The kids are fans of talking dogs. From Martha Speaks on PBS to the many talking dog movies (mostly from the 80’s it seems on Netflix) they never seem to tire of talking dogs. When it comes to these verbose dogs, not all dogs are created equally. The one dog we all seem to enjoy together, not just for the educational value, she’s also entertaining, is Martha. We recently previewed some upcoming new episodes for Martha Speaketh Weeketh. On Monday, Thou Callest Me a Dog is all about Shakespeare. I was always a Shakespeare lover. I was the kid who hung out with friends and read Shakespeare over lunch on the school lawn. Don’t mock me!
The thing about Shakespeare in high school is that it splits the class into two groups: there are those who appreciated it and those who are tortured by the language. I always felt that if those who were stumbling through the language would not try to decipher each individual word they would enjoy it. What I love about this Shakespeare episode of Martha Speaks is that it introduces the odd sounds, phrasing and words in a fun way. The episode is a way to get an introduction to the great playwright and his language. Who knows, maybe you can even take the kids to Shakespeare in the park this summer.
Summertime is a time to be outside and get away from the screens but on occasion you just need a quiet moment to get out of the sun. New episodes of Martha Speaks will be playing each day of the week starting Monday, June 16th Watch a few live, or record them all and let the kids take in an episode or two on a super hot or rainy day.
Monday, June 16th
Thou Callest Me a Dog will introduce children to the words dialogue, director, monologue, producer and soliloquy. If that’s not an invitation for the kids to create their own play this summer in the back yard I don’t know what is.
Martha’s Paper Chase is all about being a reporter. With words like confirm, feature, integrity, topic and verify, I think there are a whole lot of adults who could use a refresher course on all that especially with the amount of “faux” news flying around on Facebook etc.
Tuesday, June 17th
Alice Tells a Story is all about formulating a story from beginning to end. Whether the kids are keeping summer journals or just love making up stories orally or on paper, this will definitely help them think about getting from beginning to end without going off on a tangent.
Pirates and Princesses is a theme that never gets old. Martha teaches about narrative, recap, scenario, summary and theme.
Wednesday, June 18th
Tomato, You Say is all about logos, insignia and symbols. We live in a world full of them, so why not explore what they mean and why they are there in the first place.
Martha Questions is perfect for that little toddler, and her siblings, in the house who doesn’t stop with the incessant questions. Parents may remember “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, and the game where the contestants had to speak only in questions. It’s a bit like that but for kids.
Thursday, June 19th
Oh, Nooooo! is for your little entrepreneur or detective. When Granny Flo’s Alphabet Soup finds out they have competition from oodles of Os.
Bye, Martha has even more mysteries with a little Polish thrown in when Martha is deceived by a long lost Polish “relative”.
Friday, June 20th
Martha Sings her way through this impromptu and unavoidable musical episode.
TD Makes the Band is for your resident poet or lyricist. TD gets creative and works on some lyrics for a new song.
In addition, the kids can check out the new online game Martha’s Steaks.
I’m not a fan of stressing children out over the summer with school work, but a sneaking in a little educational content this way probably won’t bother anyone too much! They might even ask for it.
I was sent a disc to preview along with a few other goodies including two books, a pass to Chuck E. Cheese, and for abcmouse.com. All opinions are my own with some input from the kids of course. The children were not compensated for their time, but I’m sure they owe me.
