From Raggs to…

So I’ve expressed my opinions about television and children before. Despite the AAP’s recommendations, I still hold to “everything in moderation.” I have actually found that some of the programs my son has been watching have helped him learn to sign and speak. It’s not that I couldn’t teach him both of those things without the assistance of these programs. We read, we sing, we play, we dance… There are, however, some really wonderful programs designed to give parents another way to interact with their children. Let’s face it…I am not as creative as I would like to be and these programs introduce concepts in ways that I had not thought of.

Raggs is a new musical series designed for preschoolers (my son was a little young for this but still enjoyed it). It features five rockin’ dogs who play in a band and live together in their own clubhouse. Using music and humor, the Raggs introduce children to concepts such as play, work, objects, senses, and identity (who am I). What I find unique about the program is the interplay of multiple types of segments (animation, live action narratives, concerts, music videos and interviews with real children) to reinforce the theme at hand. Wag & Wiggle is a fun dance segment designed to get your children up and moving. No couch potatoes with the Raggs! Dumpster the cat talks to real children about the episode’s theme and adds his two cents to a dog’s life. My son was most captivated by the scenes with real children (something I’ve noticed when we’ve watched other programs).

My son has not watched a lot of television but from what we’ve watched together, this series is by far superior to most in it’s educational structure. Some of the goals the series sets out to address include literacy, visual arts, science and discovery, mathematics, social studies, music, dance, and movement. Check out the educational goals of this program in detail here. They may just change your perspective on how television can help children learn.

Raggs is a relatively new series which launched nationally in February of this year. Your local public television station will be adding the series to their schedules in upcoming months. Find out where your children can watch the Raggs here.

Watch a sneak preview here.
For online fun and games with the Raggs check out the Kids Club.
For Series 1 episode summaries, check out their site here.
Download the Wag & Wiggle Activity Tool Kit here.

Here is a fun intro to the Raggs. It’s actually a compilation of outtakes from the segment’s Dumpster interviews. Enjoy!

Lost

Never have I been so humbled by my attachment to stuff than most recently when my husband shared with me his most recent loss. I lose things all the time. Sleep deprivation and a soon-to-be toddler require me to be more cognizant of where I place (or shall I say MISplace things). Most of the time the item is something insignificant and replaceable. I have to stop and confess that while we were in Vienna 2 years ago I lost my husband’s digital camera. It was most upsetting because our pictures of Bratislava and Vienna were not yet downloaded onto our laptop. Those memories are simply shared experiences between my husband and I that are tucked away into the alcove of our minds.

The day before Mother’s Day my husband gifted me with a beautiful necklace (which included my son’s birthstone) from my favorite jewelery store. It is perfect and so fitting to have a special semblance of my son close to my heart.

I came home from work that night as I do most nights, physically and emotionally exhausted…and HUNGRY! Hence patience and acceptance did not exude from within me. After we ate and put our son to sleep my husband asked me if I wanted my gift early since I would have to work the next day. That sounded agreeable so my husband went into the other room to get my gift. He then proceeded to tell me he had some good and bad news and which one did I want first? The good, of course, was my Mother’s Day gift (not sure if that counts as “good news” but as I soon learned it was to soften the blow of the “bad news”). The bad was that he had lost something very significant to both of us…to our marriage. I was torn with emotion…angry that he had spoiled the innocence and beauty of my gift…sad that ultimately he would have to live with the pain and regret of not being responsible for something so precious…touched that he had been so thoughtful about my gift.

I sat down over and over again to write down how I felt about the whole thing (writing is cathartic that way). I stopped each time, overwhelmed with one emotion…anger. For days (well, maybe longer but we’ll stop at days) I pleaded and pestered my husband to try and remember the details surrounding the loss. I had him make repeat phone calls sadly to no avail. Like the stages of grief we came to accept the fact that it was gone. I realized that yes the item he lost was special, unique, and symbolic. I also realized that like everything else in life, it was replaceable…no matter how difficult it would be.

Stuff is still just stuff…that breaks, gets lost, rusts and turns to dust. It’s all about perspective and this week mine was wrong.

So this week I’m changing my perspective. Doesn’t Natalie Grant sum it up perfectly?