Archives for February 2011

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they be. A celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel around the world to see all different kinds of animals and creatures. We get a glimpse of how children interact with them in their natural environments – from riding a camel in the Sahara to the children of the Awa-Guaja tribe in Brazil playing with a monkey enjoying a juicy mango.

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they be. A celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to the Amazonian rainforest, in the village of Aurelio in the Vale Do Javari, Western Brazil to meet the Matis tribe.

Once semi-nomadic, moving their villages every few years or so when game ran low or the fields infertile, the Matis now live in just two villages.Waves of western diseases have devastated their population in the post-contact years. Crucially, after these epidemics, the Matis lost confidence in their own cultural identity, believing the disaster was brought about by their own belief in the power of xo, the balance between all the sweet and bitter forces in the world.

Time has given the Matis a better understanding of events surrounding and following first contact.A renewed cultural confidence means that some rituals have been rekindled and the old ways are no longer feared. Matis traditionalists (often elders) would like the old ways retained and reinforced. Other Matis, more influenced by modern Brazil through schooling and outside contact, want closer ties with mainstream Brazilian society.But whatever the future holds, the Matis want to shape it on their own terms.

In the past all Matis lived in longhouses.Now only a few sling their hammocks between the sturdy uprights, although cooking and communal eating is common. Most Matis now live in small ‘nuclear’ family groups in a one or two-roomed stilt house. This village has a small school, pharmacy, HF radio and at least one working dugout motor canoe, most often used for hunting trips.It also has a non-functional long-drop toilet, water towers and a generator. The Matis children enjoy helping their elders as part of their every day lives as well as playing in this close knit community .And of course, even deep in the jungle, football is loved by all.

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

I'm Genevieve, co-creator of Rastamouse along with Michael de Souza. Rastamouse has been a labour of love for us both so this blog is to tell you a bit about how this skateboarding, crime-fighting mouse made the journey to CBeebies (as well as popping up on Twitter, Facebook and the news!).

The idea for Rastamouse came about when Michael and I first met - I was working in children’s publishing at the time, and Michael was trying to get some of his own stuff off the ground. We wanted to create something contemporary, colourful and fun that would appeal, not just to black children, but to other children as well. Whenever I picked up a book that was for black kids it was more often than not, very worthy with gentle watercolour illustrations and nobody seemed to be having much fun. Michael had a lot of experience of rhyme and verse through his work with kids and I had been obsessed with poetry when I was younger so it became a natural thing that we wrote in rhyme. Michael wrote a poem and I came up with a story and a drawing expanding on the theme and Rastamouse was born from a fusion of those ideas.

The first book was published by Little Roots in 2003 and was very well received. With Rastamouse we ended up filling a massive gap in the market - not because we set out with that commercial idea in the back of our minds but because the concept came from our hearts. It’s so much drawn from our own lives. The girl character Scratchy is loosely based on both of our daughters and Zoomer has characteristics of my son who was really into skateboarding, roller-blading and flying around everywhere at the time. And of course Michael was a big inspiration for theRastamousecharacter. . I think that’s why it works because it’s all drawn from characters we know and from aspects of our lives.

Since the book's commercial success we had been approached by various people who were interested in taking Rastamouse to the next level and getting him moving, however when Greg Boardman and Eugenio Perez from Three Stones Media came along with the hugely talented animator Derek Mogford we just knew that there was a real passion and love forRastamouseat the same level that we felt ourselves.

The moment we saw the first maquette of our characterthat Derek had made I was speechless – but in a good way! I found it amazing that someone could transform something from two-dimensions into three so beautifully, capturing the true spirit of the character – it was absolutely wonderful. With the production team and then CBeebies on board, we managed to retain a close involvement with the series. And CBeebies have been amazing – we couldn’t have wished for more passion and support from them.

The first time we saw the show go out was one of those mind-blowing moments. It was absolutely fantastic to see them come alive and move on screen. And Reggie Yates is just the perfect casting forRastamouse– he’s brilliant. He actually feels the character and he’s just spot-on.

