A Day at Kids CBC and Impressing my children

It was an exciting day when I received an invitation from Kim Wilson, Head of Children’s Programming at Kids CBC, inviting me to a day event to connect with parents.

We have long been fans of Kids CBC.  The kids love the shows (Busytown and SuperWhy being favourites) and my husband and I often comment on the funny skits.  Captain Claw referring to Wikipedia? Hilarious.  Mamma Yamma having Sloan on to play music? Awesome.

After some debate (I would have to either spend the night, or go there and back same day, which I prefered but meant a long day!) I decided to go.  I am very happy I did.

I arrived and met up with the other participants to watch a Steven and Chris taping.  It’s fascinating to see a taping of the show having seen the show on TV before.  Cameras are everywhere, segments aren’t shot in order but I will say the energy of Steven and Chris that you see on TV?  Stays true when the cameras are turned off.

Next up we headed up to the Kids CBC area where we got to meet and mingle with the Kids CBC staff who put this event on.  Many of them are mothers themselves.  They were accessible and easy to chat with.

You can follow Kids CBC on Twitter too – @kidscbc

Patty Sullivan was there with her new wee one (and she’s adorable!) so it was a pleasure meeting her after chatting online.  After some snacks, we went into the room where the Caboose stage is set up.  You know the one. You may have seen Great Big Sea perform on it.

There we were joined by Anne-Marie Medawake and Dwight Drummond of CBC Toronto news and later Steven and Chris joined us to make a fun Canadian Mocktail.

@alieisner, the genius behind Mamma Yamma

Mamma Yamma herself was our hostess along with Patty when in that room.  Now, this is where my ‘awesome-mom’ status was solidified.  When I told my son I was going to this event, he couldn’t believe I was going to meet Mamma Yamma (after asking if he could join me).  He would give me messages to tell her – like how much he likes their website, and how he hasn’t beaten Angry Birds Rio yet.

Ali Eisner is the kind hearted person behind the character.  She exudes fun and is so sweet.  One by one we lined up for a personalized video of Mamma Yamma talking, by name, to our kids.  She did it with a smile and you can tell her loves what she does.

But that’s the message I took away from it all.  The staff is passionate about what they do.  About what they decide to air.  Nothing is by mistake.  That passion was exciting and the vibe could be felt across the room.

Kim told us about how their programming works and is developed and how they focus on the whole child.  This holistic approach means that they concentrate on the not only the mind but the physical child as well (which is why some shows like Bo on the Go includes physical ‘get up and go’ components’).

Up and coming includes a show about monsters and math and one about Napkin man, which will star Ed Robertson of the Bare Naked Ladies.

What else is coming up? New technology that will allow kids to print letters etc. from their home computer and by using the webcam scan it for interactivity.  (Picture scanning the letter be and a buzzing B shows up on the screen.  My tech savvy son will love this!)

This was their first tweet up, and with any new event there are always some minor bumps as it came together, but it was a huge success.  They are already planning future events and my biggest recommendation for them would be to include more time for discussion and idea generating.  The conversation started was really great!

Kids CBC is in a position to come to the forefront of groups trying to engage, with respect and attentiveness, parents from across the country.

The biggest question they asked us was ‘how can we work with parents?’.  A quick round of answers suggested a similar parent-partnership where almost a ‘panel’ could be created virtually.

Parents want to be heard and have a say in the programming that their children watch and participate in.  Another great idea in the room included finding a way to bridge a show and real life activities/resources as well.

Other brief ideas I started to think about: Panels/focus groups, symposiums and parent education/discussion meetings, blogger engagement, Facebook page and even maybe video discussions..

I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next.  To hopefully working with Kids CBC in the future as they continue to develop their engagement strategy.

Thanks Kids CBC for a wonderful day.  Keep up the great work!

I was invited to participate in the Kids CBC Tweet up in Toronto.  I received complimentary tickets to Steven and Chris as well as some books and other gifts.  Travel and other expenses were paid for myself.  The train ride was quiet and wonderful 😉