PBS KIDS Helps You Celebrate Halloween with Fun Activities

 

With celebrations, school, and work pushed into virtual and socially distanced formats, normal can be tough. Holidays, like Halloween, will look a bit different this year. That doesn't mean it can’t still be spook-tastic and fun for children of all ages!

Check out these tried and true activities from PBS KIDS to help children and their families safely get in the spirit this year.

• Make Halloween Treat Bags to drop off on porches of friends and family members in your neighborhood
• Throw a virtual Halloween party and decorate your house with glowing ghost jugs, hand print spiders or pipe cleaner pumpkins
• Carve a pumpkin (or two) to jazz up your front porch with these PBS KIDS pumpkin carving templates
• Create your own Daniel Tiger, WordGirl or Wild Kratts costumes for an at-home Halloween costume parade 

Even when life is different, you can count on PBS KIDS to be there to help. 

Going on A Road Trip? Entertain Little Ones with These PBS KIDS Educational Apps!

Now that we are stuck in the house more than we expected, many families are turning to road trips to avoid going stir-crazy. On-screen entertainment is a must for long trips ... unless you enjoy hearing, "Are we there yet?" from the backseat. Parents can use these free PBS KIDS educational apps to engage little ones while tapping into their art, math, science, engineering and design skills. You'll find nearly 200 educational games that can be downloaded for offline play anytime, anywhere.

Here are a few examples:

• Scribbles & Ink, a character-driven interactive series that teaches kids, ages 4 to 8, drawing techniques as they move through six different worlds. Kids can let their imaginations run wild as they become part of the friendship between the beloved cat and mouse duo.
• The Daniel Tiger’s Storybooks app offers a library of interactive stories narrated by Daniel Tiger. The stories show Daniel learning life lessons, like sharing with friends and being a helper. Each book, available in English and Spanish, includes a familiar song, charming animations, and a simple game to encourage children to play about the theme of the story.
• NEW: The Cat in the Hat Invents mobile app encourages young children to learn more about STEM subjects through fun activities such as designing their own robots, exploring different worlds and navigating challenges. Developed with the Next Generation Science Standards in mind, this app allows players to use voice command when selecting specific tools to help characters Nick, Sally and the Cat in the Hat improve their robot.
  
• The Play and Learn Engineering app brings little ones the opportunity to design roller coasters and problem solve through the twists and turns of obstacle courses. It empowers Preschoolers to develop a better understanding of the world around them and experiment with new tools and techniques. This free app is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
• My personal favorite is Wild Kratts Rescue Run where you can run, jump, fly, and swim through 24 action-packed levels, rescue animals to unlock information about each one in the Creaturepedia, and face-off against villains to keep the animals safe from harm. Learn about animals and their habitats while using problem solving skills to choose different creature power suits, each with their own unique creature power.

Don't leave home without these free educational apps from PBS KIDS.

Wild Kratts: Creepy Creatures Premiers and Live Streams Today!

Was so excited to hear about this new WILD KRATTS special. All my kids love the Kratt brothers.

On October 22, PBS KIDS will premiere the all-new, one-hour movie, WILD KRATTS: CREEPY CREATURES on PBS stations and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream. It will also be available for free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. In this special movie event, the Kratt Brothers decide to celebrate Halloween by searching for "creepy cool" creatures, but will Zach and the other villains get in their way and ruin Halloween? Additionally, PBS KIDS will premiere new Halloween-themed episodes from READY JET GO! and PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC®. Families will be treated to special Halloween-filled Family Night programming and specials the last two weekends of the month on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream.

The spooky fun continues on digital platforms, where PBS KIDS will offer a variety of Halloween-themed games on the free PBS KIDS Games App and pbskids.org, including a new game from WILD KRATTS. This will debut in addition to favorites such as Arthur’s Tricks and Treats, Curious George Pumpkin Boo, Daniel Tiger Dress Up, The Cat in the Hat Corn Maze Craze and Peg + Cat Parade. A new Spooky Street and Halloween design contest will launch on PBS KIDS’ popular virtual world, Kart Kingdom, and the Nature Cat Art Box and Cyberchase Watts of Trouble games will have Halloween themed updates. Hands-on activities, including pumpkin-carving templates with favorite PBS KIDS characters and spooktacular treat recipes, are available on PBS KIDS for Parents.

“Halloween is a great time for families and teachers to encourage children’s imagination and creativity,” said Linda Simensky, Vice President, Children’s Programming, PBS. “With new specials and episodes from WILD KRATTS, READY JET GO! and PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC®, as well at returning favorites, PBS KIDS will offer themed content and educational resources to help do just that.”

