Showcase

"Alma’s Way" is an engaging animated series for kids ages 4 to 6 focused on critical thinking and helping young viewers to discover their own unique voice and find solutions to challenges. 

Each episode showcases different aspects of Latino cultures through language, food, music, and customs. All viewers will see how other families are both alike and different from their own.

• What challenge did Alma work through?
   
• What mistakes did Alma make?
   
• How was the challenge solved?
   
• What challenge do you need to think through in your own life?

• Self-Awareness
   
• Self-Management
   
• Social Awareness
   
• Relationship Skills

“Arthur” is an animated series aimed at children ages 4 to 8, starring 8-year-old aardvark Arthur and his family and friends.

Watch them creatively solve problems, learn to get along, and appreciate each other’s differences! Additionally, “Arthur” encourages a love of reading and libraries for all children.

Based on the popular book series by Marc Brown, “Arthur” has been a family favorite to watch together for over 20 years.

• What problem did Arthur (or his friends) try to solve?
   
• Tell me the story of what happened today.
   
• Who was your favorite character on Arthur today? Why? How would you feel if you were in that situation?

• Self-Awareness
   
• Self-Management
   
• Social Awareness
   
• Social Studies
   
• Relationship Skills

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“The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™” is designed to spark a love of learning and an interest in science and engineering in preschoolers. 

The Cat in the Hat takes his friends Sally and Nick on a variety of science adventures in the Thinga-ma-jigger! 

Together, they explore the natural world, ask questions, make discoveries, create solutions, and work together!

• What were Nick and Sally playing together?
   
• Where did Nick, Sally, and the Cat in the Hat go? What did they do there? Who did they meet?
   
• How did Thing 1 and Thing 2 help Nick and Sally and the Cat?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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“Clifford the Big Red Dog” follows Emily Elizabeth, Clifford and friends as they explore Birdwell Island, play astronauts, robots, fairies — whatever they imagine! 

Clifford and friends’ adventures will inspire imaginative play, kindness, empathy and other life lessons among preschoolers. Your family can join in the fun when this silly and heartwarming group of friends finds their way to your home.

The series includes a new child character, Samantha, who has two moms. We meet Samantha’s mothers, Dr. and Ms. Mulberry, in the February 2020 episode “The Big Red Tomato/Dogbot.”

• What kind of book did Clifford and Emily Elizabeth read?
   
• How was Clifford a helper?

• Empathy
   
• Literacy

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Aimed at preschoolers, “Curious George” inspires children to explore science, engineering, and math in the world around them. And what better guide is there for this kind of exploration than the world's most curious monkey? 

George lives to find new things to discover, touch, spill, and chew. Everything is new to George and worth investigating.

 Of course, in George's hands — all four of them — investigation often leads to unintended consequences.

• George is very curious. What are you curious about?
   
• George loves counting. Can you count some things around your house?
   
• George is a good helper. How did George help someone?

• Engineering
   
• Math
   
• Science
   
• Technology

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In the world of "Cyberchase", the dastardly villain Hacker is on a mad mission to overthrow Motherboard and take over Cyberspace with the help of his blundering henchbots, Buzz and Delete. 

But Motherboard enlists the help of three curious kids, Inez, Jackie, and Matt, and their cyberpal, Digit, to stop him. Their weapon: brain power. 

In For Real, the live-action segment following each animated episode, Harry and Bianca show kids how math can help solve life’s wacky problems in the real world.

• How did Hacker try to overthrow Motherboard in this episode?
   
• How did the characters stop him?
   
• What was your favorite part of this episode?

• Math
   
• Science

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“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” stars 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, his family, and friends as they learn key skills for navigating school and life. 

Catchy strategy songs about learning social and emotional skills will have the whole family singing! 

This show for preschoolers ages 2 to 4 is inspired by the iconic “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

• What did Daniel do today? How did he feel? Can you tell me about a time when you felt that way?
   
• What song did Daniel sing? What did Daniel sing about?
   
• What did Daniel make-believe? What do you like to make believe?
   
• How is your family like Daniel’s family? How is it different? Let’s make a song that our family can sing together.

• Self-Awareness
   
• Self-Management
   
• Social Awareness
   
• Social Studies
   
• Relationship Skills

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“Dinosaur Train” embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains! 

Kids can join Buddy and his adoptive Pteranodon family on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans, as they unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology.

• What kind of dinosaurs did Buddy and his friends visit with?
   
• If you were a dinosaur, what kind would you be?
   
• What’s your favorite dinosaur and why?

• Science

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“Donkey Hodie,” a puppet series for children ages 3 to 5, is inspired by the quirky, funny side of Fred Rogers as well as his mission to help kids navigate the frustrations and challenges of childhood. 

