Tag Archives: klrukids

KLRU Launches Smart Screen Time Initiative For Summer

Posted on by
klrukids.org1

KLRU announced a Smart Screen Time / La Pantalla Inteligente Initiative to connect Central Texas families and kids to PBS content, videos, games and apps and to use them to explore the world beyond the screen.  “We know that as school ends more and more kids are going to be watching television, playing games on tablets and using their parents’ phones to play apps,” said Ben Kramer, VP Educational Services at KLRU,“ and we want to encourage families to be smart about their choices.”

Smart Screen Time is about finding good content, using it in smart ways, and knowing when to turn off devices. KLRU has developed five guidelines for parents and caregivers to follow when watching a television show or playing online with their kids.  They are:

  • Knowing the difference between “smart time” and “silly time.”
  • When the brain slows down, turn the screen off.
  • Talk throughout the day with your children.
  • Watch and play on screens together.
  • Read at home every day.
    Get more details about each of these guidelines

To combat the summer learning loss KLRU will be offering 11 hours of uninterrupted non-commercial children’s programs each weekday as well as launching klrukrids.org.  www.klrukids.org connects learners of all ages 2 and up to a plethora of curriculum-based video, games and apps that teach math, literacy, and more.   These resources in both English and Spanish, will allow kids to have Smart Screen Time while also having fun.  All of the activities featured on klrukids.org embody the PBS Kids spirit that “anytime is learning time” and “learning can be fun.”

more →

Smart Screen Time / La Pantalla Inteligente

Posted on by
big bird & pajaro grande

Download a printable version of this guide (pdf): Smart Screen Time | La Pantalla Inteligente

With the proliferation of screen-based activities available for and embraced by youth, KLRU Educational Services has developed a set of guidelines for digital media use called “Smart Screen Time / La Pantalla Inteligente.” In addition to offering quality educational media, KLRU Educational Services staff believe that explicit guidelines for how to use these media has never been more needed – for parents, caretakers, educators, and the children themselves. The guidelines have been incorporated into all of KLRU Educational Services’ messaging and will soon be appearing on-air and online in a series of explanatory video clips. The guidelines are as follows:

  1. Knowing “smart time” vs. “silly time” - Kids instinctively know when they are viewing or playing media that is cognitively stimulating, and media that is pure entertainment. We believe that there is a role for both in kids’ lives. Adults who provide access to digital media ought to have conversations about the appropriate balance of smart and silly with the children in their care, and help children monitor their own media habits.
  2. When the brain slows down, turn the screen off! - All viewers of digital media have experienced moments when they are neither asleep nor alert, but in some in-between “zombie” zone. For adults, this may be a reasonable break from a long day’s work. For kids, it’s a different matter because this time is neither truly restful, nor is it meaningfully engaging. In short, it’s lost time during a period of rapid brain growth and development. For that reason, it’s important for adults in kids’ lives to turn the screen off and send them to another activity (including sleep!). Kids can become self-monitors of their own zombie states,  and can learn alternatives to drooling in front of a screen.
  3. Talk throughout the day, including during screen time - Studies have shown that dialogue can enhance the learning outcomes of using educational digital media. Look no further than our own characters to see role models for our kids – our characters use sophisticated vocabulary, ask good questions, and seek solution pathways for desired information. In short, they are all chatterboxes! Adults can ask kids for narrative summaries of show episodes, or to describe strategies they are using to advance in games.
  4. Watch and play on screens together - This is corollary of guideline #3. Whereas dialogue about kids’ viewing or playing is great, an even stronger learning experience occurs when adults and kids engage together with educational media. KLRU Educational Services selects PBS evening programs each month for “Family Choice” viewing, when we encourage generations to sit, watch, and discuss together. This idea can be extended to our programming throughout the day, and to game-playing online and on mobile media.
  5. Read both at home and at school – every day! As proud as we are of the educational quality of our media, KLRU Educational Services recognizes that reading remains the most efficient, effective method of acquiring new information, building vocabulary, and experiencing new worlds of learning. In fact, a good number of our programs and games explicitly steer children to reading experiences. Most children still need adults to bridge the gap from screen to text, and to help them locate appropriate reading materials. This cannot solely occur in school – children who practice literacy as a desired activity during out-of-school time have markedly better learning outcomes that endure throughout their lives (International Reading Association, 1998). We know our job is done when kids instinctively and enthusiastically turn from our media to books as a logical next step in their learning lives.

martha speaks

Monkey around this Thanksgiving with Curious George

Posted on by


PBS KIDS is monkeying around this holiday season. On Wednesday, Nov. 23, 8 am to noon, KLRU will feature the broadcast premiere of the original Curious George movie, which will air as part of the Curious George Holiday Spectacular. A three-movie on-air event that is sure to be a new family tradition, the Holiday Spectacular kicks off with Curious George, featuring the voices of Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore and Dick Van Dyke, as well as the music of Jack Johnson, followed by Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey and Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. The Curious George Holiday Spectacular will also air on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 6 am to 10 am.
more →

KLRU Kids at Explore UT 3/5

Posted on by

KLRU is opening up our studios on Saturday, March 5, from 11 am to 4 pm for children and their parents to explore their public television station. As part of Explore UT, KLRU will let the community see television equipment at work throughout the day and feature storytime with PBS KIDS host Miss Rosa at 11 am and 2 pm.

