Hi Everyone

I'm looking for alternatives to (or what comes after) Sesame Street. We limit "screen time" for our DS (3 years 10 months), but I'd like to have a few options that have some educational value!

Any recommendations for shows (preferably on PBS) that are more advanced then Sesame Street, but still appropriate for a 3 year old? Using Ruf's estimates, I'd guess he's a "Level 3" although we haven't done any formal testing yet.

Thank you!
Kathie

World World and Super Why are nice for kids getting the hang of reading. The Life of Birds and similar series are nice viewing--some have a bit of nature gore.

DS2 is currently loving our blu rays of "The Universe". I think lots of similar types of science shows are inherently interesting to little ones. After the first episode he drew a cute little solar system and excitedly brought it to me.

As for PBS shows aimed at the younger set, these have impressed me as being decent: "Martha Speaks" and "Wordgirl". "Super Why!" is okay too, mostly for drilling on early reading skills. I believe someone else here has recommended the show "Between the Lions", but I haven't seen it yet. ETA: Oh, yeah, and "Word World" is often recommended.

To answer your subject line question, "Electric Company" came after Sesame Street when I was growing up!

Curious George is good, and has some fun online activities at pbskids.org. Also Sid the Science Kid, Dragonfly TV, Ruff Ruffman. My kiddo liked this show: Zula Patrol

we love Martha Speaks, WOrdworld, and Curious George.
My LO likes Cat in the Hat, but I can't stand the character's voice...ugh.
he also likes Peep in the Big Wide World, but it's more sciencey

The one with Martin Short? My DD likes that one, and I do too. Since it concentrates on subjects like the rain forest or bee-hives rather than letters or counting or something similar, I find that it has a broad appeal to children of different ages.

I wanted to like Sid the Science Kid, but it let me down. The information is very limited, with no depth. Sid comes off as narcissistic and obnoxious... kind of like Letterman laughing at his own jokes. The other students are equally obnoxious and the stereotyping is annoying.

oh, we like Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, too.

I won't let the kids watch the Cat in the Hat show. I've noticed that it sometimes contains incorrect facts (can't think of any off the top of my head, though) and I don't like the simpering affect of the cat.

I should confess that I never actually saw Sid the Science Kid, but it's name sounded promising! The others I mentioned I did see and like.

We love Word World, Sid the Science Kid, Fetch , and Wild Kratts

I agree about word world and super why although a reader will move that quickly. DS loved word girl and and still loves cyberchase. Wild Kratts is a huge favorite - be warned, just writing the name of the show that darn song is now playing in my head over and over!!

Personally I hated sid the science kid - something about the graphics bugs me!!

In my gifted dream world, I want a science show like Wild Kratts or Cyberchase - something set in space maybe? Which reminds me - could get from the library the dvds of the magic school bus

DeHe

My kids have aged out but, here are some great oldies.

Try to get Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Video, music and books. These are fantastic for kids to understand feelings, accept others and many life lessons.

National Geographic movies with Spin(the earth), I forget the titles but there were some on the rainforest, great barrier reef, ect.

Zoomafoom (sp?) 2 brothers teach about animals.

My votes are for Word World and Super Why. I would prefer my DS3 watch these shows. He, on the other hand, wants to watch his new Train videos (at least these are real trains and not Thomas!) and Peter Pan. Word World has a great website with fun games, as well.

It has been a while but Electric Company, we did the Kratt Brothers previous show, Cyberchase is a big one, Wordgirl. Jarrod Miller Animal show and if you can get Fetch, with Ruf Rufman, DD loved that show.

And the top at that age was Magic School Bus. Hard to find but you can get the DVDs at the library. At least here.

Ren

My ds7 also likes Cyberchase. LOVES Wild Kratts and FETCH! He was not into Fetch! until about a year or two ago.

Most of ds' screen time is also spent on PBS kids these days. Dinosaur Train and Curious George were previous faves.

Also dissapointed with Sid the Science Kid and Super Big Fan of Magic School bus (books and tv show).

Other non-pbs shows ds watched @ age 3/4/5 (and we still watch sometimes*):

*Backyardigans! (one of MY favorites)
*Land b4 time
Animalia
Wonder pets
Bill Nye
Dora/Diego
Handy Manny
Disney play house (Mickey/Minnie/Goofy/Donald)
Imagination Movers
Little Bill
Bob the Builder
Thomas the tank engine
Blues Clues
*Veggie Tales

On a different train of thought... Michael Clay Thompson sells classic children's literature as being appropriate for elementary school aged children. Peter Pan the movie is available based on the original, where the mermaids are wicked and Tink wants to kill Wendy. The 1970's ALICE IN WONDERLAND is also on MCT's early elementary reading list. From one angle I'd call that educational, because it's classic children's literature but it doesn't teach abcs or 123s. It's probably just entertainment. I can't tell the difference.

