Boob Tube

"Reversable change! Mom! Mom! It's the one about reversable change!" That's what Oo said to me during the opening scene of her new favorite show.

I have long been a fan of PBS programming -- even before I had kids. New this fall season is "Sid the Science Kid," a pre-schooler show that serves as an introduction to science. Other kid shows (even those on PBS) usually teach science in the most basic ways (e.g. plants grow, rocks are not alive, winter is cold and summer is hot). But in the month that Sid has been airing, Oo has expanded her vocabulary with words (and what they mean) such as: transformation, observation, scientific experiment, decomposition, compare and contrast.

She understands the difference betwen reversable change (water to ice then back to water) and irreversable change (apples to applesauce cannot go back to apples). She's suggesting experiments we can do together (such as a decay experiment where we closely watched a banana, a strawberry and a blueberry decay over the course of a few weeks). She's questioning more (e.g. Why does this [paddle wheel on her wind-up] bath toy make a breeze when it's not in the water, but when it is in the water, it doesn't?") And she's inquiring about how magnifying glasses, binoculars, and eye glasses work -- what they do that's the same and how are they different.

Last year, PBS introduced "Word World" and "Super Why" -- two highly entertaining shows that have given her a strong introduction to phonics and spelling. She can now tell you the first letter in just about any word. And she tries to figure out the spelling of her friends' names. (She spells Phoebe as "F-E-B." It's obviously not correct, but she does it completely on her own, without any prompting or hints from me.)

I know and believe that too much TV is bad for kids, that it compromises their physical activity and imaginary play. But when it comes to "Sid," Word World" and "Super Why," I can guarantee you that you'll find us sitting on our butts, in front of the tube, completely absorbed... and learning.

P.S. Here's a photo of 8-month-old Oo watching Elmo's World, the only 20 mins. of TV time that she was allowed per day.