I feel like a traitor. Is it wrong to recommend a television show to parents who have gathered with the goal of guiding their children away from technology, away from mindless media absorption? Do we lose ground if we allow television to play any role in our children’s lives?
Frankly, I don’t know. And for those of you whose children do watch a bit of T.V., it might be encouraging to know of one excellent option I’ve recently come across. (I am assuming here that you’ve already seen every episode of every season of Shaun the Sheep at least a dozen times. If you haven’t, go remedy that. It’s not the place for language development, but it’s wonderfully simple and laugh-out-loud hilarious.)
The series, adapted from the books of Marie-Louise Gay, is called Stella and Sam. (I found it on Netflix.) Each episode centers on the imaginative play of a sister and brother. Generally, Sam (the little brother) asks Stella (his older sister) some question or other, and the ensuing discussion leads to an adventure. Sam asks about the North Pole, for example, and Stella leads him on an expedition to the summit of a nearby snow-covered hill. They bring their dog, Fred, and plant a flag, and it’s great fun. Sometimes they camp and look for “night fairies” (fireflies). Or Stella sets up a small crystal to catch the sunlight and spread rainbows over their breakfast table.
The children’s conversations are sweet and original. “Why are butterflies called butterflies?” Sam asks. “Do they eat butter?” Stella, eager to preserve the magic in her brother’s view of the world, replies, “The yellow ones do.”
The relationship between brother and sister does even more to recommend the show. Stella is patient with Sam. She helps him, encourages him, takes time to interact with him. I actually…wait for it…want my children to emulate their behavior. I can count the number of television shows that accomplish that feat on one hand. Maybe even one finger.
So, if you find yourself irritated with Strawberry Shortcake and her vacuous, cell-phone wielding, dessert-obsessed friends, you might try Stella and Sam instead. Your kids can watch it right after you read to them, and just before they begin their next backyard adventure.
She never saw any of this coming.
She also had no idea of becoming either a mother or a writer, yet here she is, living in Nashville with a husband and two kids and three published books to her name. She ponders the humor of God and the strange adventure of living while she drinks kombucha on the porch, or plans new homeschool units, or reads everything from Emily Bronte to Dave Barry to Betty MacDonald.
You can find her books and an occasional poem or some such at www.helenasorensen.com.
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This sounds delightful!
It really is! My kids keep begging me to watch episodes with them, and when I am able, I always find myself smiling.
Helena, have you ever watched Charlie and Lola? British brother and sister with imaginative adventures (based on pictures books, available at the library). We will check out stella and sam.
I haven’t, Aimee! Netflix is our alternative to cable at this point, so there are really only a few things the kinds have watched: Wild Kratts, Shaun the Sheep, Strawberry Shortcake (I despise this one), and some nature documentaries (Planet Earth is the best!). Oh, wait, and Octonauts. Eh. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the Charlie and Lola books, though. Thanks for the recommendation!
Planet Earth IS great. The Charlie and Lola videos are at the library. The books are fine, but we fell in the love with the videos (we found the videos first). I don’t even want to talk about My Little Pony (on Netflix), which for some reason I can’t understand, from our youngest (6) to the oldest (14), they all like it. Blech.
We will have to check this out! Have you watched the Storybook Treasures series by Scholastic? It provides some great mellow screen time for our kiddoes on busy days when I can’t seem to find much time to read to them myself. They take (mostly) award-winning children’s picture books, animate them slightly, add some great background music, and even provide a read-along option for many stories (words on the screen illuminated as they’re read). Fantastic!
Yes, Christina! The Snowy Day, The Napping House, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Chrysanthemum… so many good ones!
Thanks for the suggestion! It is hard to find programming that is slow paced and encourages the family values and imaginative play that I want my children to pursue. Have you checked out Little Bear (based on the classic series of easy readers?). They aren’t as good as the books, but they are one of the few shows that I felt good about my preschooler son watching. Educational? No. But it encourages a love for nature and the outdoors, imagination and play, friends, and family. I think it is available on Netflix!
Thank you, Melanie! I’ll check it out.