Amazon announced it will premiere all 13 new episodes of the Amazon Original Series Wishenpoof on Friday, August 14 for Amazon Prime members in the US, UK and Germany.

Created by Angela C. Santomero (Blue’s Clues, Creative Galaxy, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!), and produced by Out of the Blue Enterprises, Wishenpoof is an animated preschool series that revolves around Bianca as she solves life’s problems in her own creative ways because with magic, or without, we all have the power to make good choices.

Wishenpoof is Executive Produced by Santomero, Samantha Freeman (Super Why!, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Creative Galaxy), Wendy Harris (Blue’s Clues, Super Why!, Creative Galaxy), Steven DeNure (Hank Zipzer), and Anne Loi (Chop Socky Chooks).

Wishenpoof is the newest Amazon Original Kids Series supporting kids as lifelong creative learners by giving them the life skills and mindset they need to lead purpose-filled, creative lives.

Bianca’s ability to magically fulfill her friends’ wishes and creative instinct spark children’s imaginations at an early age. The series also features guest vocal talent Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills, 90210) as Bianca’s father, and Priestley’s daughter Ava as Laurel. Hope Cassandra performs 13 ballads as the singing voice of Bianca.

Click HERE to watch!

What?! You don’t have Amazon Prime? Think free 2-day shipping, free shows, free music and more. Check it out now! We absolutely adore it and it will save you a ton on school supplies, too! (affiliate link)

PIN IT FOR LATER:

The post New Episodes of Wishenpoof on Amazon first appeared on BonBon Break.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST NOW on STITCHER |iTunes | LibSyn

Read Angela’s article about Sara Solves It on BonBon Break

The post BB LIVE: Carol Greenwald and Angela Santomero of Sara Solves It first appeared on BonBon Break.

Who doesn’t love harmonious music?

Who doesn’t love math?

The post Sara Solves It first appeared on BonBon Break.

My latest endeavor for children 3-7 years old is called Wishenpoof.

Back in August, Amazon Studios announced that the show was on their pilot slate along with four other childrens’ shows. Seven looooong months later,  I am so very excited to announce that the animated Wishenpoof pilot just went LIVE on Amazon Studios!

Its not your typical network process in deciding which series get greenlit for production. Amazon Studios puts them up on their site and lets the viewers preview the free content, so they can give feedback, critique and oodles of glowing reviews (no pressure here). The collected info will help determine which shows Amazon Studios will order to series.

Here’s a little background on Wishenpoof…

Bianca is just like any girl…well, kind of. She has one teeny ability, “wish magic” – the power to make wishes come true! Bianca learns to solve life’s big problems in her own creative way because with magic, or without, we all have the power to make good choices!

Wishenpoof is grounded in a curriculum based on life’s key skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, perspective taking, and communication. As I’ve said in an earlier Angela’s Clues post, I’ve always wanted to write for a strong female lead character who is smart, funny, caring and PROUD to be a bit girly!

For my friends over here at Bonbon Break, here’s 3 little known facts about our main character:

1. Bianca is voiced by the talented Addison Holley.  Yes, the same Addison Holley who plays Miss Elaina in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
2. Her name derived from my maiden name
3. Bianca’s character, especially her quick wit, was inspired by my youngest daughter. May her sense of humor always be entertaining!

So feel free to click over to Amazon Studios’ Wishenpoof pilot. Check it out (in its entirety) & PLEASE let us know what you think. The future of children’s media is in your hands! Relatively speaking, of course

The post Amazon’s Wishenpoof needs your help first appeared on BonBon Break.

What if YOU had the power to decide which children’s shows get made?

Now you get the chance.

As someone who creates educational shows for a living, I always want to hear from our audience as to what they are looking for in a show.

Parents told us they want a show that would educate their kids while making them laugh.

Preschool teachers wanted a show to have elements of the best curriculum you would find in a classroom.

Kids, themselves, told us they want to be part of the story.

And we listened.

Listening to our audience is a huge part of our secret sauce. It enables us to shape our vision and create shows that have a strong mission: To challenge, empower, and build the self-esteem of preschoolers, all while making them laugh.

