PBS Programs Are Excellent Additions to Home School Curriculum

There are a few shows on PBS that I use in our home school curriculum: Martha Speaks, Sid the Science Kid, and Word World. Many others, such as Dinosaur Train (paleontology), Franny's Feet (social studies and geography), Zula Patrol (physical science, space exploration), and Clifford the Big Red Dog (social skills), among others, are also used in our curriculum.

Martha Speaks

Martha Speaks is a wonderful program for children. It is very far-fetched, but this is what grabs a child's attention and what child couldn't learn a 'big word' from a talking dog? Martha is quite lovable, and gets herself into predicaments in each program. While she is learning how to solve her problems, she learns many new words, usually from Helen, the ten year old girl who takes care of Martha. Martha also teaches new words to others, including the family's non-talking dog, Skits. While these new words are being learned and taught by Martha, they are put into a context that helps the children viewing to remember the word, and what it means. This show is a great vocabulary building tool, and can easily be used by home schoolers. The age appropriateness, in my opinion, is from birth through about age eight, but I find it interesting to watch too, and I'm an adult!

I use a notebook to write down the words Martha learns or teaches and then we use them in our everyday conversations. It doesn't seem like a big thing to do, and it is easy, but it works. I also use different forms of the words on Martha Speaks, and this further increases vocabulary. The words are also posted on the screen, for older children.

Sid the Science Kid

Sid is a really cool kid who loves to learn about his environment. The environment is full of situations that lend themselves to science experiments. This show not only teaches science to young children but also how to set up an experiment in a scientific manner and collect data. They use a lot of charts on this show. They also use notebooks in which the children draw what they have observed. I believe this increases a child's confidence level as the drawings shown look just like what a child might draw. Sid's teacher, Teacher Susie, is not only informative but entertaining, and with the songs she sings with Sid's class, it makes it easy for children to remember what they've learned.

Topics covered by Sid the Science Kid include insects, properties of water, how your body changes, animals, and many other areas. Teacher Susie is not the only one who Sid learns from. His mother and father, as well as his grandma, all teach Sid using those teachable moments home school families know so well.

Word World

This is a really lovable show that teaches basic spelling. The animal characters have adventures and during these, they find something they need. They have letters they use to build a word which is a phrase you will hear quite often during the show, and the word they've built turns into the item they needed or wanted. My only complaint is that this only works with nouns, not adjectives, adverbs, or other non-sight words. Those are some of the more difficult words to teach, but this show is still a very good beginning.

Word World easily gets a child's attention and makes spelling a vital part of the program. While the animals are constructing new words, they are oftentimes not only spelling it, but enunciating the individual sounds of the words. Teaching with repetition is an excellent way for a child to learn that -oo- is the same sound in roof, school, kangaroo, and many other words.

Both Martha Speaks and Sid the Science Kid portray inter-racial families. Helen's mother is Hispanic and her father is Caucasian. Sid's father is also Caucasian and his mother is African American. Sid looks like he has parents of different heritages, but Helen looks Caucasian like her father, and her younger brother looks Hispanic like their mother. This added benefit also helps in other areas like social studies and citizenship. It also helps in day to day situations in which we meet others who don't look like we do. I want my son to be proud of who he is, but I also want him to be proud to be friends with others who are different, both outwardly and inwardly.