FYI, September is Emergency Preparedness Month. So how are you planning to celebrate at home? Have your kids try on gas masks? Fill a piñata with smoke detectors and new batteries? (Ouch.) Personally, we’re all in favor of cake. But yes, yes, of course, keeping your offspring on their toes about the potentially hazardous/ dangerous/financially ruinous world around them is important. And while you’re gently freaking them out, don’t forget to also mention some of the more fun – and just as important – ways they need to be prepared in life.  Three TV shows to help after the jump.

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Unlike the upcoming “grown-up TV” season, the new offerings for the under-six set aren’t fraught with programs that have been a) retooled or recast a kajillion times or b) so hyped that they can never live up to the initial buzz. The truth is, the majority of brand spanking new kids’ programs scheduled are thoughtful, well-researched, and aim to win you over with sophisticated jokes and educational goals.

But we’re giving a big shout out to these four newcomers. In a sea of Bs and B+s, they all deserve As….and lots of viewers.

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Now’s crunch time for helping your offspring make a smooth transition from summer to school. (Like, you know, encouraging him to wear shoes again.) And don’t forget to do your TV homework. After the jump are a few of our fave back-to-school programs. We chose them not because they’ll prime your kid’s Spanish vocab or help with memorizing the fifty states. But because they offer some genuine insight into those ever-tricky school social interactions. Read the rest of this entry »