Amazon Studios is listening,too!

They are giving parents & kids the opportunity to view 6 children’s pilots.  The shows that the audience wants will be green lit for production series!

Here’s what I love about this process. I love that, as creators, Amazon believes in our vision with regard to what a “show on creativity” would look like and encourages us to push the limits on what this would look like or how much parents would want and appreciate a math show with a strong GIRL lead character!

And now YOU can tell us what you think.

Two of our shows, Creative Galaxy & Sara Solves It, are in this batch for you to view. Here’s a little bit about each:

Creative Galaxy

We had the vision and desire to showcase creative thinking and the arts in a program for preschoolers. We know that kids today need to expand their thinking to push their creativity and embrace new ways to learn. What better of a way to explore a child’s creative mind than to have them jump in and soar through a Creative Galaxy? As an interactive series, the kids at home are part of the show.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Arty, a creative preschool alien, lives in the Creative Galaxy (a galaxy made up of different art inspired planets) with his mom, dad, baby sister, and his shape shifting side kick, Epiphany. Arty explores the Creative Galaxy, soaring to the Museum Planet and the Painting Planet (and many more arts based planets in future episodes) to “fix situations with art!”.

In this pilot episode, Arty’s mom, an architect, built a library but no one will stay and read. Why? The library is..well..blah. Arty has an idea that will save the day! He will fix the library with art!

Will he do it?

Will the local aliens stay to read?

You will have to watch to find out!

Oh, and wait until you hear the theme song – – don’t say I didn’t warn you when it gets stuck in your head!

NOTE: Creative Galaxy is a work in process – it is presently a colored story board of sketches that tells the story with voice overs, music and minimal art (And, yes, I know how funny that is, since this is an ART show!)

Sara Solves It

The vision for Sara Solves It is to create a strong female role model who uses math to solve mysteries. She does so with her little brother, Sam. Together, Sara and Sam explore their apartment building in NYC to be on the look out for mysteries.

We tested and re-tested this concept, working with our Out of the Blue research team and Dr. Herb Ginsburg, math specialist from Teachers College, Columbia University to ensure that kids are learning the math strategies that they can use for their own work. The math strategies are done to catchy music and visuals to help kids actively participate in the math to not only learn but MASTER the concepts! Hurray for math!  Hurray for girls and math!

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

In this first episode, Sam’s beloved stuffed rabbit, Rocket, is missing.

Oh no!

Sara must solve the mystery.

And, did I tell you that the apartment building is run by math? Of course it is! The elevator, who is actually quite the character, gives equations to figure out where she is going next. And it’s up to Sara, Sam and the preschool kids at home to figure it out and SOLVE THE MYSTERY!

Through Sara’s Kindle, they go inside MATH WORLD and visually solve the math problem with music and figure out where to go next to solve the mystery and find Rocket.

Let’s face it, a lot of you sing my Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood songs. And I swear you’ll be singing these math songs, too!

Please check out Creative Galaxy & Sara Solves It at Amazon Studios and if you feel that your kids would benefit from either (or dare I say, both), please leave a comment on either one (or both)!

I would love to continue to make shows for your kids that educate, make them giggle and allow them to be a part of inspiring stories.

xo,

Angela

Angela is a regular contributor on Bonbon Break.

To get a taste of her work and to learn more about her, click here.

The post YOU Can Make This Happen: Introducing Creative Galaxy and Sara Solves It first appeared on BonBon Break.

~Angela Santomero, Creator of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

Back when I was working “in the trenches” as a preschool teacher, I saw day after day that parents and caregivers were struggling with getting kids exited about healthier food options.   With big corporations spending tons of dollars on making junk food appealing to kids – where were the cheerleaders for fruits and veggies and whole grains?  Now, as children’s television writer, I saw an opportunity to model trying new and healthy foods in a fun and appealing way.  After all, if Daniel Tiger could try a new food…maybe the kids at home would too?  Equally important was showing the ‘darker’ side of trying new foods…that you might not like them! (shhhh…don’t tell!) Miss Elaina modeled giving it the “old college try”…and then politely declining if it wasn’t your favorite.  Hopefully kids everywhere will become fans of veggie spaghetti!