Ds 4 loved the heck out of PBS Martha Speaks last year. What's not to love about a talking dog? I just ordered and canceled Netflix because it lacked much for me, but it had a lot for the kids. It had years worth of Thomas the Train, old Sesame Street, Timmy Time.
If you have cable Timmy Time is Super cute. I think Chuggington is a great cartoon.

Depending on how advanced your kiddo is, Cyberchase could be a great choice. My DD4 doesn't really get it, but my DS6 really liked it at age 4, even though he didn't understand all of it. I also second Wild Kratts and Super Why.

You can get electric company on DVD at the library. My kids love it. There is also a new one that is supposed to be coming out in the spring or summer, not sure which, but it is supposed to be along the same lines as electric company.

Ds (just 4) loves Little Einsteins (music based), Shaun the sheep (not technically educational but at least I enjoy it too - sparks off many discussions), Voyage to the Planets DVDs. We tend to watch DVDs because I refuse to be bound to certain timeslots of tv programs. He tends to prefer books unless very tired. Looking forward to checking some of the other suggestions. Thanks

My DS (who is now 6) went from Sesame Street and clips of the Muppet Show to Word World, Super Why, Between the Lions, and Dinosaur Train before venturing to Cyberchase and Magic School Bus. He has watched some Sid the Science Kid, Arthur, Clifford the Red Dog, and Curious George though, but I'm not crazy about these shows. He occasionally watches clips of Word Girl too, which is good for vocabulary words.

There's a ton of older (original) Sesame Street clips on YouTube if you haven't seen them as well as the other shows mentioned. There's a also a ton of stuff on the PBS website (http://pbskids.org/).

Of course, you could pick up some DVDs at the library of some of these shows too, though not so much of the original Sesame Street unfortunately .

Geez, I really love Jim Henson and miss those old Muppet Show and Sesame Street shows but I do like Super Why, which is charming and educational, and the Magic School Bus and Cyberchase (Christopher Lloyd aka Jim on the old TV show Taxi is excellent as Hacker).

I actually had an epiphany one day last Feb after my DS watched a clip of Cyberchase. He (aged 5 then) said the word tessellate, defined it, and then showed us what it meant with his Melissa & Doug blocks. I nearly hit the floor and thought then that my son was possibly eg/pg. So you never know what your child/ren may pick up from these shows.

Thanks everyone!

It looks like I'm going to need to fire up the DVR and see what will work for our son (and I can tolerate). He'll sit through Sesame Street, but he's reading and somewhat advanced in math, so he's beyond the letter of the day/basic counting.

I forgot to mention Scooby Doo. Although not educational, it's pretty harmless, and it was my DS's FAVORITE at your DS's age until about a year ago. You can pick up dvd's with the original episodes, probably at the library too. And after everything listed here, Phineas and Ferb is my all-time favorite for once your kiddo starts elementary school. Enjoyable for parents too!

DS4 is scared of scooby doo, the graphics or music is sort of too suspenseful for him at times.

His TV interests have officially deviated from my wishes: his new favorite show is Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet (cringe for lack of actual content). Seems excited by a career in cryptozoology. Followed by Kung Foo Panda and Tom & Jerry (cringe for animated violence). Nothing much educational about those. Redeemingly, he also loves most any nature video, especially BBC ones.

Polly

My daughter is the same age. Among kids' shows, she loves Dinosaur Train (which has more educational value than it may first appear, teaching not just paleontology facts but scientific method as well as emotion self-awareness and other things). Mister Rogers is also a favorite, though that show is harder to find.

But her absolute favorite shows are the David Attenborough wildlife series (Life of Birds, Life in the Undergrowth, Life in the Freezer, etc.). The way they are produced makes them even more accessible and appealing to preschoolers than most nature shows. If your child is even remotely interested in animals or nature, give them a look. She also loves ballet movies -- if you have a child who loves fairytales, music, or dance that might be something less obvious to try.

She went through a Sid the Science Kid phase but has outgrown that show, though, unlike other posters, I do think it's pretty good for reaching children at a particular level. Ditto for Caillou. Could never get her interested in Super Why or Word World or any other PBS shows. Not sure why!

Jenny

We have DVD's that are shows not available on tv. I got them through Amazon.

My son likes the Rock 'N Learn series and also the Mathacular! DVD's. I'm considering Liberty's Kids for his birthday.

We see a lot of our old favorites in this thread: Sid, Dinosaur Train, Mr. Rogers, WordWorld, (did anyone say SuperWhy?)

They are variably annoying, but none have commercials, so I was okay to let them watch the half hour of TV while I went to take a shower.

At that age, DS liked to watch the same episode of a NG special about the Galapogos over and over . . . he even had a particular snack that he liked to eat while watching that show. His request for a Kashi chewy granola bar and the show came out as: "have a sticky mama cookie and watch the swimming lizards."

I miss that age.