Donkey Hodie and her pals empower kids to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives! To work hard and persevere in the face of failure! To be resourceful and discover that they are capable of solving problems on their own! Oh, and to laugh themselves silly along the way!

• What goal did the friends set in this episode?
   
• What dilemma or challenge did Donkey and her friends encounter? How did they overcome this challenge?
   
• What dilemma or challenge are you facing? How can you overcome it?

• Self-Awareness
   
• Self-Management
   
• Social Awareness
   
• Social Studies
   
• Relationship Skills

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"That is so interesting!" “Elinor Wonders Why” encourages preschoolers to follow their curiosity, ask questions when they don’t understand and find answers using science inquiry skills. 

The main character Elinor, the most observant and curious bunny rabbit in Animal Town, will introduce kids ages 3 to 5 to science, nature and community through adventures with her friends.

• What question did Elinor ask in this episode?
   
• What was the answer?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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“Hero Elementary” is a school for budding superheroes, where kids learn to master their powers, like flying and teleportation, while exploring science along the way! 

The series aims to give children ages 4 to 7 the tools to solve problems by thinking and acting like scientists and sparking their natural curiosity and empathy.

• What mission are the superheroes on in this episode?
   
• Did they accomplish this mission? How?
   
• What is one Science concept you learned during this episode?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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“Let's Go Luna!” is a show for kids ages 4 to 7 that follows the adventures of three friends as they travel the world with their parents’ traveling performance troupe, “Circo Fabuloso.” 

At each of the Circo’s stops, Luna the Moon guides the trio – Leo, a wombat from Australia; Carmen, a butterfly from Mexico; and Andy, a frog from the United States – as they get to know the local region and its people. 

Their adventures take them through cities around the globe where they explore the food, music, art, architecture and other features that make each place unique and wonderful.

• What city did Luna and her friends visit? Can you tell me some things you learned about that city?
   
• What is something new that Andy, Carmen and Leo tried when they visited that city?
   
• If you could go anywhere in the world with Luna, where would you go?

• Social Studies

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"Lyla in the Loop" is a funny and engaging new animated series for kids ages 4-8 about Lyla Loops and her fantastical blue sidekick, Stu, who use creative and strategic problem-solving and critical thinking skills to help their family, friends, and community!

• What was the problem? 
   
• How do the characters solve the problem?

• Critical Thinking
   
• Problem Solving

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Aimed at viewers between the ages of four and seven, Martha's educational goal is to teach kids new words. 

Based on the children's book series by Susan Meddaugh, the series stars Martha, a beloved family dog. She is accidentally fed alphabet soup — this gives her the power of speech and the chance to speak her mind to anyone that will listen.

• What new words did you learn today? What does the word mean?
   
• Martha is a dog, how come she can speak? Can dogs really speak?
   
• What do you think your pet (or a different animal of your choosing) would say if they could speak?

• Literacy

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Get ready to sled into fun with “Molly of Denali!” In this show for children ages 4 to 8, join Molly, an Alaska Native girl, her dog Suki, and friends Tooey and Trini on their adventures in epically beautiful Alaska. 

Along the way, Molly’s life is enhanced, kept on track, and flat-out saved by maps, guide books, websites, weather reports, and more.

• What was Molly's question today? How did she try to find an answer?
   
• Molly lives in Alaska. What are some special things that Molly can do where she lives?
   
• Molly has special traditions in her family. What traditions does our family share?

• Literacy

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“Nature Cat,” a series for children ages 3 to 7, follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. Once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat: “backyard explorer extraordinaire!” He can’t wait to get outside for a day of nature adventures and bravery! There’s just one problem: he’s still a house cat with no instincts for nature! 

With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat goes on action-packed adventures full of nature investigation and humor, all while inspiring children to go outside and experience nature.

• What nature adventure did Nature Cat and his friends have today?
   
• What place did Nature Cat explore outside? What did it look like?
   
• What creatures did Nature Cat find?

• Science

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From recapturing a gallon-sized blob that has separated into smaller pieces, to dealing with magical creatures who have escaped from books, there is no occurrence that is too strange for the Odd Squad! 

“Odd Squad,” a series for children ages 5 to 8, features a team of kid agents as they face off against various villains wreaking havoc, all while using math concepts to solve each case. In other words: Odd is the problem, math is the solution.

• What was the odd problem the agents were trying to solve today? What did the Odd Squad agents do to solve the problem?
   
• Do you know what math idea the agents used today? How did it help them solve their odd problem? Can you use paper and pencil to show me the math idea you learned? 
   