~ Becky Freidman, writer of “Try a New Food It Might Taste Goood” episode

Daniel Tiger’s Veggie Spaghetti

~:: Val Curtis of Bonbon Break ::~

After watching the “Veggie Spaghetti” episode for the umpteenth time, my 5 year old asked, “When are WE going to have Veggie Spaghetti?!?” We have made various combinations of this recipe over the years, but this one is special since my son and I sat down together to write it, prep for it, create it, serve it and eat it!

A few notes, we use Muir Glen organic tomatoes. Most canned tomatoes have a BPA-lining which is drawn into the tomatoes due to their acidity. Muir Glen is BPA-free. Eden Hills (amber glass jars) and Pomi (BPA-free tetra pak) also offer BPA-free tomato options.

The rest of our produce is organic as well. While we don’t shop organic exclusively, we do use EWG’s Dirty Dozen list as a guide and we buy organic meats and dairy.

Add to this that I recently found out that I have a high sensitivity to gluten and we have a gluten-free and veggie recipe on our hands.

People often ask me why I have such good eaters. I think it’s simple. They eat what we eat and they are aware and involved in the entire process.

To get your kids involved, have them:
–  Shop, harvest or gather the ingredients from the refrigerator
–  Prep all of the ingredients before cooking (including measuring everything)
–  Use kid-friendly kitchen gadgets from brands like OXO which utilize Universal Design
–  Learn how to use a knife and other kitchen tools safely
– Learn about the “hot zones” in a kitchen that they need to be aware of
– Cook WITH you!

The game changer for improving your child’s eating habits is involving them in the process from beginning to end.

Daniel Tiger’s Veggie Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1 onion diced

2 28 oz cans of organic diced tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup of veggie broth

3 large carrots – chopped

2 cups of spinach – chopped

1 cup of broccoli – chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

2 tbsp

Salt and  pepper to taste

package of gluten free pasta (prepared)

grated parmesan

Procedure:

1. Put Dutch Oven on stove top with medium heat. Add olive oil.
2. Add onion and garlic and sautee until tender and opaque.
3. Add remaining ingredients bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer with lid on for 30 minutes. Stir regularly.
4. Remove lid and stir. Reduce liquid to desired consistency.
5. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
6. Serve sauce over pasta and add parmesan to your liking!

Coming soon….Banana Swirl!

To read more about Angela’s philosophy on Modeling Heathy Eating Habits on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, click here.

To read more of Val’s recipes, click here.

To find more Gluten-free recipes, visit Bonbon Break’s Gluten-free Kitchen Pinterest Board and click here.

CONTINUE READING IN THE KITCHEN

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Intro written by Angela Santomero and Becky Friedman.

This post contributed by  Val Curtis on April 14, 2013.

The post Daniel Tiger’s Veggie Spaghetti Recipe {gluten-free} first appeared on BonBon Break.

Guiding Preschoolers through the Aftermath of a Storm

~:: by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues ::~

After Hurricane Sandy, it was so important to find a way to talk about powerful storms that have, unfortunately, continued to wreck havoc all over the world. So, as I always do when I have something I want to say to preschoolers and parents, I write.

I wrote a Daniel episode, with my amazing writing team at Out Of the Blue Ent., that deals with how a big storm could wreck havoc on a Neighborhood. We wrote carefully to make sure that we wouldn’t scare preschoolers, but give them information. The information is broken down into three parts – which is how I would talk to my own kids about a situation:

(1) What happened: We use clear and concise language that respects kids and talks to them at their level – not beyond and not below.

(2) How the event affects them: We show the damage as it affects their world, personally. If the lights go out, what does that mean for kids? If the playground is a mess…then what?

(3) Give preschoolers something to do to help: Preschoolers want to help. Giving them a way to help the problem, makes them feel safe, secure, and confident that everything will be okay. They can be flashlight helpers or they can help clean up.

The Neighborhood Clean Up episode airs on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this April.

