PBS Kids Preschool Block

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The PBS Kids Preschool Block is a block of children's television shows which airs on PBS Kids. The block premiered with Curious George on Monday, September 4, 2006 (Labor Day 2006). The block is aired weekdays at 8:00 AM local time on most PBS member stations.

Characters

Miss Rosa

Miss Rosa is the PBS Kids preschool teacher. She incorporates Spanish language into the daily curriculum and leads children through educational games and activities. Miss Rosa is performed by Jennifer Pena (not to be confused with Grammy-nominated Latin singer Jennifer Peña), an actress and teacher who currently resides in New Jersey.

Mr.Steve/SteveSongs

Mr. Steve leads "Music Time with SteveSongs", which is a :60 song, usually performed on guitar, relating to the day's curriculum. Children join Mr. Steve by singing along and sometimes perform choreography. Mr. Steve is performed by Steve Roslonek, also known as SteveSongs, a professional recording artist.

Sally

Sally is a computer-animated salamander who attends the P Juinoir.

Hooper

Hooper is a computer-animated guinea pig who attends the PBS Kids preschool. He appears throughout the programming block and in a segment called Adventures with Hooper. At one time in pre-production, the name "Bobo" was considered for this character. Max Marko a Middle School student in Amherst, New York is the voice of Hooper. He was in elementary school when he was picked to be the voice of Hooper.

Dash

Dash is the computer-animated boy from the PBS Kids logo. He hosts Dash's Secret Treasure Game and Dash's Dance Party, Like Hooper, Dash is one of the three characters (Including Dot) that is voiced by an unknown, although a behind the scenes photo from Myspace shows a boy in front of a green screen presumably portraying Dash.^{[citation needed]}

Miss Lori

Miss Lori was a PBS Kids preschool teacher until fall 2009. She led lessons based on a daily curriculum, singing and playing games with children who appear on the show. Miss Lori was the first live host in the program's history. Miss Lori is performed by Lori Holton Nash, an actress and educator who currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Dot

Dot was included in the hosted segments of the programming block from 2007 and onwards. She was featured in Dot's Story Factory, a storytelling game that kids can play online at the PBS Kids site. The stories are now seen after various episodes of Martha Speaks, Franny's Feet and Wishbone, which are not in the block. [1] She is also one of the three characters in this block that the voice over for Dot is an unknown, Although however, that one of the live action kids in this block could also be the voice of Dot.

Throughout the block

Season 1 premiered on September 4, 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.

Season 2 premiered on September 3, 2007 and introduced Dot to the character cast. Dragon Tales was moved 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.

In Season 3, two new live-action characters were introduced: Miss Rosa and Mr. Steve. All characters seen in previous seasons were also in this season. [2] Season 3 started on May 5, 2008, and it included the same programs as the previous season. Dash's Secret Treasure, a matching game to match the theme of the day, replaced Dash's Game of the Day. Miss Rosa hosted Spanish-language and other curriculum-based segments, and Mr. Steve hosted Music Time. Miss Lori was still seen but less frequently. Hooper continued to be seen, along with Dot's Story Factory.

Season 4 started on September 1, 2008. Sid the Science Kid premiered, pushing Clifford the Big Red Dog to a new 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. Miss Rosa, Hooper, Mr. Steve, and this is the last season were Miss Lori appears in, and Dash's Secret Treasure continued to air.

Season 5 started on September 7, 2009. Clifford the Big Red Dog was replaced by Dinosaur Train. A new segment called Dash's Dance Party encourage 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. The entire programming block is now in high-definition, except for some funding promos and older episodes of Curious George.

Season 6 started on September 6, 2010. The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! premiered on this date, and retired Sid the Science Kid from the block. Two new segments were introduced this season. Everyday Miss Rosa brings children on the PBS Kids Field Trip. Viewers are taken out to the real world to explore and discover. Where in the World is Hooper? also began this season. Hooper visits a new place to learn new things. New SteveSongs segments were also performed, and Dash's Dance Party was revised to include The Cat in the Hat in the online dancing game although Sid still appears to be seen on reruns of this segment.

Season 7 is slated to begin on September 3, 2012. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is projected to replace Dinosaur Train.

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

• It's My Birthday!
• Help Me Help You
• Picture This
• Rainy Day or Rainy Day Fun
• Rhyme Time
• Sally's Garden (Originally aired in the PBS Kids Share the Earth Day special for one minute and thirty seconds and was called "Plant a Garden". Now it is only one minute.)
• This is Our Earth (Originally aired in the PBS Kids Share the Earth Day special for one minute and thirty seconds, but now it is only one minute.)
• What's That Sound?
• You Can Be

Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck

• Baby Brother
• Oh No!
• Five Senses
• A Place To Call Home
• Reach Up High
• The Rhythm in Your Heart
• Jump Jump Jump!
• S-H-A-R-E

Miss Lori

• Me and My Postcards
• Mouse on the Run
• This Song About This Song

Segments

From season two to season four, there were between-show segments with the participating children. These brief activities, generally assisted or narrated by Hooper, emphasize basic literacy and numeracy, fine arts, movement, music, and health.

• Art Time
• Computer Time
• Hooper Time
• Math Time
• Movin' and Groovin' Time
• Music Time with SteveSongs
• Nature Time
• Reading Time
• Singing Time
• Science Time
• Snack Time

Starting with season five, all of these segments were discontinued, except for Music Time. Adventures with Hooper was introduced.

Shows aired on the Block

• Curious George (2006–present)
• Clifford the Big Red Dog (2006–2009)
• Dinosaur Train (2009–2012)
• Dragon Tales (2006–2008)
• It's a Big Big World (2006–2007)
• Sid the Science Kid (2008–2010)
• Super Why! (2007–present)
• The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010–present)
• Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (2012-present)

Returning shows (as of that year) are in green, new shows (as of that year) are in red.

Specials

• PBS Kids Friend Day - Friday, November 24, 2006
• George to George Marathon - Monday, February 19, 2007
• PBS Kids Share the Earth Day - Friday, April 20, 2007
• PBS Kids Hurray for Heroes! - Monday, May 25, 2009

References

External links

• PBS KIDS Preschool Destination web site
• Season 2 Press Release
• PBS KIDS Engages Kids with New Spanish Content and Original Music on the Popular PBS KIDS Preschool Destination Beginning May 19 (2008)