Television | She Scribes

10 Weeks of Summer Learning Programming at PBS KIDS

May 23, 2013 By Kimberly 1 Comment

I was not asked to post this information. I just happened to be reading a press release and thought that some readers might appreciate this information.

Even though the summer months are a time to do fun and exciting things, as well as enjoy lazy days of doing nothing, it’s also a great opportunity to continuing your child’s education. Education can be fun!

Check out the special Summer learning line up that PBS KIDS has in store for viewers.

Most people in TV go on vacation in the summer, but the PBS KIDS line-up is heating up this summer — with a host of special episodes and theme weeks, like Wild Kratts ”Bug Week” (June 3), Sesame Street ”Literacy Quest Week” (June 17) and Dinosaur Train ”Dinosaurs A-Z” (July 8).

Starting Monday, June 3 (check local listings), PBS KIDS presents 10 weeks of themed programming to inspire children ages 2-8 to explore and learn. Each week will feature episodes from a different PBS KIDS series.

The line-up includes:

Wild Kratts - “Bug Week,” starting June 3rd

Super Why! - ”Super You Week,” starting June 10th

Sesame Street - ”Literacy Quest Week,” starting June 17th

Martha Speaks – “Puppy Week,” starting June 24th

Curious George – “Creative George Week,” starting July 1st

Dinosaur Train - “Dinosaurs A-Z,” starting July 8th

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – ”Let’s Play Outside Week,” starting July 15th

The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! – ”Let’s Get Wet Week,” starting July 22nd

Arthur – “Sports Week,” starting July 29th

Word Girl - “What’s Up With WordGirl Week,” starting August 5th

It looks like they have a lot of great theme weeks set up for most of the summer. My children are too old to watch any of these shows, however my husband and I are still big fans of Sesame Street and Arthur. We might just have to check them out. LOL!

For air times and channel please check with your local TV Guide listings.

For more information about PBS KIDS visit PBSKIDS.org.

Kimberly

*I was not asked to post this information, nor was I compensated for it. I am sharing it for the enjoyment of my site readers.

Filed Under: Children, Entertainment, Television Tagged With: Educational, PBS KIDS, Summer

Attention Berenstain Bears Fans – Check out these limited editions available from Walmart

May 16, 2013 By Kimberly 13 Comments

**I received free product samples in order to do this review.**

I am a forty-something year old woman, and I ♥ the Berenstain Bears. That is because I grew up reading their books. Over my childhood years I amassed a rather large collection of their books. I still have many of them that I had saved for my own children. They are now safely tucked away in storage boxes in my father’s basement in hopes that I can read them to my grandchildren some day.

When I was young all I remembered about the books is that they were entertaining. It was fun to see what adventure brother and sister bear got themselves into. I also used to try and think of what their real names would be other than brother and sister bear.

It wasn’t until I was a grown up and read the books to my own children that I realized that each of the stories teach a very valuable lesson. In fact, it was so clear to me as an adult what each episode was about. They were each meant to teach children an important life lesson or moral.

I was excited when the Berenstain Bears appeared on TV. I remember watchin a few of their specials. I remember an old episode about a Chrsitmas tree and another one that was about Easter. I can’t remember them in detail because I saw them so many years ago.

Thanks to PBS Kids the Berenstain Bears can be seen regularly on television, bringing this loving bear family into the lives of a whole new generation.

Thanks to Phase 4 Films you can not only bring the Berenstain Bears episodes into your home, but also also a special edition Brother and Sister plush toy.

Through Phase 4 Films family friendly kaboom! Entertainment line, there are new limited edition Berenstain Bears products are available at your local Walmart.

My personal favorites are the Limited Edition Golden Gift Sets featuring Brother Bear and Sister Bear. Each set retails for $19.99 each and comes with a DVD that includes over TWO HOURS of Berenstain Bears episodes and super adorable plush Brother or Sister Bear.

The Limited Edition Golden Gift Set Brother Bear includes a plush Brother Bear and two hours of special episodes that put Brother Bear into the spotlight.

Brother Bear loves sports of all kinds, especially soccer. He often acts as protector and stands up for the smaller cubs at school.

The Limited Edition Golden Gift Set Sister Bear includes a plush Sister Bear and two hours of Berenstain Bears episodes that highlight the youngest family member.

