WTIU Kids

This Week in The Friday Zone

Friday Zone Wins Regional Emmy

WTIU's The Friday Zone received a regional Emmy in the Children/Youth Program/Special category for the episode "Under The Sea." The Friday Zone received its award at the 41st Annual Lower Great Lakes Regional Emmy Awards, which took place at a banquet in Cleveland on June 19. The Great Lakes Chapter includes TV stations in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the episode, host Katie Sullivan gets scuba lessons from an expert and swims with dolphins at the Indianapolis Zoo. Also, former host Holly Gregory demonstrates different eating methods used by whales. Viewers can see the show online.

PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest Winners

WTIU has announced the local winners of The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, a national competition designed to promote the advancement of children's reading skills through hands-on, active learning. The effort encourages children in grades K-3 to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original stories and illustrations.

The local winners include:

Kindergarten
1st Place: Alyssa Abernathy, Martinsville ("The Lost Pony")
2nd Place: Emily Bryant, Martinsville ("My Apple Tree")
3rd Place: Thatcher Anderson, Martinsville ("Three Little Angels Fly to Mars")

First Grade
1st Place: Kennedi Casey, Martinsville ("The Treasure")
2nd Place: Anya Thomas-Rigdon, Bloomington ("The Big Sis")
3rd Place: Morgaine Thomas-Rigdon, Bloomington ("The Seven Little Princess Mermaids")

Second Grade
1st Place: Joelle Jackson, Bloomington ("Once Upon A Hamster")
2nd Place: Breanna McCracken, North Vernon ("Dancing With Your Friends")
3rd Place: Jasmin Herzig, Bloomington ("The Apple, The Banana, and the Bear")

Third Grade
1st Place: Noah Henderson, Gosport ("The Giant Snowball")
2nd Place: Jaelyn Fennell, Terre Haute ("Lucy and the Lost Dog")
3rd Place: Sarah Park, Edinburgh ("The Big Surprise")

Children were encouraged to write and illustrate stories and submit them to WTIU, which selected local winners and awarded prizes. First place local winners will be entered into the national contest. Winners of the national contest will be announced and prizes, including laptops, digital cameras and MP3 players will be awarded this summer.

PBS Kids Play!

PBS KIDS PLAY! explores math, science, literacy and other subjects using interactive games. The games address national educational standards (ages 3 to 6) and adapt to your child's individual progress. For a 14-day FREE trial, click here.

News Flash Five

News Flash Five is an online current events web site for children aged 8 to 11. It features a weekly newscast presented online by five animated kids covering five beats: national news, world, sports, entertainment and technology, and weather and science.