View, Do, and Read

WHYY & Jakers! models for young viewers the lost art of imaginative play

Remember when children didn't have access to computers, cell phones, and electronic games? They used their imagination to play made up games. The characters in Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks model the lost art of imaginative play and storytelling.

Jakers! brings viewers, aged four to seven, into the world of Piggley Winks. Grandpa Piggley Winks is an elder family member in a typical contemporary, chaotic household of American city-dwellers. He entertains and educates his grandchildren with tales of his childhood on Raloo Farm in the village of Tara in Ireland. As Grandpa's stories unfold, viewers travel back in time to the comical adventures of the young Piggley Winks (a mischievous pig) and his best friends, Ferny (a young bull) and Dannan (a girl duck). Piggley and his playmates love to create adventures for themselves in the Irish countryside, all based on their own imaginations.

This three time Emmy award winning show presents dilemmas children face in their life and models, in a funny way, how to resolve them through problem-solving, creativity, and occasionally a little help from friends. The purpose of the show is to:

• Support curiosity and creative expression.
• Encourage reflection about ourselves and others, leading to appreciation for the similarities among and celebration of the differences between us.
• Help children consider creative and imaginative solutions to everyday situations.
• Allow children the chance to appreciate the art of storytelling.
• Demonstrate playful interaction between generations.

Along with the "Healthy Moments," the new season will feature all-new Muppet "street" scenes, new animations and original live-action films that all hype activities and behaviors that are good for you.

VIEW

Jakers! can be viewed on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM on WHYY- TV 12. This show is unique because it uses computer generated imaging (CGI), usually found in feature films, to allow life-like 3D characters to perform in richly colored, lush backgrounds; providing a level of quality new to children's TV programming.

DO

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a rhinoceros?? Take time to look up at the clouds and ask your children what they see. What they say will not only impress you, but it will help your child be creative and imaginative. Another way to incorporate imagination into this simple activity, is to ask your child to talk about what those shapes are doing. Take time to write down what your children say in a notebook or journal. Looking back at the stories will teach your children that they can write their own stories from something as simple as a shape in the cloud.

GROW (book descriptions from amazon.com)

The Cloud Book by Tomie De Paola

Introduces the ten most common types of clouds, the myths that have been inspired by their shapes, and what they can tell about coming weather changes. Ages 4-8.

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw

The white shape silhouetted against a blue background changes on every page. Is it a rabbit, a bird, or just spilt milk? Children are kept guessing until the surprise ending--and will be encouraged to improvise similar games of their own. Ages 4-8.