PBS does Earth Day 2010

April 22, 2010 is Earth Day and it will also be PBS KIDS Share the Earth Day on the station with all sorts of programming to focus on the outdoors, recycling, earth science and other eco-friendly topics.  The PBS KIDS characters will learn about pollution, biospheres, saving the rainforest, solar power, and conservation.  Let me tell you what my specific shows my children are looking forward to.  The new Curious George, “Something New Under the Sun” will be fun and the live action segment has kids visiting artist Gregory Curci to see how he uses solar power to make moving sculptures.

A new favorite for the boys just this year is Sid the Science Kid and it looks like Sid will be learning about what is in dirt and how it helps things to grow.  If your children will be at school make sure you get that DVR ready on Earth Day 2010.  What are your favorite shows to watch?

You can also check out clips and games for each show on the PBS KIDS site.

Earth Day Episodes, Airing on “Share the Earth Day,” April 22 (check local listings)

For preschoolers:

(NEW) CURIOUS GEORGE – “Something New Under the Sun”

It’s too hot to do anything except cool off in front of the air conditioner…until the power goes off. To beat the heat, George and the Man with the Yellow Hat visit the museum, which is the only place in town with power, due to its new solar energy panel. George sees how the sun can charge batteries, and the Man agrees to make his famous lasagna for Dr. Levit’s birthday. But how can the Man make his lasagna without power for his electric oven? Can a monkey’s knowledge of solar power be the key to baking the world’s first solar energy birthday lasagna?

BARNEY & FRIENDS – “Home Sweet Home: The Rainforest”

It’s Earth Day, a great time for everyone to learn how to help take care of our world, but Ben is wasting paper while BJ isn’t too concerned about cutting down a tree to make room for a new playground. After a trip to the rainforest and a meeting with Mother Nature, everyone learns the importance of taking care of our world. As Earth Day comes to an end, Barney reminds us all that taking good care of our Earth is the natural thing to do…for the people we love.

CAILLOU – “Outdoor Adventures”

When Caillou, Grandpa and Daddy go on a canoe trip, Caillou is amazed to see a dragonfly, a blue heron and a beaver working on his beaver lodge. Later, when Caillou and his family are on a picnic at the park, his beach ball accidentally rolls into a pond. Caillou sees a family of ducks swimming in the pond and wants to take a closer look.

CLIFFORD – “Doggie Garden”

Its Keep Birdwell Beautiful month and the kids are doing their part by planting a flower garden.  Seeing this, the dogs decide to create a doggie flower garden of their own. But when Cleo hears that almost anything grows in Birdwell Island soil, she decides she’d much rather grow a garden full of dog toys! She soon learns, however, that working alone for a selfish end is not nearly as rewarding as working together for the whole community. 

DINOSAUR TRAIN – “Tiny Loves Fish”

After Mr. Pteranodon teaches the kids his fishing method, Buddy and Tiny work together as a team to catch fish in the Big Pond.

DRAGON TALES – “Green Thumbs”

Following a torrential storm, the gang discovers Lily, a baby flower, helplessly floating downstream after being uprooted by the rain. They learn that she was separated from her family and misses them dearly. The gang knows that she’s too little to take care of herself, and they use what they know to plant her in a bucket of soil and promise to take her back where she belongs.

IT’S A BIG BIG WORLD – “World Tree Day”

It is World Tree Day and Snook has made badges to give to all of the residents who do something nice for the tree. While they all find their own ways to care for the tree, Bob is worried because he can’t think of anything to do. After a talk with Snook and Oko, Bob writes a song to celebrate the tree and earns a badge from Snook.

SESAME STREET – “Wild Nature Survivor Guy”

Wild Nature Survivor Guy is accustomed to surviving in the wilds of nature and thinks he needs to “survive” out on Sesame Street. First, Wild Nature Survivor Guy finds a tomato plant and bites into a ripe tomato. Not only do tomatoes come from nature, but so do all the fruits and vegetables on display outside Hooper’s store. Next, Wild Nature Survival Guy looks for water to quench his thirst. He finds leaves with drops of water and gathers the droplets to drink.

SID THE SCIENCE KID – “The Dirt on Dirt”

Sid wants to know what makes dirt so dirty.  At school, Sid and his friends discover that dirt is really important to the Earth because it helps things grow, and it’s also filled with tiny rocks, pieces of leaves, and even living things like bugs and worms!

SUPER WHY! – “Tiddalick the Frog”

Whyatt’s mom tells him that he’s wasting water. This is a really big problem and he’s not sure how to fix it.  So the Super Readers dash into the Australian folk tale of Tiddalick the Frog and make the acquaintance of a funny amphibian whose puddle jumping is using up all the water and leaving his neighbors in the dust literally! As the Super Readers help Tiddalick and his dry friends, they learn how important water is to the planet, along with a valuable lesson about conservation.

WORDWORLD – “Caterpillar Gets a Home”

Duck makes a new friend on a windy, rainy day:  Caterpillar.  It soon becomes apparent that Caterpillar needs a home to protect her from the elements. Together, she and Duck learn to sound out some words that might make suitable homes, such as BAG, CAN and BOX. But which one will be just right?

For early elementary school children:

WORDGIRL – “Earth Day Girl” (NEW – Online Premiere)

When the Birthday Girl learns that the Earth is having a special celebration (on her birthday!), she decides to teach the Earth a lesson. Will WordGirl find a way to stop the Birthday Girl and save Earth Day?

ARTHUR – “The Cherry Tree”

Muffy will do anything to have a gigantic Dream Bouncy Castle at her party, or so she thinks. When her favorite cherry tree is cut down to make room for the castle in her yard, she starts to have regrets. Then to make matters worse, she learns that cutting down trees hurts the environment, too. What can Muffy do to fix the damage she’s done?

CYBERCHASE – “The X Factor”

All is not well in Perfectamundo, a dome-enclosed cybersite, when orange spots are discovered building up on the dome’s interior surface, blocking the site’s precious sunlight. What source could be responsible for the spots multiplying so fast? Is it Hacker’s new factory that pours out orange clouds through smoky stacks? It can’t be that new Digifizz toy, with its tiny burst of colorful sparkles shooting into the air each time it gets used. With time running out, the CyberSquad must come to grips with the power of multiplication and use it to undo the site’s pollution problem.

ELECTRIC COMPANY – “The Flube Whisperer”

Keith sends away for a Skeleckian pet that lives in a biosphere. But when the biosphere malfunctions, will Manny save the day?

MAYA & MIGUEL – “Every Day Is Earth Day”

For a school Earth Day project, the kids decide to clean up an old lot and plant a community garden. But as the deadline approaches, a rainstorm hits, turning the patch of dirt into a muddy mess. How will Maya get her friends out of the muck this time?

Source: www.prnewswire.com