Sister Bear is a spirited, spunky third-grader. Outdoorsy and sports-minded she also loves fairytales, writing and jump rope.

These sets are a fun way to introduce your child (or grandchild) to the wonderful world of Berenstain Bears. These sets are also fabulous for a child (or grandchild) who has already fallen in love with the bear family that lives on the sunny dirt road.

I think adding the plush helps to bring the series to life. Not only that, they make great new “friends”.

If you have a son and a daughter (or grandson and granddaughter) it would be fun to give each one of them a set. The can re-enact scenes from the episodes that they watch from the DVDs.

In addition to the special Limited Edition Golden Brother Bear and Sister Bear gift sets there is also a Berenstain Bears 5oth Anniversary DVD collection.

This special limited edition set comes with three DVDs. Each one has several full length episodes. The episodes are grouped by themes so all the episodes on each DVD have similar subject matter.

Here is a break down of each DVD and whate episodes you’ll find on them.

Celebrations

The Birthday Boy
Count Their Blessings
Double Dare
Trouble with Money
Slumber Party

Homework Help

Go to School
Trouble at School
Homework
Hassle
Jump Rope Contest
The In Crowd

Bear Country

Go Up and Down
The Big Election
The Giant Mall
Showdown at Birder’s Wood
That Stump Must Go

I have watched just about all of these DVDs collections (I have a few more episodes to go).

Unlike other shows geared towards children, which can be rather UNentertianing for adults to watch, that is NOT the case with the Berenstain Bears. I enjoy watching each episodes. My husband even said that they are much more enjoyable to watch compared to other kiddie shows, especially the weird shows they offer children these days.

I have to laugh because I see my own children in Brother and Sister Bear. For example, in the episode “Country Your Blessings” my kids are always making it a point of telling us what their friends have – how their friends have the latest tech gadget, or the trendy new outfit. They always make a point of saying what they DON’T have and comparing themselves with what their friends have. Just like the Berenstain Bears parents, we always make it a point of reminding our kids what they DO HAVE, like plenty of food ot eat, a roof over their heads, an education, parents who love them, a warm bed to sleep in at night, and so forth.

Some episodes have some humor in them too. Take for example “Go Up and Down”. Poor Mr. Berenstain wants to take the kids out fishing but the fishing trip gets ruined because he keeps forgetting supplies that they need. Everything is up at the cabin and poor Mr. Berenstain has to walk up and down the steps so many times that he’s exhausted. By the time they get the boat out into the lake the fish are no longer biting.

I can totally relate to his situation. We live on a top floor condo with six flights of steps. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to make numerous trips up and down the stairs because I forget things.

Whether you opt to get the Limited Edition Golden Brother Bear and Sister Bear gift sets, or the Berenstain Bears 5oth Anniversary DVD collection (or all sets!) you are sure to delight the Berenstain Bears fan in your life.

Please note that the sets are LIMITED EDITIONS, so if you want them you need to hurry up to your nearest Walmart and grab them before they are all gone. You could always hold on to these and give as gifts later on in the year (these would make great Christmas or birthday presents).

With summer right around the corner many families are planning on road trips. Taking along the Berenstain Bears DVDs and a plush Brother and/or Sister bear would a fun way to keep your child/children entertained.

Kimberly

*I received free screener copies and other materials for my participation in this campaign with Child’s Play Communications. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way

Filed Under: Entertainment, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Berenstain Bears, kaboom!, Phase 4 Films, Walmart

I’m Having Their Baby Season 2 #ImHavingTheirBaby (giveaway ends 31, 2013)

May 16, 2013 By Kimberly 78 Comments

This past summer I shared information with my readers about a new series on the Oxygen network called I’m Having Their Baby. If you would like to read my original post you can find it here.

I’m Having Their Baby is one of those shows that gets people talking. Each episode brings you up close and personal with women who have made the painful decision to give their child up for adoption after an unplanned pregnancy.

