Zucha explained how birthdays are respectively celebrated in Mexico and The Philippines, and they sang birthday songs from both places and then, i remember another SS episode where Kermit The Frog interviews Old King Cole, and discovers he no longer has three fiddlers, but rather a bass player, a drummer, and a saxophone player. They have a jam session with Kermit joining in the festivities. I think those are good examples of educational programming. Another good example, from Barney was (and this applies to the language learning that i encountered both on that show and SS) was when the Hispanic girl Luci played by Leah Gloria sang "I Love You" in Spanish, the storyline was Luci was sad she missed a fiesta, so they threw one for her, and also, Luci sang several songs in Spanish outside of "I Love You" so i agree, with moments like those, SS and Barney and Friends could actually teach you something!

Is that the film on Sesame Street where Megan says "Hi i'm Megan and I broke my wrist" and then it showed how the doctor puts on a cast and what it's like being with a cast on? That film was so interesting for kids to learn about how a cast helped heal injuries. I also remember a film also from Sesame Street that featured a girl visiting a panaderia "bakery in English" and she helps her uncle bake bread and learns about the different types of bread sold at the bakery. My mom and I liked that film a lot

[danderson400]

Does anyone remember Square One Television, it was math based, that was another of my PBS kids favorites.

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by danderson400

Does anyone remember Square One Television, it was math based, that was another of my PBS kids favorites.

I used to watch that.

[danderson400]

I remember one game show segment on Square One Television hosted by Cynthia Darlow where contestants spun two small wheels in order to choose two digits, one of them had a space with the shows' logo on it as it acts like a wild card of sorts. Then, they have to either add or multiply them in order to match numbers on a gameboard while trying to complete an equilateral triangle. If he or she gets three numbers that form an equilateral triangle, then he or she had to yell "Triple Play!" and list the numbers. Sesame Street had those game show segments too with Guy Smiley, one of my favorites was "What's My Job!" I remember thinking that the game on Square One was like Concentration which was on NBC then with Alex Trebek, but without the rebus.