Peter Bowden » Fun

Making Giant Icicle Castles

Peter Bowden — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:06:30 +0000

Here in Boston our roof is producing icicles at an amazing rate. I’ve been removing them from the roof of our front porch when they get over three feet long. What to do with all those icicles? Make icicle castles!

This photo was taken after several days of melting, but you get the idea. The larger chunk on the right is what was left after knocking a five foot icicle off the edge of the roof.

“Peep and the Big Wide World” inspired craft projects

Peter Bowden — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:52:14 +0000

Here are some fun activities for kids posted on WGBH’s website inspired by the show Peep and the Big Wide World. I’m on the team producing the live action segments. Always fun to see what people do at home. The video and original post are by Angel Street Mom and are cross posted on the WGBH site.

Note there are more activities in the post than in the video. Make sure your check out the full Angel Street Mom post.

“No Kid Can Resist a Mud Puddle”

Peter Bowden — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:16:19 +0000

A family member just sent me this video of a young deer having a blast playing in a mud puddle. At least it certainly looks like the deer is having fun!

In my children’s TV work we’ve probably a dozen segments showing kids playing with mud and muddy water in different ways. I call these “automatic” segments because it doesn’t take any effort to get kids to engage with the topic. Just tell ‘em what we’re doing and off they go. I love this interstitial showing three girls building a dam in a back yard. Always a good sign when I want to do the activity!

When I was teaching preschool years ago we had a special “mud week” and had kids come in prepared to get seriously dirty. I can’t wait for this Spring when my young daughter will be ready for some serious mud fun.

Educators, I highly recommend the book Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools by Karen Worth and Sharon Grollman.

Lovin’ the Fredde Gredde Cartoon Medley

Peter Bowden — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 02:53:01 +0000

How many of these cartoons do you remember? I gotta learn the guitar…

TED video: Interactive digital building blocks and beyond

Peter Bowden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:11:51 +0000

Educators, this is an amazing presentation on the evolution of technology, play and learning.

Dancing bugs. What’s not to love? Meet “The Jitterbugs”

Peter Bowden — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:18:39 +0000

I get to meet a lot of interesting people through my work. I was just introduced to the “The Jitterbugs” by their managing director, Ellen. They’re researching television production companies. With their permission I thought I’d share…

I often meet people/acts that are wannabees. The Jitterbugs are REAL bees. Uh, and ladybugs and spiders…. They have been entertaining children through their live stage show for years and are now looking to move into television.

Take a look at their show reel.

Dancing bugs.. What’s not to love? Ellen, thanks for sharing. And good luck!

FOR THE BEST IN CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT,
LOOK NO FURTHER THAN “THE JITTERBUGS”
THE JITTERBUGS IS A UNIQUE, HIGH ENERGY,
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LIVE SHOW

www.thejitterbugs.com.au

Sensational children’s show. Interactive, entertaining and educational. The children love the bug theme & all the friendly characters in the show. A non-stop, interactive musical extravaganza.

The Jitterbugs are in their 12^th year of performing Australia wide and now seeking the international market. The show is filled with non-stop entertainment and educational segments which encourage interactive audience participation. With gentle messages The Jitterbugs characters through song and dance educate the children from an early age the importance of caring for our environment and the world we live in.

Fetch Season 4 – behold the Electromagnetic Spectrum Stacking Challenge!

Peter Bowden — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:38:06 +0000

Just found videos of the Fetch with Ruff Ruffman season I worked on Youtube. I worked on season 4 field production, studio, props, and finale set dressing.

In this video the last two contestants are facing off. Their final face-off challenge is the electromagnetic spectrum stacking challenge. I love seen games/props that I made translated into the cartoon portion of the show. I was also in charge of cheesing up Studio G. Too. Much. Fun.

Fun ad by PBS – Grover, Curious George, Arthur, Clifford

Peter Bowden — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:27:44 +0000

PBS writes:
This one-minute video, created by PBS, won a Daytime Emmy on June 25, 2010 and shows how PBS KIDS is helping parents and kids explore the world around them as a trusted guide. The video features favorite PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! characters — Grover, Curious George, Arthur, and Clifford the Big Red Dog — who continue to inspire children everywhere to explore the world around them and realize their potential. For more tips to help children succeed in and out of the classroom, visit http://www.pbsparents.org

Getting Loonie

Peter Bowden — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:28:42 +0000

This morning I’m working on a t-shirt for an upcoming family reunion taking place in the Squam Lake region of NH. Just about everything in that area has loons on it as they are all over the lake and can be heard most nights making their hooting call. Fun studying loon images as I work on my own cartoon loon.

And if you don’t know how to make your own loon call…

The Social Media Revolution

Peter Bowden — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:11:44 +0000

I told a friend the name of this site yesterday. He asked why I used the word media instead of video. “Aren’t you a video guy?” Not anymore. Maybe five years ago…

Today web, video, social media — its all fusing. To serve clients I need to be an expert in communications, marketing and building relationships through online communication strategies. The video below has been making the rounds for a while. One in a series of why social media matters.