There are two kinds of ways kids grow up: those who grew up watching SpongeBob and those who didn’t. I am one of the latter; instead of watching what my mom considered a waste of time, I watched educational kids’ shows on PBS Kids. Anyway, I just wanted to highlight some of these shows I remember so fondly — and actually learned things from, too.
Wild Kratts
This is an easy first to name, and I know they celebrated their 15th anniversary this year and are still going strong. The main characters, Martin and Chris Kratt, are real-life brothers and zoologists who have adventures in their cartoon show. The number of animal facts I could name to you from what I learned is crazy. They were arguably the biggest and favorite show to watch growing up, and I could still recall many, many episodes and plots.
Curious George
I’m still wondering why this was considered educational; probably because it’s centered around George (the monkey) being curious about everything. Whatever the reason, this is also one of my top childhood shows, and it’s actually hilarious looking back because the amount of patience the Man in the Yellow Hat has is remarkable. Their Halloween special, A Halloween Boo Fest, terrified me as a five-year-old, but since then, it’s kind of become a tradition in my household to revisit it every October, for old times’ sake.
Maya and Miguel
Before we figured out how YouTube worked, my brother and I knew that this show apparently only played at 4 a.m. on weekdays. So naturally, being four and five years old, we would wake up that early for the sole purpose of watching it. I don’t know how I did that, managed to go back to bed, and be up a couple of hours later without being suspicious at all, but my parents never figured that out until we told them years later. The show itself had some funny episodes to it, but the main reason watching the show is a core memory for me is those early morning viewings. Good times.
Martha Speaks
Lastly, this one actually taught me a ton of vocabulary, AND one episode even talked about the Greek gods. I don’t know how I remember that, but it apparently had an effect because I still remember those stories because of it. Also, just the concept of a talking dog was great.
My brothers and I shared a LOT of laughs and memories throughout these TV shows. Even though we’re older now, I would sit and watch an episode for old times’ sake because they are that nostalgic. So maybe I have no idea what other kids my age watched, but maybe after reading this, I’ll find someone else who grew up on the same channel as I did.