TV Shows Your Child Should Be Watching No. 6: Little Einsteins

I'm always on the lookout for good television shows for our 4-year-old daughter to watch, and I'm glad many of you enjoyed my list of Five TV Shows Your Child Should Be Watching.

Little Einsteins is joining that list. The cartoon show, which airs on the Disney Channel, does a great job of expanding kids' minds and opening their eyes to classical music, art, geography and architecture.

Four children are the main characters of the show, and they all have a special talent. Annie loves to sing. Leo can conduct an orchestra. Quincy plays a variety of musical instruments. June is a dancer.

Together, they go on problem-solving missions, like Dora the Explorer. Unlike Dora, they travel around the world in a rocket ship and sing different songs on each episode.

In fact, each episode begins with the curtain rising on a stage. The children introduce the show's featured artist and musical composer.

For example, the "Dragon Kite" episode featured paintings by several Chinese artists. The music was "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg. They even show the notes being played on the sheet music, which is the first time most kids are exposed to the concept of notes on a page.

In order to make the music stick with the kids at home, the producers make the characters sing along with the classical music. So while the Little Einsteins were traveling to China with the Dragon Kite, they were singing, "We're going to help the kite parade, kite parade, kite parade ..." along with the Grieg song.

Another great aspect of the show is the way it teaches kids about geography. The children travel to specific spots in the world ("I'm in San Francisco!") and when they go to Russia, they see Russian-style buildings.

Even if all of this doesn't completely sink in with young kids, when they hear the classical music or see different buildings in the future, it won't be the first time. It's just like foreign languages. Kids are so open to learning new things at this age that it makes perfect sense to challenge them.

At the end of each episode, the Little Einsteins and Rocket take a curtain call. They cheer for themselves, the kids at home, the composer and the artist of the day. This is a great way to reinforce the importance of the art and music, and after watching each episode a few times, your kid may surprise you with the things she has learned.

Little Einsteins air every weekday morning at 9 o'clock Eastern time on Playhouse Disney.