PBS Kids Video

Both of my kids love the PBS Kids Video app because it turns the iPad into a television.  More and more lately, I find myself answering the question of, “Can I use the iPad?” with “Yes, so long as you’re not going to watch TV.” And that is mostly because of this app.

My kids’ behavior with this app takes the term “digital natives” to a whole new level… the two-year-old now liberates my phone from my pocket, slides to unlock it, identifies the PBS Kids app, and is watching TV before I even know she’s got the phone. My five-year-old pointed out features I had no idea were there. For example, she showed me how swiping to the right while in a show reveals a table of contents with thumbnails, titles and running times for all of the clips available for that show.

Of course, there is an upside to watching television this way—there are no commercials (no whining that she wants me to buy her Stompeez or sugar cereals) and the only programming available is the good stuff from PBS. Okay, I could do without Arthur, and Caillou might be the whiniest kid on the planet, but at least it’s not My Little Pony.

In general, the app works really well.  Even though the clips are short (most are around 2 minutes), there are lots available—I counted over a hundred of one of my daughters' favorite shows, Wild Kratts. The saving grace to this app is that it needs an internet connection to operate. And our iPads are wifi only. Right now, I’m relieved not to have to fight about it in the car… Though I might feel differently this summer, if I try to take them on a long car ride somewhere. And there’s always my phone to fight about. Oh, and did I mention that the app is free?