Now your kids can get the day camp experience right in their living room. Camp TV, a new one-hour series from The WNET Group launches Jul 13 on PBS (check local listings). Episodes will also be available to stream at camptv.org.
Just like real camp, each episode of Camp TV kicks off with a welcome song, followed by an announcement of the day’s theme, silly hat day, camping day, rhyme day, silly sock day, backwards day and more.
Head counselor, Zachary Noah Piser (Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked) will guide campers through a variety of activities including exploring nature, math, science, the arts, movement, storytelling, writing and more.
Kids will learn about surface tension while making bouncing bubbles and discover shapes while creating a flying origami star. They will learn how to do magic tricks, turn sneakers into tap shoes, create an oboe from a straw and make guacamole. They will meet all kinds of animals, from a playful bearcat to chickens who like classical music. Every episode also includes a storytelling segment that features a different book of the day.
“During this challenging time, we hope we’re able to bring kids some of the magic, learning and fun of summer camp through Camp TV,” said Neal Shapiro, President & CEO of The WNET Group.
“Public media stations have stepped forward to fill gaps in creative ways to help children learn at home during the pandemic,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “CPB is proud to support this public media effort, which brings the camp experience to children sheltering at home, while also helping to prevent a ‘summer slide’ in student learning.”
Confirmed Camp TV content partners include Bedtime Math, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Chamber Music Society, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Franklin Institute, Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, Let’s Learn NYC!, Liberty Science Center, Lincoln Center, Macmillan, Memphis Zoo, National Dance Institute, New Victory Theater, New York Botanical Garden, New York Public Library, New York Road Runners, Playworks, ReadWorks, Story Pirates, and Wildlife Conservation Society. Additional content is provided by teachers who participated in The WNET Group’s NJTV Learning Live series.
Major funding for Camp TV is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by Joan Ganz Cooney.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Ashton Bingham on Unsplash
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