As children head out of school, PBS KIDS aims to address the summer learning gap by encouraging kids, parents and educators to engage in adventures to make the season one of creativity, learning and fun. Fans of PBS KIDS will get a chance to see new episodes beginning June 6 through August 24, including READY JET GO!, the first-ever WILD KRATTS marathon and new specials from NATURE CAT and SPLASH AND BUBBLES, exploring themes such as the natural world and ocean animals’ migratory patterns. New episodes will premiere on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available on pbskids.org, the free PBS KIDS Video App and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream.
Local PBS stations across the country will bring educational resources and events to their communities through PBS KIDS partnerships with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, First Book and Reading is Fundamental (RIF). “PBS KIDS at the Alamo” screening events will be available throughout the summer, with 100 percent of the optional, donation-based ticket prices ($1-$5) going to local PBS stations to support PBS KIDS’ educational mission. PBS KIDS’ partnerships with First Book and RIF aim to foster important literacy skills during the summer through activities and resources.
“Children’s learning can decline by as much one month’s worth of school-year learning over the course of summer break.* To help bridge that gap, we want to engage kids with subjects they’re curious to learn more about,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “Every year, local PBS stations bring summer learning opportunities to communities across the country through resources, events and more for the whole family.”
PBS is also celebrating reading this summer with the new eight-part series, THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, and hosting “PBS KIDS Read” to complement the annual summer learning initiative for children ages 2-8 and their families. “PBS KIDS Read” will encourage reading and related activities through a variety of resources for kids and parents available on PBS Parents, including book lists, tips for new readers and other literacy resources. PBS Teacherline will offer several courses for early childhood educators who teach young readers. New digital games from WILD KRATTS, NATURE CAT and READY JET GO! will also be available. Kids can also download the SPLASH AND BUBBLES Ocean Adventure app, where they can join the Reeftown Rangers on an underwater journey to discover the amazing animals and plants that live in the ocean.
Asteroid Belt Space Race!/Sydney 2
Airs and streams June 27
“Asteroid Belt Space Race”
The kids join Celery in a space race between them, Uncle Zucchini, and Auntie Eggplant and Zerk. The course is all the way around the Asteroid Belt.
“Sydney 2”
Sydney decides that Jet’s robot, Jet 2, is lonely. She decides to design and build a robot companion for him and names it “Sydney 2.”
Earth, Wind and Flyer/Mini-Golf at the DSA
Airs and streams July 4
“Earth, Wind, and Flyer”
Jet is fascinated by the effects of wind on his saucer. He and the kids study how wind works, ending with Sean going on a wild saucer ride.
“Mini-Golf at the DSA”
Jet is fascinated by Earthie golf, and Sean and Sydney try to teach him the rules. When the DSA builds a new mini-golf course, the kids team up against the grownups, and Jet gets to apply his new knowledge of force.
Water, Water Everywhere/Commander Cressida Story Contest
Airs and streams July 11
“Water, Water Everywhere”
Jet takes the kids on a saucer tour all around the Earth to discover all the ways that water can be found. They visit Antarctica to look at the ice, and then compare that extreme to the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
“Commander Cressida Story Contest”
Sydney wants to enter a Commander Cressida story contest, but can’t think of a good enough story. The other kids help, and they come up with a story about lassoing a comet to bring water to Venus, and then Mars.
Try and Try Again/Racing on Sunshine
Airs and streams July 18
“Try and Try Again”
Jet’s robot Jet 2 needs new wheels if he’s going to be able to rove over the surface of Mars. Jet and the kids try a bunch of different wheels, without success. In the end, they borrow the wheels from Mitchell’s scooter, so Jet 2 can successfully navigate on Mars.
“Racing on Sunshine”
The kids enter their karts in the big kid-kart derby, but this year they all have to design solar- powered karts. Jet learns how solar panels work, and how batteries save up the energy so you can race even when clouds cover the sun.
You Can Call Me Albedo/The Tide Is High
Airs and streams July 25
“You Can Call Me Albedo”
It’s evening at the cul-de-sac and the kids are looking at two asteroids through Sean’s telescope – one is light-colored and one is dark. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s dog Cody seems to have run away because he doesn’t like the black sweater Mitchell put on him. The kids learn about how, just like asteroids, some things are easier to see in the dark than others – a white card is easier to see than Cody’s black sweater, for example. This amount of brightness is called “albedo.”