Neighborhood Clean Up is about a how a giant wind storm has made a mess of the Neighborhood. Mom and Dad explain this to Daniel in a very clear and concise way as we show some leaves still blowing around. We take the trolley to the playground with some of Daniel’s friends. But when they get there, they notice that trash, debris, and leaves are all over the playground. They can’t play! Showing the damage in this context helps preschoolers to see how it affects them, personally, making it even more salient. We decide that we must clean up the playground so that they can play!

We have a very catchy, very fun, new clean up song (yes, it totally rivals Barney’s old one!) Clean up, pick up, put away, clean up every day! Adults and kids work together to help restore the playground by throwing out and recycling the trash. They celebrate with a little picnic in the playground (and remember to clean that up, too!). King Friday is so pleased that he announces this day as the first annual Neighborhood Clean Up Day. Hurray!

We hope to inspire kids to clean up at home, at school, on the playground, and when they are out and about in their neighborhoods. We wanted to show the importance of cleaning up every day and how working together makes things a little easier. Our mission is to empower, challenge and build the self esteem of preschoolers (all while making them laugh). So, if everyone cleans up one thing after watching our episode, we will be happy!

<:: See more of Angela’s Articles on Bonbon Break ::>

ABOUT ANGELA: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the Emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairy tales & interactive games. She recently unveiled her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at Angela’s Clues or via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

This original post was written for Bonbon Break Media, LLC by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues

Continue Reading in the Playroom

The post Guiding Preschoolers through the Aftermath of a Storm by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.

~:: by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues ::~

Healthy eating is a secondary curriculum in all of my shows. I feel such a responsibility with my storylines and characters. To be honest, whenever I look at the child’s menu at a restaurant and see no change from when I was a child, I believe that I should do my part to model healthier alternatives.

Whenever possible we show our characters having family meals and making good choices with food. On one occasion, I was writing a “waiting” episode (“When you wait you can play, sing or imagine anything), where Daniel and his family go out to eat at the Neighborhood café. Daniel learns that he has to wait for his food after ordering at a restaurant. This came directly from my four year old’s first experience – “Wait..What?!”

Since the Tiger Family was dining at a restaurant, I got to choose what my four year old little Daniel Tiger would order to eat. So, what did Daniel order? Pizza? Burger? Chicken fingers?

Daniel ordered grilled chicken and broccoli.

Then I got THE notes.“This is not what real kids eat. We should show him eating like a normal four year old.”

First of all, Daniel is a tiger.

Second of all, I have millions of children and parents every day learning and (hopefully) modeling what our characters do. We carefully test our episodes to maximize learning of our life lessons curriculum. If making a good food choice is not a major life lesson, then I don’t know what is.   This exchange also inspired a pair of episodes specifically on healthy food choices. Our “Try New Foods” episodes revolve around the strategy: “Try a new food it might taste goooood!”

In our first story, we show Daniel and the kids in the classroom garden as they find, harvest and taste different veggies. Daniel likes squirty tomatoes, while Katerina falls in love with bell peppers after being hesitant to try any.

In our second story, we have Miss Elaina join our Tiger family for dinner where they are having veggie spaghetti (pasta with heaps of veggies) and banana smash (recipe below!). Miss Elaina isn’t a fan of the veggie spaghetti, but knows that it’s very important to try new foods. After all, it might taste gooood! Kids will not always like the healthy food options we put in front of them. However, I was once told that we need to offer a new food 7 times before we admit defeat. It is also important to me, that whether we are writing an episode specifically about food or having little moments in episodes, we try our hardest to help parents by showcasing the healthy options.

I love hearing that kids want to go to college like Steve after watching Blue’s Clues or hear kids say that they love oatmeal and blueberries because of Daniel. We started doing our part in 1996 (remember Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper’s memorable song, “Healthy snacks, healthy snacks, we like to eat, yum, healthy snacks!”) and I have been trying to do my part on the healthy brigade ever since!

