ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
PBS KIDS’ ALL-NEW ONE-HOUR NATURE CAT SPECIAL TO PREMIERE ON WVPB
Grounded in a Natural Science Curriculum, NATURE CAT,PBS KIDS’ Newest Series Debuts Monday, January 18, at 8 am and again at 3:30 pm.
Join us for a sneak peek of the new show at a WVPB Family Fun Morning on Saturday, January 9 from 10 am to 12:30 pm at the West Virginia Wesleyan Performing Arts Center in Buckhannon, WV. The event is free and there will be lots of family nature themed activities.
The special will will be available free on both pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. New related games, clips and full episodes will also be available on PBS KIDS’ digital platforms throughout the month.
Grounded in a natural science curriculum, NATURE CAT is designed to encourage children ages 3-8 to go outside and explore the outdoors, while learning about a variety of scientific topics along the way. The NATURE CAT special will include four 11-minute stories with Nature Cat (voiced by Saturday Night Live’s Taran Killam), along with his pals Squeeks the mouse (Kate McKinnon), Hal the dog (Bobby Moynihan) and Daisy, a pet rabbit (Kate Micucci, The Big Bang Theory), as they embark on action-packed adventures, perilous missions, nature investigations and “a-ha” discovery moments. In each story, the characters model age-appropriate reasoning skills and explore natural science concepts, such as the role seeds play in plants’ life cycles and the types of wildlife found in various environments.
New digital content from NATURE CAT will include “Racing Rapids,” an online game in which kids will use systems thinking skills to build a boat racer, then go on a water-based adventure with Nature Cat and his friends. The one- to two-player game lets kids race their favorite NATURE CAT character and earn boat parts to unlock new races. From a stream to a river, players will learn how to create the best boat for each level’s environment. As they play the game, watch water-related clips and complete a “Build a Sailboat” DIY activity, kids will also have the opportunity to earn a new badge called “Ahoy Matey!” on pbskids.org/naturecat.
NATURE CAT is co-created by brothers David Rudman (SESAME STREET, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom & Jerry, SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE). The series is a co-production of Spiffy Pictures and WTTW Chicago. Major funding for the series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Van Eekeren Family, founders of Land O’Frost.
Anne Farrow, a social studies teacher at Wheeling Park High School in Ohio County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Above and Beyond Award for January, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Local conservationists are building fences around trees in wetlands across West Virginia and beyond to protect them from beavers and promote coexistence between species.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we remember Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a deep mark on Appalachian culture, and the people who practice and document it. And, grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Plus, it’s not just you. There are more deer than ever these days. A writer explores the long, complicated entwinement of people and our wild kin.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting partners with schools, organizations, libraries, colleges, etc., to offer various programs throughout the year. We facilitate workshops both in and out of the classroom, which can vary from 15 to 60 minutes. Currently, we are accepting requests for virtual and in-person programs.