The popular Australian television show featuring five lively singer/dancers is getting a British makeover. The show, aimed mostly at two- to six-year-olds, with bright and breezy pop music and gently educational themes, has already been a major success over here, but now the pre-school television channel Cartoonito is presenting a vibrant, brand new version featuring five young homegrown talents: Luke, Jenny, Cat (Catherine), Chris and Emma.
Learning through fun and song
Whilst even very young children respond extremely well to the lively pace, catchy songs and colourful visual experience of Hi-5, the series also has a subtle depth which brings important themes to young children without turning their homes into a schoolroom…
The half-hour shows tackle key themes such as music, pretend, friends, animals, family, colours, senses and feelings.
It is remarkable how much our children pick up on these themes which arm them for school without getting too heavy or overloading them with facts and rules. Instead, these themes help them to recognise just how much they already know from their own pre-school experiences at home, at play and with their own friends.
As well as bringing notions of discovery, language, logical thinking and visual concepts to the show as a team of dancing, singing entertainers, each member of the Hi-5 cast has their own specialist field which subtly comes across through the regular segments of each episode.
Luke explores visual and spatial awareness, Jenny hosts 'Body Moves' which looks at co-ordination and motor skills, Emma has fun with language and aural skills, Cat gets stuck into puzzles encouraging logical thinking, and Chris is in charge of bringing musicality to the fore.
If that all sounds a little much like teaching it really isn't – the team are joined by their colourful puppet friends (Jup Jup and Chatterbox) to keep everything refreshingly silly!
It's all great fun that you can share with your child, weekdays on Cartoonito on Sky channel 619, Monday to Friday at 8am, 11am and 3pm, from this Monday, November 3!
To find out more, go to www.cartoonito.co.uk.
