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.

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

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