To say we've been overwhelmed with the response to the show would be an understatement! The majority has been amazingly positive. Adults have been saying “Why wasn’t there something like this for me when I was young?” and children have just connected with it as they saw that it came from a world they knew rather than something out of reach. The small amount of negative comments we've received have surprised me but not upset either of us - the reality is we're talking about a programme made by a strongly multicultural production company about characters co-created by a Rastafarian , we consider it a positive that it's sparked a healthy debate. We think they're great role models who use logic and problem-solving for the good of a positive, creative community. 

Hello everyone it's Alex here!

Welcome to my first blog! I'm going to be posting on here every now and then to let you know all about what's going on in the CBeebies house.

This half term we're celebrating 'Do Someting New' week at CBeebies encouraging everyone to get out there and try something you've never done before, whether it's ice-skating, potato-printing or just eating peas!

So of course, us trusty presenters are all about leading by example so we were first in line to step up and try something new:

Sid and Justin are always first in the lunch queue so when the opportunity came up to try new pairs of food from around the world they were straight in there! They had a great time scoffing peanut butter & "jelly" and nachos and salsa - all in the name of research! Then they tried out some new musical instruments taking their inspiration from Rastamouse's Easy Crew (they're going to need a bit more practice before they're as good as them though!).

Andy and Cerrie were a bit more adventurous; Andy tried new breakfast foods from around the world, like Miso Soup and Croissants and Cerrie tried Edamame Beans and Sharon Fruit for lunch.

It's not all been filling our faces though - this week we'll be learning how to say hello and goodbye in different languages with the fantastic new 'Lingo Show' and Sid and Mister Maker are going to be dressing up and learning a new dance rountine!

If you want to join in with your kids and do something new this half term, there are some great ideas to get you started on the grown-ups site:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/dosomethingnew.shtml

Please get it touch and tell me if you've tried any of the activities or if you've got ideas to share with other parents of new things you've tried and enjoyed this half term.

In other news, watch out for our friend Katy from I Can Cook - she's going to be joining us onscreen from time to time over the next few weeks.

I'll be back soon with some more Cbeebies news.

All the best,

Alex

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they be. A celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to the scorching desert near Antogo in Mali where the Dogon people live. Water is drying up quickly up due to the fierce heat which has made water scarce and the people wait eagerly for the rains.

It is here we meet three year old Edjongon and her mum. Edjongon helps her mum collect water from a deep open well. With their vessels full of water they walk a long way to their home carrying the precious water on their heads. This is a daily routine for Edjongon and her mum.

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they are. A celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to two very different locations around the world. First, it is late summer in Siorapaluk, Greenland – the northernmost native settlement where the sea ice melts completely. It is here we meet four year old Hanna as she shows us her summer home.

We then travel to the flooded banks of the Rio Negro and meet four year old Carlos Eduardo. (We have already met him - see programme 2). It is now mid-June and Carlos Eduardo’s life is quite different now due to the seasonal change along the Amazon which is as large as the river itself. Up to 3 metres of rain has fallen in the Amazon basin and the floods have turned the region into a forested waterworld.

Water has now risen to the doorsteps. School classes are relocated to a stilt building because the schoolhouse, the only building not on stilts, is submerged. To go to school (or anywhere) means paddling a canoe. The currents of the Rio Negro run swiftly under the houses, and falling in could mean being swept away – but yet, here we see Carlos Eduardo being taken to school by his older sister in a canoe with no life jacket. It is indeed a remarkable way of life and part of the Amazon’s yearly cycle - and it’s only a matter of time before the land drains and it all starts again.

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they be. A celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to a jungle in West Papua to where the Korowai tribe live. They live as close to a true hunter-gatherer existence as any people today. They are one of very few societies that have retained the knowledge of how to get everything they need from the natural world. They are best known, though, for having taken human adaptation to the rain forest to new heights.