Banana Smash Recipe

Unpeel bananas (one per person)

Freeze in plastic bag overnight

Blend frozen bananas in blender

You can add a little bit of coconut milk to make extra creamy, if desired

Voila! Frozen banana “smash” that tastes like ice cream! We sometimes top with heated blueberries for “sundae” style

YUM

<:: See more of Angela’s Articles on Bonbon Break ::>

ABOUT ANGELA: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the Emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairytales & interactive games. She recently unveiled her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at Angela’s Clues or via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

This original post was written for Bonbon Break Media, LLC by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues

Continue Reading in the Playroom

The post Modeling Healthy Eating Habits by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.

3 Clues to Use When Choosing Educational Children’s Media

~:: by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues ::~

I’ve made it my mission to create “hit” shows for children that are truly high quality and educational. In all of my shows, I’ve researched and created them with a vision and a curriculum to teach…kindergarten readiness skills for Blue’s Clues, reading skills for Super Why and socio emotional skills for the new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  Now, I’m happy that it’s important to parents that they know how to navigate the slew of content that’s out there and what it is that they should look for.

The truth is that just because a show or an app says it is “educational” doesn’t mean that it is.  To me, it’s  just like how the beautiful, healthy little avocado often gets overlooked because it sits on the grocery shelves with no packaging that screams out, “I AM NUTRITIOUS!”

So, how to spot the avocados of children’s media?

Here is the first of a series of posts for the incredible Bonbon Break that begins to discuss how we can dig deeper to look at kids content in a new way.

So, how do I know if a show is appropriate for my child?  

Here are my 3 clues:  

Clue#1:  Viewing a show is like inviting someone into your family room
Using age guidelines is one way to determine if a show is appropriate for your child but not all children are the same cognitively and emotionally. A show that would be interesting to one child may keep another child up at night. To this day, my girls haven’t watched the wolves scene from Beauty and the Beast because of how frightening I thought it would be for them.

Look at the show as a whole and make sure that you are okay with the language, visuals, messages and the goals before you allow your kids to watch or play. Are the characters the type of kids you want your children to hang out with? After all, you just let them into your house!

Simply “because all of the other kids are watching it” should hold little, if any, weight.  Discuss what “appropriate” means to your family and set rules/limits together so that (at this stage of the game) your kids can grow up at the pace in which you feel is appropriate for them.

Clue #2:  Treat the characters like your child’s new bffs
Maybe its because I work in television, but the characters are very real to me!  In truth, our kids model what they see and hear.  So, are these characters truly funny or sassy?  Are they witty or rude?  Are they good role models?  Is being “smart” cool to them?  Would I want to have dinner with them?  I remember when Fonzie took out a library card…it made all of us want to run to the library and as a result, the number of new library card applications has never been so high across the nation.  Now, that’s cool.  Fonzie was in my head when creating Super Why where I truly wanted to celebrate how cool reading really is…

Clue #3:  Feed their brain.  No matter what the venue.
Yes, we all like to be entertained, but if your child is going to dedicate half an hour or more viewing a program, let’s get something beneficial from it. It should be able to entertain AND educate in a smart fashion. And in terms of humor, what kind of humor is it?  Truly silly and harmless?  Or hurtful, finger pointing silly?  I love to hear my girls laugh, but never at someone else’s expense.

<:: See more of Angela’s Articles on Bonbon Break ::>

ABOUT ANGELA: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the Emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairytales & interactive games. She recently unveiled her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at Angela’s Clues or via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

 

This original post was written for Bonbon Break Media, LLC

by Angela Santomero

The post 3 Clues to Use When Choosing Educational Children’s Media by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.

Gender Roles on Television

~:: Angela Santomero ::~

What do we want for our children?

I want my daughters to believe that they can do anything that they want to do…within reason. I want my daughters to learn everything they need to know to go out into the world and make a difference. I want them to learn; first and foremost, what will make them happy.

Especially as an Executive Producer in the field of children’s television, I am uber aware of the influence that media has on all of us, including my daughters.

Kids spend nearly 55 hours a week watching television, texting or playing video games.  (The Daily Green)

What they see and hear truly affects their view of the world.  I give careful thought to even the smallest details in my shows – what the characters eat, how they feel, what they do, which character traits go with which character, and whether or not they should be boys or girls. It’s important to me that we don’t show our characters eating sugary snacks and cakes for a “special occasion” because, truth be told, it’s always a special occasion on a television show. In addition, one study found that:

98 percent of food ads seen by children on top-rated shows were for junk food.