New KLRU Kids Lineup Starts Sept. 1

Posted on by

Starting on Wednesday, September 1, KLRU Kids daily lineup will change. In addition to some shows changing time slots, we’re adding an extra show on Saturday mornings making kids shows go from 5 to 10 a.m. And we’re very excited to be bringing you a brand new series from PBS called The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That.

Voiced by award-winning actor Martin Short, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat guides friends Sally and Nick – with a little help from the Fish, Thing 1 and Thing 2 – on fun-filled adventures where they make natural-science discoveries, from how bees make honey to why owls sleep during the day. The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That will join the line up on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Unfortunately we are also loosing one KLRU Kid favorite from the lineup. Since its premiere in 1999, Dragon Tales has helped build children’s social emotional skills, as well as supporting a music and cultural diversity curriculum. Production of new episodes concluded in the third season, in 2005. As broadcast and web rights are set to expire, PBS will no longer be able to show episodes of Dragon Tales or serve web video and game content after August 2010.

Here is the new KLRU Kids Lineup:

  • 5 Sesame Street (Sun) Mister Rogers (Sat)
  • 5:30 Bob the Builder (Sat)
  • 6 Curious George (Sun) Thomas and Friends (Sat)
  • 6:30 Cat in the Hat (Sun and Sat starts 9/4) Word World (Mon to Fri)
  • 7 Sesame Street
  • 8 Curious George
  • 8:30 Cat in the Hat (starts 9/6)
  • 9 Super Why (Mon to Sat)
  • 9:30 Dinosaur Train (Mon to Fri) Biscuit Brothers (Sat)
  • 10 Sid the Science Kid (Mon to Fri)
  • 10:30 Word World (Mon to Fri)
  • 11 Clifford (Mon to Fri), Mama Mirabella (Mon ending 8/30)
  • 11:30 Barney & Friends (Mon to Fri) Dragon Tales (Mon to Fri ending 8/27 see note above for more details)
  • noon Thomas and Friends (Mon) Bob the Builder (Tue) Angelina Ballerina (Wed) Franny’s Feet (Thur) Mister Rogers (Fri)
  • 12:30 Between the Lions (Mon to Fri)
  • 1 A Place of Our Own (Mon to Fri)
  • 1:30 Los Niños En Su Casa (Mon to Fri)
  • 2 Maya & Miguel (Mon to Fri)
  • 2:30 Martha Speaks (Mon to Fri)
  • 3 Arthur (Mon to Fri)
  • 3:30 Word Girl (Mon to Fri) Saddle Club (Fri until 9/17)
  • 4 Electric Company (Mon to Fri)
  • 4:30 Fetch (Mon to Fri) SciGirls (Tue, Thur ending 8/31)
  • 5 Dragonfly TV (Mon) Cyberchase (Tue to Thur) Biz Kid$ (Fri)

WordGirl's Season Premiere

Posted on by

Word Girl and her sidekick HuggyA STUPENDOUS new season of WordGirl kicks off with the back-to-school special episode “Bummertime/The Home Run King,” premiering Monday, August 23rd at 3:30pm on KLRU.
(repeats: Tuesday, September 7 at 3:30pm)

Becky just wants to read a book on the last day of summer but Tobey and his latest robot creation are AGGRAVATING her. Can WordGirl figure out how to stop crime and PROLONG her last day of vacation?

Then, when TJ foils a crime during his baseball game with an EXTRAORDINARY home run, he becomes “the Home Run King,” the city’s latest superhero. FORTUNATELY, WordGirl steps in to save the day when he gets in over his head fighting real crimes.

Six new episodes will broadcast throughout the fall beginning September 13th.

Dinosaur Train Under the Sea

Posted on by

Dinosaur Train Under the SeaClimb aboard for a 1-hour Underwater Adventure special!

Premieres Friday, August 20th,  9:30-10:30am

Climb aboard as Buddy and the entire Pteranodon family board the DINOSAUR TRAIN to embark on their first underwater adventure in the new one-hour special “Dinosaur Train Under the Sea,” airing Friday, August 20 on KLRU. The Pteranodon family learns about new aquatic creatures when they ride the train through a glass-encased time tunnel that dives down under the sea to explore the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic oceans. The train also features the new Aquacar, and open car filled with sea water for carrying their new friends.

Meet Our New Underwater Friends!

Elmer Elasmosaurus: The Dinosaur Train’s new Aquacar gets its first passenger when the Pteranodon family helps transport Elmer back to his home in the ocean.  This long-necked, giant marine reptile is a deep-sea diver with a special talent for holding his breath.

Carla Cretoxyrhina: On their underwater excursion, the Pteranodon family meets up with a young shark named Carla Cretoxyrhina, who turns out to be much nicer than her reputation suggests.

The Amazing Michelinoceras Brothers: Buddy and his family continue their underwater adventure by traveling deep underwater on the Dinosaur Train to view two backwards-bounding brothers named Max and Mitch Michelinoceras.

Paulie Pliosaurus: The Pteranodon family wrap up  their  Dinosaur Train underwater exploration with a visit to a marine reptile called  Paulie Pliosaurus, a creature known as the “T. rex of the Ocean.”

There’s great reproducible activity sheet for children and a step-by-step instruction sheet for parents and caregivers on conducting a watery science learning activity with kids. Dinosaur Train colorful hypothesis