Every week, I always check what television episodes are available on iTunes to download for free.
This week they have a special edition episode of the classic show, Reading Rainbow, which includes both the series' first episode from 1983, and the last episode from 2006.
I can recall this show from when I was a kid, so watching it again as an adult brought back so many memories. From the show's awesome theme song (which seemed a lot more louder and energetic to me as a kid), to the short and memorable jingle that plays between each book recommendation from young readers, all of Reading Rainbow's great details came flooding back to me.
Having the opportunity to look at things more from an adult's perspective, Reading Rainbow was a truly extraordinary show. To have a program so dedicated to books with the mission of getting young children to read more is really inspiring. The coolest part of each episode is when the show takes an illustrated children's book and wonderfully brings it to life in a very simple yet effective way. With a child narrating the story, the program would enhance a book's reading experience by adding sound effects and zooming in and out and focusing on different parts of the book's illustrations throughout the segment. I never really thought about this great interpretation of books as a kid, but I appreciate it so much more as an adult.
Watching the series' first episode from 1983, I found a lot of the content to just be really fun and amusing---and one segment in particular had me busting out laughing like I haven't in a very long time. There is a rap-montage in the episode that has recommendations for young children on fun projects that don't cost any money. Some of the activities they suggested were so out of the norm and borderline ridiculous, but absolutely fun and goodhearted nonetheless. One of my favorites was "Bleach-Bottle Birdhouse," where one takes an old empty bottle of what appears to look like Clorox Bleach, and cuts and decorates it to make it into a birdhouse. But my ultimate favorite activity they proposed was "Newspaper Crumple Race," and this is when you all line up next to one another, and take a newspaper in only one hand and start crumpling it to see who manages to make into into the smallest lump first. I'm not sure who or how "Newspaper Crumple Race" came to exist, but that is some funny ass creative shit---kudos to the mastermind behind that.
No comments:
Post a Comment