Here is a synopsis of the series;

Oxygen Media premieres season two of the authentic and powerful docu-series I’m Having Their Baby on Wednesday, June 12 at 10 PM ET/PT, providing an intimate and emotional look at adoption by telling the too-often untold story through the eyes of the birth mother. The hour-long series documents a range of poignant, personal stories of women struggling with an unplanned pregnancy and ultimately deciding whether or not to place their baby in the hands of another family. This season delves deeper into the lives of birth mothers entering the adoption process, their family and friends affected by their decision and in some cases the potential adoptive couples.

I’m Having Their Baby is produced by Hud:sun Media with Michael Rourke and Bryn Freedman as executive producers.

I could not imagine giving my child up for adoption. I think it takes a very emotionally strong person to do that. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact my own biological mother gave me up. Although I wasn’t officially adopted (I was raised by my paternal grandparents) I am grateful that she did that because my “mom” and “dad’ (paternal grandparents) gave me a wonderful life.

I can see “both sides of the coin”, so to speak, when I watch the series. On one hand I’m a mom and I couldn’t imagine giving up my child. On the other hand I was a child that was given up by my biological mother and it was the best thing that could have happened to me.

When a new baby arrives into a family all eyes are on the new life and the ecstatic parents. Sadly no one really thinks about the birth mother and her story. How did she get pregnant? Why did she get pregnant? Why can’t she keep the baby? What was it that convinced her that giving up her child was the best thing she could do? These are the questions (and answers) that I’m Having Their Baby explores in each episode.

Many people might assume that the birth mother is a teenager who can barely support herself, let alone an infant. While that is true in many situations, that is not always the case. Sometimes birth moms are older women and can afford to raise the child, but for whatever reason they feel like they cannot provide the child with the life he/she truly deserves.

What I like about the show is that it really pulls you into the personal stories. Unlike other reality shows, I’m Having Their Baby is more engaging. Their stories are real and they are being played out again and again across the country and around the world. Every day a woman makes a decision to give up her child. This show helps to highlight the many reasons why so that people don’t assume that the birth mother was a foolish teen or a selfish individual who didn’t care about the child.

Although the show does tug at your heartstrings, it is also heartwarming too, especially when you see the joy and excitement in the face of the adoptive parents. It’s a beautiful thing to see someone become a mother (meaning the adoptive mother). A father too for that matter.

The show touches upon the emotions of all those involved, not only the birth mother but also their families, the father of the child, as well as the families who are going to receive the little miracle once he/she is born. As you can imagine there are a lot of tears being shed so I would recommend that you have a box of tissues handy just in case.

Did you know that each year there are 6 million pregnancies in the United States. Of those 6 million, 3 million are unplanned pregnancies. Out of the 3 million, 14,000 babies are put up for adoption. I guess that makes me one of the 3 million because my husband and I didn’t plan either of our children. They just happened. We were more prepared for the birth of our youngest than we were for our first born. Giving her up for adoption was never an option for us.

I think this show is great for teenagers to watch too because the teenager moms that are featured on the series talk about how hard it is to raise a baby and it shows that being a pregnant teen is not easy.

Here are a couple of webisodes from Oxygen’s “I’m Having Their Baby: Raising Baby”. I really like how each one explores what happens after a baby is put up for adoption. Each situation is unique and has its own individual results.

Both stories shown in the webisodes revisit an open adoption from Season 1 of I’m Having Their Baby where the birth mother are still in contact with the adoptive parents and get to see their child on a regular basis. This is certainly an option. Other families opt to have a closed adoption where there is no further contact between the birth parent/parents and the child given up for adoption. Each individual story has it’s own unique situation.

It was great to see what happens after they gave up their babies for adoption and how their lives have changed (or not changed) since then. I also like that each birth mother had their own personal story that lead them to this life changing decision.

Check out the webisodes (below).

“I’m Having Their Baby: Raising Nayamah”

“I’m Having Their Baby: Raising Vivienne”

For more information about I’m Having Their Baby and the web series please visit Oxygen.com/Baby.

You can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter. To join in on the conversation on Twitter please use the hashtag #ImHavingTheirBaby.

To get you excited about the new season of I’m Having Their Baby I have a $50 Visa gift card giveaway.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on May 31, 2013. The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to respond or a new winner will be chosen in their place.

To enter please check out the webisodes and then leave a comment on this post and tell me what was your favorite part, the most moving part or why you enjoyed it.