The Korowai tribe and the neighbouring Kombai tribe are the only cultures known to inhabit treehouses. They are built around large trees as much as 35 metres (115 feet) off the ground and are constructed with skill and the involvement of the whole community. All the building materials and clothing come from the forest.

The treehouses are remarkable feats of natural engineering, rendered all the more impressive by being constructed as such dizzying heights. There are practical reasons for these high-rise dwellings: the lowland rainforest in swampy and can get waterlogged after heavy rain, height can give relief from mosquitoes and other biting insects, and living in trees gives them protection from attack by neighbouring tribes. Much like skyscrapers in cities, treehouses are symbolic of the tribe’s dominance over their environment, and the larger the house and the higher the house is, the more accomplished its builders have to be..

A treehouse usually takes between two weeks and a month to complete. They build the frame, thatch the roof with palm leaves and make the walls out of rolls of bark stripped from large tree trunks. At one end of the house, they build a balcony where people can enjoy the view and survey the territory. When an extended family moves in, so do their animals such as dogs which are carried up and quickly become accustomed to life 30 meters above the ground. Even more extraordinary is the confidence with which children charge about their high-rise homes. Even toddlers are given minimal supervisions and often play precariously close to the edge of the balcony, but when life is reliant on being at home in the trees, the lessons have to start early.

It is here we meet the amazing life of a six year old Korowai girl called Dua. She shows us the treehouse where she lives and climbs the dizzying heights to her home with remarkable confidence and expertise with little supervision and no safety lines. After reaching her home, she shows us how she and her family cook sago in an open clay fire pit before showing us the amazing view she has from the precarious balcony above. 

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

 Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they are. It's a celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to the plains of Mongolia to meet four year old Shoree and her family. They are a family of nomad Mongolian herders that often move home in search of fresh grass and new rains. Their home is called a ‘ger’ - a round home that can be dismantled or put up in a couple of hours. Here,Shoree shows us around the ‘ger’ and the family livestock of yaks before busily helping the family construct a new ger. Cleverly, they build the ger around the furniture!

 You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

I am so excited to tell you about ‘The Lingo Show’, brand new to CBeebies, launching as a game on the website.

Starring ‘Lingo’, the ultimate show bug and his performing bug friends, they introduce different languages to your little ones, sprinkled with a bit of culture. Your child will help prepare for the ‘Big Bug Show’ by painting and decorating the stage, counting and dressing up the dancing bugs, and so much more whilst learning words in different languages. Then your child will sing along to the ‘Big Bug Song’ featuring the learnt words.

When I relocated from America and travelled around the UK, I was truly struck by how many different languages I encountered. That must sound a bit odd coming from the States, especially New York, but over there it seems like they were in distinct pockets and not as integrated and shared as I find the experience here. That got me thinking about how I might turn this observation into an engaging and rewarding experience for our CBeebies audience and further celebrate diversity. Here you go, ‘The Lingo Show’!

On this project I worked with the most ‘Lingo-tastic’ team. We had the most fun creating, designing and animating our beloved and eccentric bug characters, composing the songs, working with educational consultants for each language and even the voices for the bugs, each is a native speaker of the respective language. 

Watch out for the launch which features some of the languages your children might encounter in their schools and local community: 14 February – French, Spanish and Mandarin; 1 March on St. David’s Day – Welsh; 14 March – Punjabi and Urdu; 28 March – Polish and Somali.

I hope you love 'Lingo' as much as I loved making it. I would love to know what you think and please let me know how your little ones are getting on learning new words in different languages with ‘Lingo’ and his bug friends.

‘merci’ ‘xiè xiè’ ‘shukriyaa’ ‘diolch’ ‘gracias’ ‘dhanvaad’ ‘dziekuje’ ‘mahadsanid’



Thank you in all the languages. : )

Nicole

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/lingoshow/

During the last five years I have conducted a report and a subsequent review looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games. It’s given me a fascinating insight in the emerging world we are now living in, where our children are the digital natives and we are the digital immigrants.

