Last Wednesday my son spent almost the entire day in a Wild Kratts fog. The PBS KIDS show is his absolute favorite. I don't let my kids watch much TV during the week, but I know they looks forward to watching World Girl and Wild Kratts for an hour each afternoon before their dad comes home. It's my chance to sit down and relax with a little "me" time. It's their time for some super fun science learning.
Anyway, as I was saying, after last Tuesday's Twitter party which featured both Kratt brothers as special guests, my son was floating on cloud nine (yes, I let him stay up way past his bedtime so he could ask questions). He was so excited to "talk" to Chris and Martin. Chris is his favorite (sorry, Martin) and for Christmas, we bought him a green Kratt shirt so he can dress up just like - yep! - Chris.
During the party, they shared a link to some Wild Kratt printables. So on Wednesday, my little printer churned out page after page of Wild Kratt goodness. My son cut some of them up and glued them to poster board to make his own scene. And then he spent a good bit of time drawing/designing Creature Power Suits on both Chris and Martin. He hung them all up on his bedroom wall.
My kids love animals. And they are simply enthralled with the idea of wearing Creature Power Suits that give them the powers of specific animals. My son will rattle off the adaptations of all the animals that have already been featured on the show. I know about platypus' electromagnetic "sixth" sense, and how they are an egg-laying mammal. I know that red kangaroos have incredible strength in their legs and can pack a mean kick. I know that birds of paradise have colorful displays and groovy dance moves.
After last week, they now know all about blowfish and dolphins. And your kids can know all about them, too, because Monday is the world premiere of the Wild Kratts "Lost at Sea." The one-hour science special has Chris and Martin exploring the coral reef along with some under-the-sea treats and other materials to help kids explore their creature powers. Check your local listing for air times. I guarantee your kids will be fascinated even if they aren't already animal lovers!
I think my bilingual readers will especially love the “Speaking Dolphinese” episode where Aviva (the show's Latina character who is the smartest one of the bunch, if you ask me, because she's the designer of all the Creature Power Suits!) speaks Spanish to show how fun it is to learn another language.
I hope you take some time to let your kids watch because it is one of the funnest ways to learn about animals that I've ever seen.
See you on the Creature Trail!
Disclaimer: I'm a PBS KIDS ambassador and received a screener for my kids to watch. All thoughts and opinions listed above are strictly my own. And the stories are true - my kids really are WK groupies.