Top Five Educational Television Shows
December 15, 2011 
Jennifer Pickles 
Top 5 Educational Television Shows
It is not just a saying. Learning really can be fun. While studies show consistently that children should watch a limited amount of television, when they do sit down to watch TV, there are some great choices out there that are both entertaining and educational.
Sesame Street
A decades-old stand-by, Sesame Street still stands up at the top of educational programming. This is true for a number of reasons. First, the characters, both human and Muppet, are likable and relatable. The characters deal with issues that many children are dealing with, including bullying, divorce, poverty, and even learning disabilities. Second, the show continues to focus on the basics of numbers and letters, and then adds lessons in a wide range of areas, from hygiene to tolerance.
Wild Kratts
The Kratt brothers, Chris and Matt, are a biologist and zoologist who have dedicated their careers to teaching their young viewers about the animal kingdom. Wild Kratts is an animated show hosted by these brothers that entertain while teaching and informing their viewers about animals and science. The show includes live action video as well as animated entertainment.
The Electric Company
Years ago, The Electric Company was an educational program featuring Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby. Today, the show has been re-created and updated and is about a group of kids who have superpowers that are literacy related. Their superpowers create great plot lines that additionally teach spelling, phonics, solving word puzzles, and more. Likable characters, fun stories, and a sound educational format make this show a winner.
The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus is based on a series of chapter books by Joanna Cole. The series features a classroom taught by a teacher named Ms. Frizzle, a character designed to encourage curiosity and experimentation. Each week, she takes her students on her magic bus to explore scientific basics like the chemistry of baking, the world of scavenger animals, and more, by becoming very small or very large and getting inside the subject they are exploring.
Arthur
Also based a series of picture books and chapter books, the Arthur series was originally written by Marc Brown. Arthur and his friends are in the third grade, and young viewers enjoy watching these relatable characters, while learning about timely topics like bullying, making friends, cancer, attention deficit disorder, and more. As the group learns about issues and figures out how to deal with them, children learn right along with them.
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