We know that boys are more reluctant readers, so we intentionally chose our main character, Super Why, to be a boy. We know that there are much fewer girls on television so we made our main character, Blue, a girl.  And we made sure that she didn’t have long eyelashes nor a cute little bow. She is blue. And she is a girl.

But when I look at media, as a whole, for my own two daughters, I worry. As much as I can talk with them and model for them the type of women I would like them to grow up to be, I find that in media, women are still typecast in traditional roles, while men are portrayed as the more dominant figures. Women are stereotypically represented as dependent and emotional. Women are the mothers, and men are the bread winners. Women are under represented in television about 3:1.

“The fact that a majority of voice-overs on television are male, that there are more male news readers on television and that many of the major film directors are men indicates that it is the male who has the authority and the control of the world of television.”(Elena Beasley)

This presents the world through the eyes of men. When women are featured, their voices in commercials are often used to sell products such as laundry detergent, diapers and jewelry. And it should also comes as no surprise that advertisers typically use women as sex objects to sell products such as beer.

We know there are no limits to what our children can do. So why are we feeding our children the idea of limits in the form of media?

And what can we do about it?

A lot.

1. Model behavior in your own lives that needn’t be so defined by gender

2. Talk with your kids about such issues when opportunities present themselves in your day to day

3. Limit the amount of questionable media our kids ingest..the same way in which we limit the amount of sugar they eat.

4. Keep their dreams and expectations for themselves free and unrestrained

And I’ll do my part by continuing to write strong, smart female characters that create their own destinies!

<:: See more of Angela’s Articles on Bonbon Break ::>

ABOUT ANGELA: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the Emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairytales & interactive games. She recently unveiled her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at Angela’s Clues or via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

This original post was written for Bonbon Break Media, LLC

by Angela Santomero

The post Gender Roles on Television by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.

I would not be who I am today without PBS.

Growing up, I honestly couldn’t sit any closer to the television when Mister Rogers Neighborhood was on. He inspired me to get my Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology. He inspired me to think bigger and think different about what we could offer kids. I read study after study that talked about how if you “create content with the intent to teach” you could reach millions of people using television. “If a show is grounded in a strong educational curriculum, then kids will learn.” Study after study proved this to be true.

Sesame Street has had over 1,000 research studies proving its impact & effect. We have summative studies done by the University of Pennsylvania that statistically proved that kids who watched Super Why on PBS scored significantly better on standardized reading tests, than those who did not.  In fact, the effects were even MORE SIGNIFICANT in lower-income households.

We were making a difference where it was needed the most.

What we found was that in order for young children to learn to read, they need multiple and sustained enriching experiences with language, storytelling, and early reading.

“Preliminary evidence suggests that SUPER WHY! Not only engaged preschoolers (e.g., over 97% reported liking SUPER WHY!) but also provided critical instruction through its language and literacy enriching activities and lessons. Exposure to these activities and lessons enhanced preschoolers’ early literacy skills, resulting in learning the content directly featured in the program. The ultimate goal of learning, however, is to be able to successfully transfer information or skills acquired in one context to another context.”

As parents, we see the effects of media every day.   Whether positive or negative, we see how much the media inspires our kids and ourselves to try something new, to use different vocabulary, or to be motivated to learn to read a book.

While such is true for children, the same also holds true in regards to older content. Offer information that educates and people are more likely to make smarter decisions that will behoove themselves and society.

So, what would the landscape look like without PBS?

At the end of the day, children’s television producers at PBS go through a rigorous amount of vetting to ensure that their program is going to positively effect children. If it is a Ready to Learn property, producers sit in front of a board at the Department of Education, every year, and prove why the content works. We report on:

• + How many incidences of education per minute are in our show?
• + What is our basis of our education curriculum & strategy?
• + We must show proof from research studies that our shows are effectively teaching children through media.

We have strong advisory boards of the best teachers, educators and researches who all weigh in on our shows. In addition to this, the PBS Kids Executives also ensures that everything they air, meets their high standards as well. If we didn’t have PBS, show content would most likely veer more towards the side of entertainment than education.