They are growing up online and we should be positive about the endless opportunities this gives them. However, greater technological knowledge about computers and the internet does not equal wisdom about the online world in terms of safety and the management of risk.

Our kids know what roads and cars are but we don’t let them outdoors unsupervised until we have taught them how to cross roads safely.

Even at a very young age there are things we can do to help them establish patterns of behaviour online that keep them safe yet enable them to become productive future digital citizens.

These are my recommendations:

• Up to age 3:
  
  There should be very limited screen time for children under the age of three.
  
  The internet is not a place for children under the age of three unless they are with you looking at web based content related to their favourite characters (e.g. CBeebies).
  
  Books, games, music and movement are essential for learning and development including lots of outside play.
• AGE 3 – 5:
  
  These are the early days of having fun on a computer!
  
  Start setting family online rules.
  
  A grownup must always be asked before going onto the computer!
  
  Limit onscreen time to no more than half an hour a day a day (adjust if TV is also watched a lot).
  
  Balance media time with outdoor activity and indoor play and relaxation time.
  
  Don’t use the computer as an electronic baby sitter.
  
  Use filters so that your child can only access appropriate content
  
  Create a whitelist for your child so that they only log into specific websites selected by you (e.g. Cbeebies)

AGE 5-7:

Must never go online without asking a grown up.

Only use the family PC that is in a public space so they can ask for help if they need help understanding something, playing a game or if they don’t feel happy with what they are seeing or feel scared.

If they surf the web, it should only be done on the family computer where grown ups have put on special filters to make sure that they get to the best and most fun sites quickly and easily and do not see stuff that will upset or frighten.

If they want to send pictures or photos to friends or relatives make sure you check them first. Help them understand that pictures or photos should never be sent to someone they don’t know.

If someone tries to contact them while they are online either via chat when you are playing a game or via email or other kinds of message – they must feel able to tell you without fear of being told off.

The big rule is that they must never EVER tell strangers anything about themselves – where they live, their telephone number, not even where they go to school.

The following are all useful sites with sections for parents and carers where you can get more advice about all the things I've mentioned.

www.ceop.police.uk

www.thinkuknow.co.uk.

www.cybermentors.org.uk

I hope this helps to give you some ideas about helping your child take their first steps on a safe and happy digital journey though life.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject so please post a comment and get in touch.

Tanya

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they are. It's a celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to the Sulu Sea and the Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia to see how the Bajau Laut sea gypsy families live their lives intimately with the ocean by living entirely on their boats.. The children are born on their boats and grow up with the sea as part of their home and playground. Sea-gypsy children adapt to this semi-aquatic existence in extraordinary ways.We see how many families live together on the boats as they cook and wash clothes. We learn how they put traditional face masks, made from seaweed to protect their skins from the sun.Finally, we see youngboys dive confidently into the deep sea water - a way of life for the Bajau Laut children.

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

Little Human Planet follows the lives of young children from around the world, giving a glimpse to our CBeebies viewers of how their counterparts live wherever they are. It's a celebration of what makes children different and what makes them the same around the world in a colourful and often surprising voyage of discovery.

In this programme we travel to the rainforest in the Tari Valley, Papua New Guinea

There are striking connections between the many different jungle tribes of New Guinea and the various species of birds of paradise that inhabit their mountainous rainforests. The ornate plumes and bizarre courtship displays of these birds have always fascinated local people, and they have been inextricably linked with the customs and beliefs of many of the island’s tribes.

Dramatic and colourful displays by the male birds of paradise are indicators of status and fitness and a strikingly similar situation has arisen among New Guinea’s forest clan. These tribes use huge amounts of bird-of-paradise feathers to decorate themselves in their ceremonies, and they even dance in ways reminiscent of the birds’ displays. Even though men, women and children are involved in these ritual dances, it is the men who are more preoccupied with dressing to impress. They decorate themselves with a wide array of ornate objects from the forest, including leaves, shells, clay and feathers form all sort of birds, but the crowning glory of any outfit is invariably a splay of bird-of-paradise feathers and headdress.

