Learning math concepts doesn’t have to be boring or painful for kids.
In fact, many of the TVOKids TV shows are based on age-appropriate Ontario math curriculum but make learning fun by taking kids on fictional journeys.
Two programs specifically focused on math this fall on TVOKids include Tumbletown Tale$ and Carney the Cat.
Financial Literacy
“(Carney the Cat) is another example of how TVOKids has taken the All Day Kindergarten program and created a series that introduces financial literacy to early learners,” says Pat Patricia Ellingson, Creative Head, Children’s Media Content and Programming, for TVOKids. The show is accompanied by a web game.
Financial literacy for preschoolers is:
- Coin identification
- Currency amounts
- Learning that money is used to buy things
“Financial literacy and awareness is so key at every age and at every stage,” says Jennifer McAuley, executive in charge of Gisèle’s Big Backyard, which runs in the morning block. “With it being part of the Ontario curriculum for grades 4 and up starting this fall, we felt that introducing simple coin recognition in Gisèle’s Big Backyard would be an early bonus for our viewers. Also children in preschool and kindergarten are being exposed to Canadian coins in their education. Using the Big Backyard’s corner store… was a natural choice, and an easy and very entertaining way for us to approach financial literacy with the show.”
Carney the Cat Program
The show is set inside the This and That Shop, the corner store inside Gisèle’s Big Backyard, where a carnival-type machine presents five coins. When you push a button the machine starts and Carney the Coin Counting Cat rises and gives the audience three hints about a coin that he is thinking about: its colour, what’s on it and often what the name of it rhymes with. The ‘player’ must figure out which coin Carney is thinking about and press that button. If he gets it correct lights flash and the cat gets all excited.
Producers hope kids will come out of watching the segments with an understanding of the name of each coin, what each coin looks like, and how much money is represented by each coin.
Tumbletown Tale$ Program
The Tumbletown Tale$ series, meanwhile, is designed to help kids aged 6-11 understand that mathematics is not something to be afraid of but rather something to embrace, says Ellingson. “It can be fun,” she says. “This year the Tumbletown team takes math one step further and tackles financial literacy.
The goal is to:
- help kids think critically about money
- develop a realistic understanding of how to use money
- appreciate the value of money.
Marney Malabar, executive in charge of the afternoon kids block The Space, says the show’s imaginary world where hamsters drive cars and live in a castle began as a math-focused show but more recently turned to a focus on language.
This season, the focus turns back to math.
“(Last year) Tumbleweed (the main character) got a job being a newspaper reporter and now his day to day life was spent understanding how to become a better writer on Tumbletown Reads,” she says. “This year Tumbleweed learns how to manage his money in Tumbletown Tale$. He still works in the newsroom but he struggles to live on a budget and stay out of debt. The curriculum focus is financial literacy.”
The final 4 episodes are compilations of some of the best Tumbletown episodes and focus on media literacy helping kids learn how TV shows are produced, she says.
Space Trek Galaxy Program
Science curriculum is also made fun on TVOKids with shows like Space Trek Galaxy, which takes the Grade 6 space science curriculum and brings it into the world of character Captain Kent, played by Mark Sykes.
The show is geared to kids in grades 1 to 3, but it’s meant to prepare kids for learning that lies ahead. “Even though kids don’t actually learn about space until Grade 6 we know they love to learn about outer space regardless of how young they are,” says Malabar. “We believe all the facts kids learn watching Space Trek will only enhance their knowledge when they finally study this in Grade 6 science.”
The TVOKids production team has produced over 40 Space Trek vignettes, with Capt. Kent returning this fall for his final 10 episodes.
“Mark Sykes… has a personal passion about learning about galaxies, planets, black holes, NASA and all the other stuff space junkies like to know,” says Malabar. “(And) Sara Poirier from the Ontario Science Centre has been our educational expert on this series ensuring we are able to help our young audience understand some really difficult space factoids.”
Ellingson, meanwhile, says this season’s episodes are an important addition to the TVOKids inventory of science content directed at Grades 1-3. “Our goal is to get kids excited about science and to encourage them to get out and explore the world around,” she says. “Our hope would be after watching an episode of Space Trek Galaxy our young viewers would ask mom and dad to join them in the backyard and look up into the night sky to search for the planet introduced to them by TVOKids.”
