As I’ve mentioned previously Noggin will begin airing a sixth season of Franklin on New Year’s Day. While Franklin doesn’t generate the kind of excitement that Little Einsteins and Dora the Explorer do in our house, the kids seem to enjoy it. As a parent, it’s one of my favorite shows because Franklin is such a realistic role model (realistic in his behavior, not in the fact that turtles can talk).
What I most appreciate about Franklin, is that he isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes, and struggles with friendship and relationships. Yet, he usually is able to resolve his problems for himself, with a little help from friends and parents. I see my my (nearly) 5 year old son experiencing many of the same dilemmas. Whether it is his interactions with friends, or dealing with having a little sister I hope my son is learning something while we watch.
Another reason why we like Franklin is that it encourages reading. Because the shows are based on stories by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark we can experience the stories in both book and tv form. When we head to the library we always come home with at least one Franklin book. While using TV to promote reading may call into my parenting skills, at least it gets them reading.
Which brings us to the new episodes. The premiere episode of the sixth seasons features two stories, Hockey Fan Franklin and Mother Hen Franklin.
Photo Credit: Noggin
In Hockey Fan Franklin, Franklin enters a contest where he writes a letter about why he loves hockey. He ends up winning the contest, and the prize is getting to play hockey with his hero Bill Buffalo in front of the whole town. The episode is full of good messages. First, Franklin’s winning letter is about teamwork. Second, it shows that it is okay to be nervous in front of a crowd. A lot of kids (and adults) will be able to identify what Franklin is going through when he’s on the ice and too nervous to skate. With the crowd and pressure, Franklin ends up struggling despite being a pretty good hockey player. They will also relate with the disappointment Franklin experiences when despite a lot of practice, things went awry.
Of course there is a happy ending where Franklin’s friends cheer him up by playing hockey with him. What Franklin didn’t know was that his friends had invited Bill Buffalo to come watch. Bill Buffalo is impressed and ends up playing with the kids.
In Mother Hen Franklin, Franklin becomes over protective when Harriet gets hurt on his watch. While my kids enjoyed the episode, I don’t think they took as much away.
Franklin has aired for 5 seasons, each with 13 episodes. The show’s producer, Nelvana, has a complete episode guide available.
Hockey Fan Franklin/Mother Hen Franklin will air January 1st at 10:00am. It will be immediately followed by another new episode and 5 more hours of Franklin. Episodes from season 6 will air throughout next week at 10:00am.
Show Web Page: Franklin on Noggin
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