After posting last week about The Electric Company, nostalgia continued to influence my YouTube searching.  It didn’t take me too long to find a great Picture Pages clip featuring Bill Cosby and his trusty Mortimer Ichabad Marker.

Picture Pages was a series of educational show segments which aired during the 70s and 80s in other shows such as Captain Kangaroo and Pinwheel.  The goal was to teach children reading skills, basic math, and drawing through the use of an interactive workbook.  For a short time the workbooks were distributed for free at grocery stores in Philadelphia, but most kids across the country just watched Bill Cosby and followed along on their own.  Although there were over 200 segments made, I could only find this one.  Our kids enjoyed watching it, and I’ll also keep checking back, in the hope that CBS will “officially” post some segments.

To find this clip once you are in YouTube or the YouTube function of KD Builder, search for:

v=FWg0U3fi7sE

Oh, and while plowing through YouTube, I also came across this clip for Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings.  Hopefully some other former viewers of Captain Kangaroo (and their children) will also enjoy it!

Last summer we took our first family road trip: 4 people, including a 5-year-old and 3-year-old, in the car for 9 hours.  It was a fun trip and a great experience, but I must admit that having The Electric Company in the DVD player gave Dan and me some very welcome moments of respite from alternating games of “I Spy,” “Are We There Yet?” and “I Need to go the Bathroom NOW!”

For those born after 1985, The Electric Company was a PBS show targeted towards kids who had out-grown Sesame Street.  The idea was to use “skit comedy” to help elementary-school-aged children develop reading skills.  It was entertaining;  it was funny;  it featured Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby;  it helped millions of kids learn “c” + “at” = “cat” (yeah…).  I watched it religiously as a kid in the late 70s and early 80s.  Twenty-five years later it not only entertained our preschooler and kindergartener, but also amused both our 9-year-old and 2-year-old nephews.  (PBS has developed a new, updated version, but  I haven’t seen it yet.  Have you?  What do you think?)

Needless to say, I was quite excited to find clips of The Electric Company on YouTube for my kids’ playlists.  Not only do I get a nostalgic boost from hearing some of my old-time favorite skits, but The Electric Company videos are also both educational and fun.  Definitely a good combination for kid-viewing.

Here are a few of my kids’ (and my) favorite videos.  Feel free to add these to your child(ren)’s playlist, or explore The Electric Company on YouTube and add your own suggestions.

• 5u8MY7PjSXU&NR=1 – Easy Reader song
• g-nh-1Hp4kc – There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
• XzFE6fE703A&NR=1 – The Menu Song
• PXVblZkBmLQ&NR=1 -The Mumble Song
• AUHETDR4N7A – Lick a Lolly song
• 6nGHCU1dha4 – Cosby Twins (Un Words)
• EVC9TayQIh8 – Silent E song
• 3qH-DOXo3bA – Jelly Belly
• q_j0vcc70Ig – You’ve Got the Power

Hope your kids enjoy these videos (and you enjoy the memories) as much as we do!

Today’s post is a departure from my normal posts, since this spotlighted website is one for parents, not for kids.  However, the site I’d like to spotlight is such a great one, the non-sequitor is absolutely worth it.

At Avially Books, you can order PERSONALIZED books for your child or any other important child in your life.  Your child’s name, gender, age, and city are worked into the story.  Some books include other details, such as their school and teacher.  We have bought dozens of these books as birthday presents for kids ages 0-9 over the last several years.  The Sesame Street ones are great for younger kids, and preschool and school-aged kids love School is Fun.  Your favorite little girl will adore either the Ballerina Princess or Mermaid book — featuring her, of course — and your favorite little boy will love reading about his adventures with Dinosaurs, Batman, or Spider Man.  There are over 20 books from which to choose.

The benefits of reading to our children has been cited in study after study.  Kids of all ages love being read to, and parents also enjoy the snuggle time and the looks of wonder in their little ones’ eyes as the stories unfold.  These books are some real gems…our boys still enjoy hearing the stories that talk about them as a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old!  Two more benefits: all the books but one are less than $15 (the one exception is $15.95), and all are delivered to your door in 7-10 days from when you place your order.

Enjoy!