The times they are a-changing

When I was a kid I watched Sesame Street. I listened to the original Sesame Street record. That was oldschool Sesame Street, back when Kermit was on the show, before he got his own show and got mixed up with that pig. Before Elmo, Baby Bear, or even Snuffleupagus. In my day, they had a recurring skit called "Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School" which was set in an inner city classroom and featured little black kids who spoke high pitched jive. Feltploitation.
A couple years ago I got laid off and ended up spending the winter unemployed. Annie and I would get up early and watch Sesame Street together. I was surprised by how much it had changed but still felt familiar. Most of the characters were different but the old teaching formula was still there- a redundant litany of repetition. That's how kids learn best. Although it's still a marketing vehicle, Sesame Street remains one of the best learning tools available to parents. When I was a kid, it was one of the only shows geared towards preschoolers. During my sabbatical I discovered a whole network that offered suitable educational material- Noggin. The network airs from 6-6. There are no commercials, the shows air for 20 minutes and there is a 10 minute intermission between shows that will feature a song, short story or lesson. Only a few of the shows are marketed, most are relatively unknown to people without kids. I get a lot of blank stares when I compare my kids to Max and Ruby but it's a solid analogy. If you have preschool kids, I would check it out, you won't regret it. If you don't have kids but want to see some odd shit, check out Lazytown, which makes Puffinstuff look like Amish country (Robbie Rotton is my new favorite villian) or The Upside Down Show which features a couple dorks who do peculiar things. It's good for about 5 minutes of "what the hell?"
Another discovery was the music geared towards kids. Most songs are catchy, simple tunes meant to get the couch potatoes moving once an hour. My favorite is Dan Zanes, who was the lead singer of the Del Fuegos. I wouldn't leave him alone with my kids, but he makes me tap my foot.