• What would your name be if you were an Odd Squad agent? What would mine be? (Hint: all agent names start with the letter O!)

• Math

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The animated series "Peep and the Big Wide World" gives wings to the innovative idea of teaching science and math to preschoolers. Set in and around a pond, a bush, and a tin can, the show follows a newly hatched chicken named Peep, and his friends Chirp and Quack (a robin and a duck), on their daily adventures. Surrounding them is a large urban park — a place of great wonder and mystery, a place they are forever eager to explore, a place they call "the big wide world." 

Each half-hour episode contains two stories which highlight specific science concepts, plus two live-action shorts presenting real kids playing and experimenting with these concepts in their own big wide worlds.

• What science concept was taught in this episode?
   
• How did the kids use these science concepts in their experiment? What was the result?
   
• How do you use these science concepts when you play?

• Science

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“We’ve got a really big problem!” “Peg + Cat” follows the adorable, spirited Peg and her sidekick Cat as they embark on adventures, solve problems together, and learn math concepts and skills. 

They’re always running into a messy, funny crisis they must somehow solve without totally freaking out! “Peg + Cat” will inspire preschoolers’ natural curiosity about math and help them develop new skills and strategies for solving problems creatively in their daily lives.

• What was Peg’s really big problem? 
   
• How did Peg solve her really big problem?
   
• How does Peg calm down when she has a really big problem?

• Math

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Pinkalicious Pinkerton is unique, one of a kind, and pinkatastic (an original word by an original kid)! Together with their friends and neighbors in Pinkville, Pinkalicious and her younger brother Peter get into all kinds of artful adventures.

 Based on Victoria Kann's best-selling picture book series, “Pinkalicious and Peterrific,” for kids ages 3 to 6, models the power of teamwork and creative thinking to solve problems — and very cool, often unexpected things occur when these colorful characters join forces!

• What ideas did Pinkalicious have?
   
• What kinds of things did Pinkalicious try?
   
• Can you make your own music, dance or story?
   
• Pinkalicious loves pink. What is your favorite color?

• Arts

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Curiosity about space starts very early. And who better to ask about space than someone who’s actually been there – an alien boy named Jet Propulsion! 

“Ready Jet Go!” a series for children ages 5 to 8, is a kid’s first introduction to space, earth science, and technology. It’s all presented in an entertaining and engaging way that will inspire a life-long interest. Jet and his Earth friends explore the solar system and how it affects our planet, all while learning about friendship and teamwork.

• What did Jet and his friends explore today?
   
• Did they stay on Earth or go to space?
   
• If you could travel to space with Jet, what would you do?
  What do you see when you look at the night sky?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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Five-year-old Rosie Fuentes is inquisitive, hilarious, and she’s an expert at finding - or making - chaos as she learns about the world beyond her family walls. Did you know that you shouldn’t try to mail your cat to Mexico? It’s true! And now, just like so many other things she’s learned, it’s one of “Rosie’s Rules.” Kids ages 3-6 can discover even more dos, don'ts, and ah-ha moments as Rosie, her family, and their cat Gatita share their adventures. 

• What topic did Rosie learn about today?
   
• What is one question Rosie asked?
   
• What "rules" did Rosie discover?

• Social Studies

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"SciGirls" is a show for kids ages 8-12, showcasing bright, curious, real tween girls putting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to work in their everyday lives.

 In each half hour episode you’ll meet a new group of girls, whose eagerness to find answers to their questions will inspire your children to explore the world around them and discover that science and technology are everywhere!

• What activity did SciGirls do today?
   
• What STEM skill did they use in the episode?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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Based on the popular book series by author and illustrator Ethan Long, "Scribbles and Ink" is a unique, new interactive game for children ages 4 to 8 that puts their creations straight into the animated series. 

The app provides the tools to draw objects that can then interact with the main characters "Scribbles and Ink" in different open-ended stories. Kids artwork can also be saved in a gallery for viewing any time.

• What did you create? 
   
• Tell me your story.
   
• How did the story end?

• Arts

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“Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?” For over 50 years, preschoolers and their families have watched “Sesame Street” to see its diverse residents come together to learn life’s lessons. 

Along with Elmo, Abby, Big Bird, and others, children use their imaginations, build social skills, sing songs, and appreciate everyone’s differences. Everyone gets “smarter, stronger, [and] kinder on Sesame Street!”

• What were Elmo and his friends playing?
   
• What was the letter of the day? What word can you make with that letter sound?
   
• What did Cookie Monster make in the Foodie Truck? What foods do you like to eat?

