Me and Josh, after finishing an episode of The West Wing (which contained multiple references to classical literature):
Josh: I love watching The West Wing.
Me: Yeah, The West Wing is great. And watching it makes me feel so intellectual, too.
Josh: Yeah.
Me: It’s like…like … Oh, I had this really great metaphor. But it slipped away.
Yes. So intellectual.
Josh and I got to talking the other night about all the TV shows our kids watch and our feelings about all of them. When your kids watch the same favorite shows over and over again, it’s easy to develop strong feelings (one way or the other) about them. So we thought we’d document, for journaling purposes, our ratings for the different shows our kids watch on Netflix.
So without further ado, we present the Lyman family show ratings of 2015.
We’re fans of Blue’s Clues. That Steve has true talent. Unfortunately, ever since they took Blue’s Clues off Netflix, it just hasn’t been the same. True, we have Amazon Prime and Blue’s Clues is there, but it’s a lot harder to get Amazon Prime on our TV… Ah, first world problems.
Curious George is a longstanding favorite of Carson’s. Even though George is always getting into trouble and it’s a little predictable that it somehow turns out okay in the end, the storylines of the episodes are unique and varied enough to make it somewhat engaging for Josh and I. And quantity is great! We’re talking six seasons with as many as 20 episodes each, people. Not to mention the full-length movies. (The Halloween one is a big favorite.) That’s way better than one season with only ten episodes or something. Not to point fingers at…
Dinotrux is a show recently added to Netflix. It’s just what it sounds like: a show about dinosaurs crossed with construction trucks. The main draw of this show for Josh and I is, as shown, the theme song. It’s a catchy one, guys. I don’t know who the Von Bonnevilles are, but I hope this song catapults them into nationwide success. The main drawback of Dinotrux, also shown, is its lack of ease in turning into a Halloween costume.
Justin Time is a show about a boy and his two imaginary friends who go on imaginary adventures throughout different times and cultures. It’s cute, it’s very kid friendly…maybe a little too kid friendly. As in the worst thing the Huns from China do is take dumplings without saying please or thank you. So maybe don’t count on it for historical accuracy.
Okay, probably nothing beats Little Einsteins in educational value. Each episode kids learn a piece of classical music, classical works of art, and important geographical landmarks or places. Wow. Unfortunately, the animation drives me and Josh crazy, with the mash-up of different styles. (Classical art and/or real-life footage overlaid with the flat design of the main characters overlaid with the low-quality 3D animation of the supporting cast? Really?) And unfortunately, there seems to be nothing really funny for parents in it. Well, maybe Quincy’s repeated catchphrase of “I CAN-NOT BELIEVE IT!” That’s pretty cute.
Puffin Rock is another new Netflix original. It’s calm and sweet. And I don’t know if you can get much cuter than Puffin Rock. The animation is well done, in a unique style. But the animation is maybe not as cute as the voices. It’s an Irish show, and listening to those little Irish kids talk happily is just pleasant.
The best thing about Daniel Tiger is the parenting advice. Those little songs like “Find a way to play together” and “When you’re sick, rest is best, rest is best” and “When something seems bad, turn it around, and find something good” and “It’s almost time to stop so choose one more thing to do” make their way into our parenting and really do often help. It’s a very kid-friendly show, too. However, it could be…well, less annoying to listen to, from a parent’s perspective, as far as we’re concerned.
And finally, this isn’t a show, but Carson’s been really into these books lately so we thought they deserved a review. Barbara Park is an awesome writer. I went to a class at a writing conference once that was all about her Junie B. Jones books and everything Barbara Park does so well. And the humor can’t be beat. However, the big drawback of Junie B. Jones is the censoring required by Josh and I. Luckily I think we’re able to keep all of the “bad” words out of our young children’s ears. Some commonly censored phrases include:
Junie B. has quite a mouth on her. That’s part of why we love her. :) And one day when our kids are older, we might even let them read it uncensored.
What are your favorite (or least favorite) kid shows?
We actually learned about it from watching this video. Some parts are definitely familiar…