As a preschooler, I learned through Mister Rogers that “there is only one I in the whole world” and that people like me “Just the way I am”.  I grew up inspired by PBS to bring learning, respect & a voice to kids everywhere.  If TV is a window into the world, then a world without PBS is one that I worry about.

ABOUT ANGELA: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the Emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairytales & interactive games. She recently unveiled her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at Angela’s Clues or via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

This original post was written for Bonbon Break Media, LLC by Angela Santomero

The post Pulling the Plug on PBS by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.

We set out to create a show that would make the tenets of our socio-emotional curriculum as clear and straightforward as singing the ABC’s or counting to 10. We know that socio-emotional skills are skills that kids need for life.

But how do you teach through TV?

At the end of 40 episodes, we want preschoolers to have seen the world through Daniel’s eyes & feel what he is feeling, learn the words that he uses, care so much for Daniel, and most of all, comprehend, learn & use the strategy of the day in their own lives.

A lot to ask? Well, I’m the one who’s guilty of pushing for an entire kindergarten readiness curriculum for Blue’s Clues & to ensure that kids’ reading skills skyrocket via Super Why. So, I’m always up for a challenge. And besides, we parents know how smart kids are. If we can give them the information in a well crafted story that they are interested in, they will learn. A LOT.

The Secret Sauce: Research!

The key to creating a show that effectively reaches & engages children, is to involve the young audience in the process. We test our episodes starting very early on in the scripting stage, reading a script with storyboards to our most honest critics: the kids.

In our first episode, Daniel and his friends set out for a picnic at the Clock Factory Park. They set up a picnic with a blanket, some snacks & games to play. But, alas, it starts to rain! Disappointed, the kids run inside the clock factory.

Dad Tiger takes his time talking to the kids (in bite-sized chunks), breaking down the strategy to help Daniel & the home viewer apply it. Dad then sings the strategy to drive his point home: When something seems bad, turn it around, and find something good!

Suddenly, all the clocks inside the clock factory start to light up & chime all at once! The kids have an idea as to how to turn their rainy picnic around. “What about an inside picnic, with all the clocks?”

Hurray, the kids are not disappointed anymore.

Rachel Kalban, MA, head of Out of the Blue research held many sessions on this first script. What she found at the end of the first script testing is that the kids in research knew, after one reading of the story, that disappointed meant sad. This result came from children who didn’t have any knowledge of the word beforehand.

Success!

To continue on to see how we made this theme & strategy “sticky”, so that the lessons would play out in the viewer’s own lives go to Angela’s Clues.

Additional posts written by Angela for Bonbon Break:

• <=> What Fred Rogers Taught Me: 3 Clues to an Effective Socio-Emotional Show – Welcome to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood 

• <=> 3 Clues to Use When Choosing Educational Children’s Media

About Angela: Angela has been changing the way children watch TV for over 15 years. She is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, overseeing all creative development with the vision to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level.

Angela Santomero is the Lead Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for Nick Jr.’s landmark preschool show Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to it as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book, The Tipping Point. Her ability to integrate education, entertainment & active participation helped make Blue’s Clues a breakthrough program. Currently, Angela is the Creator, Executive Producer & Head Writer of the emmy-nominated and #1 ranked preschool show, Super Why!, which helps build literacy skills through fractured fairytales & interactive games. She is unveiling her latest, (the Mister Rogers’ spin off) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood this week. She presently hosts PBS’ The Parent Show at PBSparents.org.

Angela is a Peabody Award Winner for Outstanding Children’s Programming, a Gold & Silver Parents Choice Awards recipient & has been nominated for over 35 Emmy Awards. Her blog, AngelasClues.com, approaches Parenting from her vantage point as a successful childrens’ media creator, to assist parents with the most important job of all!

For more information on parenting, kids & media, join Angela over on her blog at or viaTwitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

This piece was written by Angela Santomero of Angela’s Clues exclusively for Bonbon Break Media, LLC

The post Behind the Scenes: The Secret Sauce of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood by Angela Santomero first appeared on BonBon Break.