WQPT can never replace the important daily activities in a child care program, however it can be used to enrich curriculum and lesson plans if used selectively. The PBS Teachers with over 2,000 lesson plans and activities that you can use to enhance your curriculum. Below we provide you with some simple tips:

Use a VCR or DVD recorder to record the programs that you think are appropriate to use with your children. A VCR tape or DVD can help in many ways:

You can review the show(s), choose the segments you think are most useful, select books and plan activities you will want to do with the group.
You can stop or pause a tape to ask questions.
You can watch a favorite segment again and again.
You can fit it into your schedule!

Using a TV Guide to learn more about a program from its title. Look for shows that highlight the very things you want your child to learn.

Be ready with activities that can follow up any topic you watch on TV. Whether you watch a show about whales or a show about bulldozers, some activities can fit anything.
Be ready to write a group story, make up a play or go to the library and find books.

When you engage children about what they see and hear on television, you break the mold—television can be so much more than "sit quietly and listen."

Encourage your children to ask questions, talk about what they see, imitate what they’re watching, and dance along.
Let them know they are free to come and go as they please.
Have other activities or centers available so children never feel they are confined to sit at the TV.

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Think of the TV segment or show you are viewing with the children as one point in a triangle of learning. Reading and related activities are the other important points —all three come together to spark learning.

If you watch a segment about cooperation, follow it up with a good story that also shows characters cooperating.
Do an activity about cooperating: make a list of the chores that must be done and talk about good helpers. Or, build a block tower together.
Refer back to the segment they watched. Ask questions—why is cooperating important?

For additional information about the Learning Triangle, see our Ready To Learn web page.

Remember that children need lots of repetition in order to understand and digest new ideas. Use TV, books and related activities again and again to reinforce the learning.

Teachers can explore more than 4,500 free lesson plans, activities and professional development tools for PreK through 12th grade educators. From the Start, the early childhood area of Teachers, provides resources for PreK through 2nd grade teachers, including a monthly thematic unit of online activities, articles about issues in early childhood education, recommended books and links, and printables in Spanish and English. In addition, educators can search topical lists of lesson plans tied to our award-winning PBS KIDS programming and correlated to national and state standards.

We encourage you to visit the PBS Teachers with over 4,500 lesson plans and activities that you can use to enhance your curriculum.

You may also be interested in learning more about PBS TeacherLine which provides online professional development through facilitated courses, a supportive learning community and exemplary resources.

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