The Star Malaysia - Star2

Learning is fun

- By SHEELA CHANDRAN star2@ thestar. com. my

KID’S shows are fun, educationa­l and open doors to new adventures for young viewers. However, many of us are unaware that creating these programmes isn’t as simple as ABC.

Julie Greene, executive creative director of Australian award- winning children’s TV show Hi- 5, explained that lots of research goes into churning out educationa­l TV programmes for kids. To encourage children to develop their potential, the production team looks into various educationa­l theories about cognitive developmen­t.

“Hi- 5 is based on educationa­l principles for the young child. The show is influenced by Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Developmen­t and Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligen­ces,” said Greene in an e- mail interview from Sydney, Australia.

Hi- 5 is a live- action show targeted at children between one and eight years old. The popular children’s series – aired since 1999 – features a vibrant mix of stories and invites children to explore the world through movement, music and laughter.

Hi- 5 has produced 15 internatio­nal series and is currently aired in over 70 countries around the world. It is aired on Disney Junior ( Astro Ch 613).

To ensure the show appeals to kids, child developmen­t experts are roped in to work with writers to come up with engaging content.

“Hi- 5 looks at children as individual­s. To keep children engaged throughout the show, music and movement are incorporat­ed to stimulate learning,” said Greene, who is also executive producer of Hi- 5.

Each episode is built around simple themes like colours, music, animals or numbers. Music is the connecting factor between the segments. Five presenters host a specific segment that focuses on a particular area of learning.

The live- action musical series features puppet Jup Jup and Chatterbox, and hosts Stevie Nicholson, Tanika Anderson, Ainsley Melham, Dayen Zheng and Mary Lascaris. Through story- telling sessions and skits, children learn about logical solutions, mathematic­s and listening skills.

“The show explores both large motor and small motor body movements. Children can absorb these segments and learn new concepts. Our show promotes core values like positivism, healthy eating, social skills, exploratio­n and creativity which are important to a young child’s developmen­t,” said Greene.

“Many young children process informatio­n more effectivel­y if it is presented aurally, visually or through the use of music. Hi- 5 offers a range of experience­s and modes of presentati­on to encourage children to develop their natural sense of curiosity.”

While the show focuses on playbased learning as opposed to academical­ly driven and structured curriculum, Greene explained true learning is not rote learning and intelligen­ce can be measured in different ways.

Hi- 5 completed recording its 16th season recently. The new season – which will be aired later this year on Disney Junior – will feature new themes focussing on nature, super heroes, busy cities

and teamwork.

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