These outlandish rituals have long been used to display status both in and among tribes. Today, most indigenous people are becoming ever more removed from their traditional forest lives, but the cultural value of the feathers has not diminished. Ceremonies have become huge national festivals. The Sing Sing has become one of the biggest events in the Papua New-Guinea calendar.Hundreds of tribes congregate to display their costumes and perform their dances in a celebration of cultural heritage and a competition to the most spectacular.

It is here in the Tari valley we meet five year old Evelyn as she is dressed and adorned with beautiful bird-of-paradise feathers, some beads as well as having her face and body painted. It is quite time consuming but well worth the wait as she and all the other Huli tribe prepare for the striking and colourful Sing Sing dance festival. 

You can find out more about the series on the Grown-ups website https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/littlehumanplanet.shtml

 Please check it out and let us know what you think of the show.

My name is Ben Faulks. I am a Cornish born actor and writer based in Manchester.

It’s been over 2 years since I first wheeled a pram full of baby vegetables into the BBC. Thankfully, I wasn’t redirected down the road to Shepherds Bush Market…

I’d written an interactive theatre show about baby vegetables and been touring it around the UK and Europe for a few years before having the idea of how it could be adapted for TV. Thank the sky, the idea caught the attention of the BBC and so began what would eventually become Mr Blooms Nursery.

2009 saw the idea begin development, with lots of trips down to London, working up the idea and debating whether Margaret really was the right name for a cabbage. Then came 2010 where the production actually started, and in Manchester of all places! Half the filming was in a studio and the other half on location. Needless to say it rained (a lot) but it didn’t stop us. All the children for the series came from the local area and weren’t actors or trained in any way, so the interactions between them, myself and the puppets have a really natural feel to them. Mix that up with a spot of gardening, singing and dancing vegetables and I think we’ve got an interesting mix!

The fact that this is the first CBeebies in-house show out of Manchester is brilliant. Having lived and worked here for the last 10 years it’s a fantastic feeling and with the launch only just around the corner, I can’t blooming wait!

I'm delighted to be able to give you all a sneak preview of the CBeebies new season of programmes so you can see what we've got in store for you over the next few months

I hope there will be lots to keep your children entertained and enthralled as we continue our mission of helping children learn through play.

Rastamouse, which starts this week, is a colourful, new musical animation based on the acclaimed books by Michael De Souza and Genevieve Dexter, with Rastamouse brought to life by the vocal talents of Reggie Yates.

Mr Bloom's Nursery, which launches next week, will teach children valuable life lessons through the wonders of vegetable gardening; and later in the year Raa Raa the Noisy Lion is a lovely new animation about a little lion who is just finding his voice. I hope you and your children are already enjoying two of our other new animations - Little Charley Bear and the delightfully quirky Dipdap.

I'm particularly excited about the great line-up of comedy we have on the channel this year and I hope you enjoy watching along with your little ones. The inimitable Justin Fletcher is back on our screens with Gigglebiz and Timmy Time returns later in the year. I really want children to feel a sense of wonder when they watch our channel so Octonauts which I know many of you love, will be launching a series of new underwater adventures and you'll be able to see inside the enchanting homes of The Piplings for the first time in Waybuloo.

We also have a couple of great new online offerings - Talkie Time and The Lingo Show. We hope they will inspire children to learn interactively about the joy of communication and encourage them to say a few words in different languages.

Our shows will be getting out and about more this year so some of our viewers may get the chance to meet their favourite presenters. Katy will be taking I Can Cook on the road later this year, following the success of Mr Maker Comes To Town. Justin Fletcher will be doing a new show from our new home in Salford - more details to follow!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this taster film and I'd love to know what you think of our latest offerings.