As a parent, I'm constantly amazed at the hit or miss quality of cartoons for kids. I'm often cautious about new programming meant for kids - all too often it falls short of educational and into the realm of pure entertainment. Don't get me wrong - I like pure entertainment too. But I want my kids to be entertained and pick something up along the way.
Sometime in 2006, we found the Little Einsteins on The Disney Channel and we discovered an educational yet entertaining animated series. It managed to merge fun stories and characters while introducing viewers to art, music, and dance. Little Einsteins: Fire Truck Rocket's Blastoff is the latest DVD release to capture four great episodes from the series.
Little Einsteins features four kids (two boys and two girls with a mix of ethnic backgrounds) and their magical craft simply known as "Rocket." Rocket has the ability to transform into whatever type of vehicle the kids need for any adventure they're on — from an actual rocket to a submarine, a train, fire truck, and more. Leo is the little red-headed boy with glasses who leads the group, plays conductor with his magical baton, and pilots Rocket. June is the little dark-haired dancing girl with an affinity for art. Quincy is a little boy who wears a cap and can play any musical instrument. And Annie is the little blonde-haired girl who loves to sing and make up songs.
Each episode features a famous piece of art and its artist as well as a famous piece of music and its conductor. The song is used throughout the episode as the group goes on a mission to solve a problem or help someone. The piece of art is either featured as part of the background for the adventure or the crew actually interacts with it during part of the adventure.
And each episode gets the kids watching involved physically by mimicking gestures and activities to help Rocket or solve part of a problem. This includes activities like patting your belly to match a particular tempo or getting up and dancing or singing along.
With the focus on art, music, and physical activity in an entertaining way for kids, I feel safe leaving my kids watching Little Einsteins on TV or DVD.
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