Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Do you think children watching television shows are linked to obesity?


Watching television has become a hobby for children. Instead of playing outside and enjoying the outdoors, children choose to relax on the couch and watch television. Just like watching a movie at the movie theater, people eat popcorn and candy and drink pop. Children do the same by eating and watching their favorite television show. Eating and watching television has a negative effect because children tend not to realize how much they are eating because they are too into their show.

Watching a little television is ok, but watch too much can cause problems. Watching television with parents for a couple hours is positive since they aren’t watching too much and are also bonding with family members. If children have to watch television for a couple of hours because mom is trying to make supper or at daycare, here are a few television shows that are appropriate for children.

Disney channel’s Hannah Montana is a great show for young children. There’s singing and dancing and in the end somehow Hannah learns a lesson. It also shows children that if they just set their mind towards something and don’t give up; they can actually achieve that goal.

PBS’s Arthur has been around for a while and it still is a great show for children to watch. On the show Arthur has many diverse friends addressing social and health related issues. This is great for children to pick up at a young age because they will learn to accept it later in life. The show teaches a lot about relationships, family, diversity, and friendship.

Nickelodeon’s television show Dora the Explorer is a really good learning show for young children to watch. Dora has many adventures which usually include helping someone. The show includes the children watching by helping her explore and help finish her task. The show also includes another language so children can get a basis of what it is like in a different culture.

PBS’s Sesame Street has been on television since I was a little girl. Since the show has been on that long, you know that it is a really good show for your child to watch. The show teaches children basic skills such as counting, color, number and shape recognition, as well as cultural and social diversity.

These four shows are really good learning shows for children to watch with their parents, but parents have to remember not to put a television in their child’s room because that always tends to cause problems. Parents should set certain times their child should watch television and meal times should be a time when the family talks, not watch television. In the end, adults just need to show television in a positive way to children. Show that television doesn’t always have a negative view and that there are shows that are suitable.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Saturday Morning Shows


Saturday morning shows are always a must see. Waking up at 8 a.m. and watching Saturday morning shows till 12 is always fun to experience. Young children wake up really excited on Saturday to watch their favorite Saturday morning shows while eating their cereal. It is always a thrill to know that there are always cartoons on television on Saturday. What shows do they play on Saturday morning now days?

Well………..

Starting at 8 a.m. they kick it off with Emperor’s New School. This show is great for younger children which is why they have it on at 8 a.m. Kuzco is the main character in the show and he is trying to graduate school before he can claim his thrown and become emperor. Even worse, he has been banned from the palace and is forced live with the commoner, while dealing with evil Yzma.
At 9:30 a.m. The Replacements airs on Saturday morning. The Replacements main characters are Riley and her brother Todd. Todd found a website where they order parents. Riley and Todd get parents of their wildest dreams. Their mom is spy, who has a very cool talking car and their dad is a famous stuntman. Riley and Todd haven’t going for them and if that isn’t enough the website gives them mobile phones which allows them to replace any adult they want. But of course with every show there is a down side and The Replacements deal with many problems with their ordered parents.

Here is an example of the show The Replacement.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=the+replacements+cartoon&page=1&qsrc=2352&zoom=China+Pattern+%3CKW%3EReplacements%3C%2FKW%3E%7C%3CKW%3EReplacements%3C%2FKW%3E+LTD%7CChina+%3CKW%3EReplacement%3C%2FKW%3E&ab=8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dc1d7ZuUApAw

During 10 to 11 a.m. That’s so Raven is on. Raven is the main character, who sees flashes of the future. A lot of the time her visions cause problems because she doesn’t see everything that happens. Raven and her friends always have crazy mishaps trying to follow her visions. Raven’s family is also crazy so Raven has her hands full with everything.

At 11 a.m. everyone’s favorite show is Hannah Montana and at 11:30 a.m. The Suite Life of Zach and Cody are on. Both are great shows for teenagers. Hannah Montana is a young girl who is hiding her secret at a famous pop star. Suite Life of Zach and Cody is about two boys that live in a hotel and always tend to cause major problems.

To end the exciting morning Power Rangers: Jungle Fury airs from 11 to 12. It deals with five power rangers that fight evil villains.