“The Tide Is High”
The kids go to their local beach to surf, but notice that the beach looks completely different from the last time they stood there. There’s a lot more sand and the ocean is far away! They decide to be detectives and study what has happened, and learn that the difference is caused by the tides – the rising and falling of the ocean.
WILD KRATTS
A WILD KRATTS marathon will kick off on Friday, June 15 (check local listings),and will include the new episodes listed below. On the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and livestream, the marathon kicks off at 6:00 a.m. and goes for a full 24 hours. The two services will be counter-programmed with different episodes.
Choose Your Swordfish
Airs and streams Friday, June 29
Aviva challenges Martin and Chris to a fencing duel and tells them to choose their swords. The bros can’t decide, so she tells them if they pick their favorite billfish – swordfish, marlin or sailfish – she’ll make them a Creature Power Suit. So they head out on a mission to explore the mysterious world of billfish.
NATURE CAT
“Nature Cat: The Return of Bad Dog Bart”
Airs and streams Monday, July 16
While playing everyone’s favorite game, Hal’s Hole Hootenanny, Hal accidentally digs up what turns out to be Bad Dog Bart’s second buried treasure map! And this is the one that leads to Bad Dog Bart’s stolen loot of cat toys. This brings back some emotional memories for Nature Cat of a very special family cat toy stolen by Bad Dog Bart, and his sister Gwendolyn going off to get it back. Nature Cat has not seen Gwendolyn since! Mustering all the courage he can, and with help from Squeeks, Daisy and Hal, Nature Cat sets off on a dizzying epic adventure following the map to find the treasure. Little do they know that Bad Dog Bart himself will be joining the race along with a rough and tumble pirate named One-Eared Winnie! Arrrghhhhh!!!
SPLASH AND BUBBLES
“Splash and Bubbles: Pole-to-Pole”
Airs and streams August 6
Narwhals and penguins and humpbacks, oh my! The Reeftown Rangers set off on a migratory adventure from the Antarctic to the Arctic in this SPLASH AND BUBBLES event.
* Brookings Institute; Summer learning loss, what is it, and what can we do about it?; 2017
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About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers children ages 2-8 the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital media and community-based programs. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support the entire ecosystem in which children learn, including their teachers, parents and community. Provided by stations, the free PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream is available to more than 95% of U.S. TV households. Kidscreen- and Webby Award-winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning, including the PBS KIDS Video app, which is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Chromecast. PBS KIDS also offers parent and teacher resources to support children’s learning anytime and anywhere. For more information on PBS KIDS content and initiatives supporting school readiness and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Wind Dancer
In addition to READY JET GO!, Wind Dancer Films is the creator and producer of such family television series Home Improvement along with box office successes such as What Women Want and Bernie. The company, headed by partners Dete Meserve, David McFadzean and Matt Williams, is also currently in production on What Men Want for Paramount Pictures, the feature film Good Sam, the animated preschool project Not a Box, and the stop-motion series entitled Storywoods. www.winddancer.com
About Kratt Brothers Company
Kratt Brothers Company, founded in 1993, has created and produced more than 220 episodes of television, including award-winning series: KRATTS’ CREATURES, ZOBOOMAFOO, Kratt Brothers: Be the Creature and WILD KRATTS. Through its full service animation studio, Kratt Brothers Company is currently in production on its fifth season of the Emmy-nominated hit, WILD KRATTS.www.krattbrothers.com
About Spiffy Pictures
Spiffy Pictures, founded in 2003 by David and Adam Rudman, is a creative development and production company specializing in family entertainment. The Emmy Award-winning creative team has created, produced, written and directed live-action and animated projects for Nickelodeon, Disney, MTV, Comedy Central, Sesame Street and Warner Brothers. Their projects include creating and producing the Emmy- and Prix Jeunesse-nominated Jack’s Big Music Show for Nick Jr, the Emmy-nominated Bunnytown for Disney and Nick Jr.’s Parent’s Choice Award-winning Curious Buddies brand of home videos. Spiffy Pictures recently produced a puppet adaptation of Scooby Doo for Warner Brothers, titled Scooby-Doo! Adventures, The Mystery Map. Visit us at www.spiffypictures.com.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world-famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), Dot. (Sprout/Hulu), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Word Party (Netflix), Doozers (Hulu/ Sprout), and the Emmy®-nominated Sid the Science Kid (PBS), Dinosaur Train (PBS), and Pajanimals (Sprout). Television productions include Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller and the sci-fi cult series Farscape. Features include Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, MirrorMask, and Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow. The Company is currently in production on the upcoming Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Projects in development include the highly anticipated filmFraggle Rock.
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