For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you must complete the initial entry requirement or the additional entries won’t qualify (I do check). Extra entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I am being compensated for my participation however the opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

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Filed Under: Baby, Entertainment, Television Tagged With: Adoption, I'm Having Their Baby, Oxygen

FREE Doc McStuffins activity sheets (download)

May 9, 2013 By Kimberly 1 Comment

I know that a lot of my readers have young children or grandchildren. I’m sure some of those little ones are fans of the hit show Doc McStuffins. I’ve even watched the show a few times (it’s adorable!).

This week Disney released a new DVD called Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup. In honor of the DVD release I have some fun FREE Doc McStuffins activity sheets you can download and print out.

You and your child/grandchild can help Doc diagnose her patients with a matching game, see what’s hidden in the stars by connecting the dots, build your own playhouse then kick back with some coloring sheets featuring Doc and her friends.

To download simply click on the image below.

Look for the new DVD Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Checkup where ever DVDs are sold.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers.

Filed Under: Activities, Entertainment, Television Tagged With: Activity Sheets, Coloring Pages, Disney, Doc McStuffins

Win a Samsung 1080P 120HZ LED 50″ HDTV ($900+ value!)

May 1, 2013 By Kimberly 3 Comments

I love being able to share great giveaways with my readers. Whenever possible I like to participate in giveaways with other bloggers and websites. It’s a great way to reach more people and make new friends.

I’m teaming up with others to giveaway a Samsung 1080P 120HZ LED 50″ HDTV. I Googled this TV and see that it sells for around $949 and up (It’s retail value is about $1,200). That’s awesome!

I can’t give you a review on the TV but I checked it out on Best Buy and it has a customer satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of a possible 5, with 450 customer reviews. That tells me that this much be a decent television. It has 337 five stars and 95 four stars. There are NO 1, 2 or 3 star ratings, which is pretty impressive.

The TV also gets 4.5 stars on Amazon’s website.

This fabulous giveaway is brought to you buy QuoteMeAPrice.com. QuoteMeAPrice.com sell annuity payments, lottery payments and structured settlements. Oh how I wish I had some lottery payments coming my way. Then again I think everyone wishes that too.

Most giveaways are for US residents only. I am happy to say that this giveaway is open to everyone, however the sponsor (QuoteMeAPrice.com) will only cover up to $50 towards shipping. I don’t think that would be a problem for people in the US since many places that sell that TV offer free shipping. I think that would apply more towards people in Canada or outside of the country.

This giveaway is also only open to those 18 years or older.

To enter simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget. The more entries you complete the more chances you get to win the television set.

If you enter GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I am simply sharing it for the enjoyment of my site readers. QuoteMeAPrice.com is responsible for prize fulfillment.

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Filed Under: Giveaways, Technology, Television Tagged With: Samsung

“The Talk” is throwing a million dollar baby shower on Friday, April 26th (2013)

April 23, 2013 By Kimberly

I’m not one to post press release on my site. Trust me, I get A LOT of press releases sent my way too.

Every now and then I get a release that I think might be of interest to my readers. Earlier today I received information about a MILLION DOLLAR baby shower The Talk show and hosts are throwing on Friday, April 26, 2013.

Special Guest host, actress and mom-to-be Jamie-Lynn Sigler and The Talk hosts will shower an audience of 250 expectant moms with more that a million dollars in gifts. Wow! Wouldn’t it be nice to be one of those audience members. That means each audience member will receive approximately $4,000 in prizes.

This is an annual event, which I didn’t know about (this is the first time I am hearing of this).

The show will be filled with giveaways for an audience of first-time expectant mothers. The episode will air this Friday from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EST) / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (CST).

The Talk co-hosts, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Sheryl Underwood and guest host Jamie-Lynn Sigler will be surprising the audience with an exciting hour of gift-giving to provide them with everything they need to prepare for their new arrivals.

Viewers at home will also have a chance to win the prizes online too!

It sounds like it could be a fun show. I especially like that the audience members are unaware that they will be showered with gifts. I think just seeing the expression on thier faces will be entertainment enough. Not only that it might be a great idea to get information about the “latest and greatest” and “must have” baby products.

If you would like to learn more about the show visit their official web page, www.TheTalk.com. You can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter. The Talk is even on Pinterest.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I am sharing this information for the entertainment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.