Media Guy: The Latest in TV, Internet and Video Games

The days of TVs dominating children’s viewing time are over. With computers in 96 percent of Canadian households and 57 percent of six- to 12-year-olds reporting that they play computer and video games several days per week, ParentsCanada has expanded its coverage of new media. We’re now including websites and video games to help you stay on top of the latest in digital diversions.

CARE BEARS ADVENTURES IN CARE-A-LOT, Playhouse Disney

Premiere: Saturday, March 6, 4 p.m.


The bears keep on caring in this series designed as a sequel to the 2007 animated feature Oopsy Does It! Oopsy, along with bears Share, Cheer, Funshine, and (my personal favourite) Grumpy, use their special belly badge powers to impress lessons about feelings and caring upon the villainous Grizzle.

WHAT’S YOUR NEWS? CBC

Weekdays 9:30 a.m.

A daily newscast hosted by a digital ant named Anthony offers a kid’s view of the news that really matters. Reports are based on the challenges faced by real four- to seven-year-olds every  day: Sasha has learned to tie her shoes; Amrit can write his own name; Ashleigh scored her first goal in ice hockey. Come to think of it, it’s not a bad antidote to the headlines we grown-ups think are so important!

WINGIN’ IT, Family Channel

Premiere: Friday, March 19, 9 p.m.

A Canadian sitcom about a teen (Dylan Everett) suffering from chronic bad luck in every department, until fledgling angel Porter (Demetrius Joyette) is dispatched from on high to earn his wings. How? By turning sad-sack Carl’s luck around and making him Mr. Popular at school.

STARSTRUCK, Family Channel

Premiere: Friday, March 19, 7:30 p.m. re-airing often

Sterling Knight (of Sonny With A Chance) and Danielle Campbell star in StarStruck, a music and adventure-filled Disney Channel Original Movie about pop star Christopher Wilde. After unexpectedly meeting Jessica Olson, a down-to-earth girl visiting from the Midwest, Wilde is faced with either following his heart or doing what’s best for his glitzy career.

ARTSCONNECTED’s Artist’s Toolkit

www.artsconnected.org

A way-cool site that uses interactive games and tutorials to teach kids how to compose works of art using the basic ingredients of line, shape, colour, balance, symmetry, rhythm and space. The tutorials use works from the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center as reference points. There are also videos of artists using these concepts as they create an online encyclopedia of key terms.

K8 KID TUNES

www.musick8kids.com

This website combines music-oriented games and videos for kids, and includes an iTuneslike section in which users can sample and download a library of children’s songs. The site’s interactive component offers fun ways to get started playing the recorder and learn the basics of reading music.

MOVING PICTURE BOOKS

www.MovingPictureBooks.com


Available on DVD or as an iPhone or iPod app, these digital story books for preschoolers can be watched as cartoons or read as books with bouncing ball graphics to guide young readers. Titles include simple songs such as “On Top of Spaghetti,” and eight new Sesame Street stories. The files can be downloaded to most digital media, including iPods, phones and computers.

POKEMON™ HEARTGOLD VERSION

AND POKEMON™ SOULSILVER VERSION

by Nintendo, for Nintendo DS/DSI


Nintendo returns us to the scenic land of Johto, first unveiled a decade ago in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver editions for Gameboy. Along with the new versions comes a new device, the Pokéwalker, a pedometer that allows you to gain experience points by taking a stroll.

DISNEY STITCH JAM by Cattle Call for Disney Interactive

Nintendo DS

Experiment 626 (Stitch from Disney’s 2002 animated feature Lilo & Stitch) is on the loose again and gamesters are invited to follow him from tropical beaches to outer space as he strives to rescue his girlfriend Angel from the clutches of his nemesis Dr. Hamsterviel.

LET’S PLAY GARDEN by Deep Silver

Wii and Nintendo DS

Players can create a beautiful garden with a variety of flowers and plants. Play the fast-paced minigames to nurture the garden into a lush environment. Plus, learn facts about gardening, crops and plants. Includes a multiplayer mode to challenge friends.

Parental Control Made Easy

Did you know that video game platforms (including Xbox, Nintendo, Wii, PlayStation and personal computers) have parental control functions, just like your TV set? The Entertainment Software Association of Canada has posted a series of videos on its website to help familiarize parents with these functions and to explain the ratings system in place for video games. Visit www.theesa.ca.

Published March 2010