• Literacy
   
• Math
   
• Self-Awareness
   
• Self-Management
   
• Social Awareness
   
• Relationship Skills

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"Sid the Science Kid" uses comedy and music to promote exploration, discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. "Sid the Science Kid" features a practical in-school science curriculum and celebrates children’s natural curiosity about science in everyday life. 

The energetic and inquisitive Sid starts each episode with a new question (“Why are my shoes shrinking?” “Why do bananas get mushy?”) and embarks on a fun-filled day of finding answers with the help of family and friends.

• What question was Sid trying to answer during this episode?
   
• Who helped Sid find the answer?
   
• What was the answer?

• Science

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Dive in and follow the adventures of Splash, a yellowback fusilier fish who has swum all over the ocean before settling in Reeftown in the preschool series “Splash and Bubbles.”

There he befriends Bubbles, a Mandarin dragonet whose vivid coloring matches her personality. Together, Splash and Bubbles explore the world’s undersea habitats, make new friends, and learn about the many different ways life looks and lives in the ocean — celebrating the importance of diversity along the way.

• What did Splash and Bubbles explore in the ocean today?
   
• Did they meet anyone new? What kind of animal was it?

• Science

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"Super WHY!" is the first preschool series designed to help children learn to read through interactive story adventures. Each 22-minute episode features a team of fairytale superheroes who soar into classic storybooks and use their unique reading-based powers to find answers to everyday preschool problems. 

With curriculum guidelines established by the National Reading Panel, "Super WHY!" teaches preschoolers key literacy skills, including letter identification, decoding, encoding, spelling, and reading comprehension.

• What problem were the superheroes trying to solve?
   
• What book did they fly into?
   
• How was the problem solved?

• Literacy

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"Team Hamster!" is an interactive digital series that helps kids think creatively and use engineering skills to solve problems with everyday tools. 

Available on the PBS KIDS website, the PBS KIDS Games app, and the PBS KIDS Video app, this series allows viewers to build, test, and redesign to save the day with hamsters Sadie, Mateo, and Tasha — classroom pets by day, secret engineers by night!

• What problem were you trying to solve?
   
• Did you solve the problem on your first try? If not, what did you have to change/adjust to solve the problem?
   
• What tools did you use to solve the problem?

• Engineering
   
• Science

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Join Chris and Martin Kratt in “Wild Kratts,” a series for children ages 4 to 8! In each episode, the Kratt brothers travel to a different corner of the world to meet amazing new animals and learn about them and their habitats. 

It’s all wrapped up in engaging stories of laugh-out-loud adventure and mystery as the Kratt brothers activate their creature power suits to rescue their animal friends!

• What animal did Chris and Martin meet today? Can you tell me some of that animal’s creature powers? How does it move? Can you show me how that animal moves? 
   
• What invention did Aviva work on today? 
   
• If you had a creature power, what would you have?
   
• Let’s play “Guess that Creature.” Act like a creature and I’ll see if I can guess what it is.

• Science

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"WordGirl" follows the every day life and superhero adventures of WordGirl as she fights crime and enriches vocabulary usage, all in a day’s work. Disguised as mild-mannered 5th grader, Becky Botsford, WordGirl arrived on planet Earth when she and her monkey sidekick, Captain Huggy Face, crashed their spaceship. 

In classic superhero form, WordGirl possesses superhero strength with the added benefit of a colossal vocabulary. WordGirl has a family and friends who have no idea of her secret identity. As WordGirl, she battles and prevails over evil (albeit ridiculous and comical) villains.

• What was the villain trying to do in this episode?
   
• What new words did you learn?
   
• How did WordGirl defeat the villain in this episode?

• Literacy

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“Work It Out Wombats!” stars a playful trio of marsupial siblings – Malik, Zadie and Zeke – who live with their grandmother, Super, in their treehouse apartment complex. The series introduces computational thinking concepts that will help young viewers solve relatable problems, learn flexible thinking and how to express themselves – all while using the practices and processes at the core of computer science.

• What problem did Malik, Zadie and Zeke have during this episode?
   
• How did they solve the problem?
   
• Who helped them solve the problem?

• Critical Thinking
   
• Problem Solving

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“Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” a series for children ages 5 to 8, follows the adventures of three friends as they tackle everyday problems by doing something extraordinary: traveling back in time to learn from real-life inspirational figures when they were kids! 

Come along with Xavier Riddle, a pint-sized history adventurer; Yadina, his little sister; and his best friend Brad, as they unravel the secrets of world famous heroes from history.

• What did Xavier see in the Secret Museum?
   
• Why did Xavier and his friends go to the Secret Museum?
   
• Who did Xavier and his friends meet? What made that person special? What did they do?
   
• Do you know a hero? Why are they a hero?

• Character Development

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