My kids loved watching Caillou on PBS when they were in preschool. This cartoon series features a four-year-old named Caillou (pronounced KY-YOO) who shares in a relatable way to preschoolers life lessons he learns through his experiences on the show. How to get along with his little sister, deal with being sick, learn to play sports, and getting ready to begin preschool are just a few of the topics Caillou explores with the help of his friends, parents, sister Rosie, and grandma.
Wow has the summer flown by and with it already being early August the school year is just a flip of a calendar page away. If you have preschoolers or Kindergarteners who may be antsy about starting school, PBS Kids has released a Caillou DVD/Book Bundle that can help parents start a discussion about going to school with their little ones and provide children with some fun motivation to look forward to beginning a new experience in the fall.
You can purchase the "Caillou Goes Back to School" DVD/Book combo on the PBS website for $12.99 plus shipping and handling. Between now and August 31, 2015 is also having a 15% off sale on all PBS Kids DVDs so if you order this combo pack in the next few weeks you can get it for a little less than the $12.99 listed price. This bundle features two items – the DVD “Caillou Goes Back to School,” which includes 12 stories, and an illustrated bonus book about riding the school bus. In addition to the episodes from the animated series, the DVD also features a video game that kids can play on a PC and some downloadable printable coloring pages featuring the characters from Caillou.
The DVD run time is approximately 100 minutes and includes the following stories:
“Caillou the Librarian”
Caillou is
excited about showing Rosie the ropes when they visit the library. During
storytime Caillou imagines he’s in the story, riding on a dolphin. Later he and
Rosie argue over a book and accidentally tear it. He doesn’t want to tell the
librarian, but finally musters up the courage to do so. The librarian turns out
to be very nice and he helps her fix the book. And Rosie gets her very own
library card!
“Caillou the Bookworm”
Returning home from the library Caillou is very eager to sit down and
enjoy his pirate book. Unfortunately it’s a very busy day and he’s having
trouble finding a quiet place to look at his book. Caillou finally finds the
perfect place – in his closet! By the light of his flashlight he finally gets
to enjoy his book and pretends he’s the pirate in the story digging up a buried
treasure.
“Caillou the Storyteller”
It’s a rainy day at playschool and the children can’t go outside.
Caillou makes up a funny story about a superhero who makes the rain stop – it’s
Super Caillou! He tells the story to Jeffrey and Jason, and Miss Martin
suggests he make his own storybook. She writes the story down and Caillou draws
the pictures. By the time Mommy comes to pick him up, Caillou has his very own
book to show her!
“Magnet Madness”
Caillou is playing with the fridge magnets and learns lots of things
about them. About what they stick to and what they don’t stick to – such as
Gilbert! He even imagines himself as a human magnet superhero. In the end Caillou
is able to apply what he’s learned and uses a magnet to help Daddy retrieve a
metal peg from behind the workbench.
“Caillou the Dinosaur Hunter”
The whole family goes on a trip to the natural history museum to look
at the dinosaurs. Caillou is really enjoying himself looking at the skeletons
and learning about the different kinds of dinosaurs. When he momentarily loses
the others he knows enough to stay put until Mommy comes back and finds him.
And when he realizes he’s left Rexy somewhere he learns about the lost and
found, and retraces his steps until he finds his dinosaur friend.
“Caillou the Astronaut”
Caillou wants to play with both his friends Clementine and Xavier in
the playschool playground. Unfortunately Clementine wants to play bears and
Xavier wants to play astronauts, and a little argument ensues. At story time
Miss Martin tells them more about spaceships and astronauts and Caillou
imagines he’s zooming around the galaxy exploring stars and planets. Back
outside Caillou makes up a new astronaut and bear game so everyone can play
together.
“Caillou Goes Shopping”
Caillou’s crayons are all worn down or broken, so Mommy suggests a
trip to the store for some new ones. Caillou helps Mommy remember what she
needs to buy – he remembers the list of items by making a little song out of
them. When they’re done they run into Sarah, and Caillou helps her find all her
back to school supplies.
“Caillou Goes Apple Picking”
Caillou’s playschool is on a special field trip to an apple orchard.
The children really enjoy learning about apples and picking them too. Caillou
imagines himself picking the biggest apple in the whole world. Afterwards they
enjoy some fresh apple juice. By the time they get back on the bus to go home,
Caillou and his friends are all ready for a little nap!
“Caillou’s Halloween Costume”
Halloween is coming and it’s time to pick out a costume to wear. Soon
Rosie has three costumes she wants to wear, but Caillou still hasn’t decided on
what he wants to be. And time is running out! Finally a piece of blue fake fur
gives him a great idea – he’ll be a blue monster! His parents help him fashion
an odd but effective monster costume out of bits and pieces they find around
the house. When Leo and Clementine arrive they agree that Caillou is a very
scary-looking monster indeed!
“Caillou’s Present”
Mommy’s having a bad day – first she can’t find her car keys, then she
and Caillou have to shovel the car out, and then the car won’t start! At
playschool Caillou decides to make her a present to cheer her up. His first two
attempts don’t turn out but he perseveres and makes her a picture of a sun – to
melt all the snow!
“Caillou the Chef”
Jeffrey and Jason are coming over for dinner – it’s a make-your-own
pizza party! Caillou feels he is an expert at this and starts to show them how
to do it. When the twins both opt for less-than-traditional ingredients Caillou
is upset that they’re doing it all wrong. In the end, however, their pizzas
turn out just fine and Caillou learns that everyone has their own unique way of
doing things.
“Caillou the Painter”
Caillou’s got a brand new painting shirt and decides to paint
something for Grandma. He has a little trouble deciding what to paint. He wants
to use all his colors and paint all his favorite shapes. Mommy tells him that
paintings don’t have to be about something and he proceeds to make his own
abstract painting! Meanwhile Rosie and Daddy are pressing a flower for Grandma.
When Grandma arrives she is thrilled with her very artistic gifts.
Caillou is produced by DHX Media and can be viewed on PBS' children's cable network Sprout and during PBS Kids programming on select local broadcast stations across the country that have included the show on their viewing schedule. If you have an in-car DVD, "Caillou Goes Back to School" would be a nice way to keep a child from asking "are we there yet" throughout to drive on an end of summer road trip or it also would be a nice video to put in the DVD player at home on a hot summer day when it probably is better to stay indoors than go outside to play. Caillou has been one of my kids favorite PBS characters and I'm sure yours will enjoy him too! This DVD is probably best suited for children in the 3 to 5 years old age range, especially those that may be going to preschool or kindergarten for the first time.
CLICK HERE to order your "Caillou Goes Back to School" DVD/Book combo today from PBS Kids.
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