Saturday morning shows have a variety of shows for everyone to watch. It is great for parents and their children to watch them together. So grab a bowl of cereal and everyone get together and watch Saturday morning cartoons!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Is it Too Young for Preschoolers to Watch Television Shows?


Television has been used as a child babysitter as well as an educational tool. Television can help preschoolers with teaching valuable skills. Preschoolers can get help with learning the alphabet or numbers on public television. But too much television can lead to obesity, aggressive behavior, and lead to racial stereotypes. The key is to limit the amount of time young children are sitting in front of the set, which is two hours. There are television shows that are educational for preschoolers so if children have to watch television they should watch these following shows.

Super Why
A PBS show that teaches reading skills in a way that is pleasing and original. Each episode is to use a particular reading skill to solve a distinctive challenge. Preschoolers that watch it are encouraged to recognize, should out, and place the letter of the alphabet together to make words.
Here is an example of what the show is about: http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Super+Why+Children%27s+Television&page=1&qsrc=19&zoom=&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iptv.org%2Fvideo%2Fdetail.cfm%2F3174%2Fswhy_20081219_princess_prestos_off

Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends
It is about a group of animated bugs that try to live in agreement in a wooded grove. Preschoolers learn about different bugs and what their habits are all about. Young children learn the various techniques of getting along and solving different types of problems in unique way.

Dora and Diego
This show was originally called “Dora the Explorer.” Dora and Diego face a different task each episode that requires the children watching to interact by attempting to solve a problem. This helps develop a passionate sense of exploration and a love and respect for animals.

Blue’s Clues
Blue, a cute little dog, excites a young child’s imagination and increase observation skills and attempts to put together clues to show Blue’s wishes. Preschoolers learn about different topics, including occupations, educational skills, and insects.

Little Bill
Little Bill is one of the few ethnically –oriented preschool shows left on television. It has a little humor which allows young children to express various fears, problems, and opinions about the world around them.

These shows will influence children in a positive way by teaching them everyday skills. As long as parents keep televisions out of the child’s room and tell their child that television shows aren’t real than the child won’t act differently after watching an inappropriate show. All in all television for children can be a big problem so just choose wisely in selecting a television show for your child.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Do Children’s Television Stars have an impact on children who watch the shows?


Many kids watch their favorite television show and want to be just like the actors and actresses on the show. They want to look like them, act like them, and do the things that they do. If the actor or actress on the show does something inappropriate does that mean that it is ok for children who are watching to do the same thing as well?

Jamie Lynn Spears plays Zoey on Zoey 101. Zoey 101 is about an all boy’s boarding school that is now accepting girls. Zoey has to face challenges of being a teenage in the show. But Zoey, Jamie Lynn Spears, is actually facing some challenges in her real life. Jamie found out that she is pregnant at the age of 17. This was a big shocker to public readers and was hard to believe it was true. Does this image send out the wrong message that it is ok for children to get pregnant at the age of 17?

I know every little girl looks up to Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus. Hannah Montana is a preteen who just moved to a Malibu and now has to adapt to a new lifestyle. She also lives a secret life as a pop singer. Miley Stewart’s (Hannah Montana) huge secret is she leads a double life as a famous pop singer Hannah Montana and just Miley Stewart, a preteen going to school and enjoying life. This is a good show that shows what average teenage’s problems are such as pimples, boys, and bullies. But this show might teach children that it is ok to “lie.” Do you think it is ok for Miley Stewart (Hannah Montana) does hide her true identity of being a famous pop singer?

The Suite Life of Zach and Cody is a great show, but may it cause some controversy? Zach and Cody played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, are 14 year olds whose lives change when their single mom gets a job as a singer at a popular hotel. Zach and Cody end up living at the Tipton Hotel since their mom works there. The boys go crazy and cause problems at the hotel. The twin’s plan pranks and get in other guest business. Since the two boys get out of control sometimes, does this mean that kids that stay at a hotel for a couple of nights can act the same way?

Any children show can bring up controversy. It could be how the actor or actress acts on stage or in person. It makes it hard for child stars to be famous because they have to watch how they act because it might affect the way another child acts. So it tends to end up are children stars being good role models or are they lacking a bit?