PBS LearningMedia will offer PreK-12 teachers an easy way to integrate Halloween themes into their instruction with a range of curriculum-aligned videos, lesson plans, and games. Teachers can use these resources to kick-start classroom discussions and enhance homework assignments. These free resources cover a range of subjects and are available to teachers nationwide on pbslearningmedia.org. Featured resources include Shadows Can Be Scary Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, All About the Holidays: Halloween, Frankenstein, M.D. and The Zombie Autopsies. Find these resources and more in the Halloween collection.

Available Now!: THE NEW WILD KRATTS DVD “TINY TROUBLE” from PBS Distribution

PBS KIDS® Series WILD KRATTS Combines Science Education with Fun and Adventure

PBS Distribution recently released two episodes of PBS KIDS’ popular WILD KRATTS series on the new DVD “TINY TROUBLE.” Join brothers and wildlife explorers Martin and Chris Kratt (creators of the award-winning WILD KRATTS, KRATTS’ CREATURES and Emmy-winning ZOBOOMAFOO) as they explore nature, meet up with cool creatures from around the world, and witness never-before-seen wildlife moments. The two episodes featured on this DVD – “Termites vs. Tongues” and “Bugs or Monkeys” – are filled with humor, excitement, and science!

WILD KRATTS transforms Martin and Chris Kratt into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and to showcase key science concepts along the way. Geared toward kids ages 6 to 8, each episode of WILD KRATTS presents developmentally-appropriate science inspired by the natural abilities of the animals that the Kratt brothers – and young viewers – meet. The series premiered on PBS KIDS in January 2011 and is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to STEM – science, technology, engineering, and math – education for kids. WILD KRATTS airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

“TINY TROUBLE” will be available on June 10, 2014. The DVD run time is approximately 50 minutes and its SRP is $9.99. In addition to featuring two fun-filled, laugh-out-loud adventures, the DVD also includes special features – coloring pages and activities.

“Termites vs. Tongues”
Synopsis – When a miniaturized Aviva and Koki are carried away by termites, Martin and Chris must infiltrate the termite ranks – as both termite and termite predator – to get them back.
Learning Goal – Predators and prey develop specific attacks and defenses to counter each other.

“Bugs or Monkeys”
Synopsis – While arguing over their next adventure, Chris and Martin meet a group of spider monkeys! But when a miniaturized Martin is carried away by a baby monkey, the rest of the Tortuga crew must work to find him.
Learning Goal – Certain animals have unique anatomical features adapted to maneuver in particular environments.


About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer- and mobile-device-based browsers. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

About Kratt Brothers Company
Kratt Brothers Company, founded in 1993, has created and produced over 225 episodes of television, including award-winning series: Kratts’ Creatures, Zoboomafoo, Kratt Brothers: Be The Creature and Wild Kratts. Through its full service animation studio, Kratt Brothers Company is currently in production on its fourth season of the twice Emmy-nominated hit, Wild Kratts. www.krattbrothers.com

About PBS Distribution
PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally, extending the reach of these programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system and our production partners.

WILD KRATTS: TINY TROUBLE
Street Date: June 10, 2014
Genre: Children’s
Run Time: Approximately 50 Minutes
SRP: $9.99
Format: DVD

DVD Review: Wild Kratts: Lost At Sea

Young animal lovers will be thrilled with the latest Kratt brothers show that premiered in January on PBS. Like Zoboomafoo before it, Wild Kratts™ is a blend of real life characters and animation meant to share fun animals facts with young viewers. We received a DVD of Lost At Sea which includes the episodes "Speaking Dolphinese" and "Blowfish Blowout."

In "Speaking Dolphinese," the Kratt brothers (Martin and Chris) are on a mission to decode the secret language of dolphins. Using their newly created Creature Power Suits, the Kratt brothers dive beneath the surface to communicate with the dolphins, while Aviva and Koki help from aboard their craft. When a hungry shark traps a dolphin,the Kratt brothers and their team launch a rescue mission.

In "Blowfish Blowout" the miniaturized Kratt brothers are caught up in a swath of plankton headed for the coral reef. They make friends with a couple of blowfish; and when Donita Donata and her henchman, Dabio, show up with plans to make a crown fit for a fashion queen, the Kratt team works to save their new friend.

Chris and Martin Kratt have been teaching kids about creatures for decades. Their blend of animal facts and adventure make learning fun. Wild Kratts is a perfect addition to the PBS Kids® line. It's also nice to see how they use technology to learn about their animal friends. This is something young people will truly relate to.

This DVD is available for purchase at www.shoppbs.org. Young animals lovers can also visit www.pbskids.org, where they will find fun games and videos, learn even more animals facts, and can download the Wild Kratts Creature Power App with their parents' permission.

Format: Color, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1(U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS (Direct)
DVD Release Date: January 22, 2013
Run Time: 55 minutes

I received a free DVD from PBS. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.