PBS Kids Preschool Block

Last updated

PBS Kids Preschool
Network PBS Kids
LaunchedSeptember 4, 2006;15 years ago (2006-09-04)
ClosedOctober 7, 2013;8 years ago (2013-10-07)
Country of originUnited States
Owner PBS

The PBS Kids Preschool Block was a programming block of television shows aimed at preschool aged children which aired on PBS Kids. The block premiered with Curious George on September 4, 2006 on Labor Day. The block was aired weekdays at 8:00 AM local time on most PBS member stations. The block was discontinued in 2013 with the introduction of the updated PBS Kids brand.

Contents

Characters

Throughout the block

Season 1 (2006). Characters included Miss Lori, Hooper, and Dash, who were featured before and after each program. Shows in Season 1 were Curious George , Clifford the Big Red Dog , Dragon Tales and It's a Big Big World . Each day, Miss Lori and Hooper would try to solve a problem, which was related to a daily curriculum. After Clifford the Big Red Dog , there was a short dance as well as a song, performed by Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck, Milkshake, or Miss Lori herself. Dash's Game of the Day aired just before Dragon Tales. Dash showed viewers how to play a game on the PBS Kids website. This was the only season to have a themed plot throughout the two hours.

Season 2 (2007), and introduced Dot to the character cast. Dragon Tales was moved to a different time to make room for Super Why! which replaced It's a Big Big World . Dot's Story Factory started this season. Dot showed a story created online by kids at the PBS Kids site. It was shown at the end of every Super Why! episode. In other brief activities between the shows, Miss Lori and Hooper emphasized basic literacy and numeracy skills, fine arts, movement, music, and health. Dash's Game of the Day continued to air, and new music videos were produced.

Season 3 (2008), [1] and it included the same programs as the previous season. Two new live-action characters were introduced: Miss Rosa and Mr. Steve. All characters seen in previous seasons were also in this season. Miss Rosa hosted Spanish-language and other curriculum-based segments, and Mr. Steve hosted Music Time. [2] Miss Lori was still seen but less frequently. Hooper continued to be seen, along with Dot's Story Factory. Dash's Secret Treasure, a matching game to match the theme of the day, replaced Dash's Game of the Day.

Season 4 (2008), and Sid the Science Kid premiered, pushing Clifford the Big Red Dog to a different time and removing Dragon Tales from the block. Dot's Story Factory was usually shown at the end of every show rather than only one show. Dash's Secret Treasure continued to air. New segments were shown around Sid the Science Kid. Some PBS stations opted to repeat the block on the weekends from 7 AM to 9 AM. This is the last season that Miss Lori appears in. [3]

Season 5 (2009). Clifford the Big Red Dog was replaced by Dinosaur Train . A new segment called Dash's Dance Party encouraged children to be active and dance. It alternates daily with Dash's Secret Treasure Game. Miss Rosa, Mr. Steve and Hooper continue to be seen throughout the two hours. As of this season, Miss Lori is no longer seen and has been replaced with Miss Rosa in all cases. The entire programming block is now in high-definition, except for some funding promos and older episodes of Curious George.

Season 6 (2010). The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That premiered on this date, replacing Sid the Science Kid .

On October 7, 2013, Peg + Cat premiered, taking Super Why!'s timeslot from the schedule. The PBS Kids brand was refreshed at this time, and the block was discontinued. Interstitials featuring Miss Rosa and SteveSongs, and other musical spots still air before or after select programs throughout the day on PBS Kids. Program credits were repackaged for Curious George and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood in 2014.

Bands and their songs

During Season One, each day's segments included a short dance as well as a song. This portion of the show was abandoned, when Mr. Steve joined.

Milkshake
Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck
Miss Lori

Segments

During program breaks or before the program begins, the preschool children, Hooper, or other characters take part in entertaining activities. These brief activities, generally assisted or narrated by Hooper, emphasize basic literacy and numeracy, fine arts, movement, music, and health. Many of these segments were also featured after repeats of other programs not included in the preschool block, such as Barney, Caillou, Clifford, Martha Speaks, and WordWorld. From 2019 to 2020, and currently since 2021, Dash's Secret Treasure and Dash's Dance Party were surprisingly seen at the beginning of Splash and Bubbles.

Current

Former

Programming

Original programming

TitlePremiere dateEnd date
Curious George September 4, 2006October 7, 2013
Clifford the Big Red Dog 1September 7, 2009
Dragon Tales 1September 1, 2008
It's a Big Big World 1September 3, 2007
Super Why! September 3, 2007October 7, 2013
Sid the Science Kid September 1, 2008September 6, 2010
Dinosaur Train September 7, 2009October 7, 2013
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! September 6, 2010
Peg + Cat October 7, 2013

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References

  1. "PBS KIDS Preschool Programming Block". Out of the Blue Enterprises. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015.
  2. "PBS KIDS Engages Kids with New Spanish Content and Original Music on the Popular PBS KIDS Preschool Destination Beginning May 19th". PBS.org.
  3. "MISS LORI SAYS GOODBYE TO PBS KIDS, BUT NOT TO YOU!". Archived from the original on August 19, 2016.