Miss Lori and Hooper

"Miss Lori and Hooper" appear on a block of children's television shows which airs on PBS KIDS. The block premiered on Monday September 4, 2006 (Labor Day 2006). The block is aired weekdays at 8:00 AM local time on most PBS member stations, Curious George premiered on that date.

Characters

; Miss Lori: Miss Lori is the PBS KIDS preschool teacher. She leads lessons based on a daily curriculum, singing and playing games with children who appear on the show. Miss Lori is the first live host in the program's history. Miss Lori is performed by Lori Holton Nash, an actress and educator who currently resides in Chicago, IL.; Miss Rosa: Miss Rosa is the PBS KIDS preschool teacher. She incorporates Spanish language into the daily curriculum and leads children through educational games and activities. Miss Rosa is performed by Jennifer Pena, an actress and teacher who currently resides in Orlando, FL.; Mr.Steve/SteveSongs: Mr. Steve leads "Music Time with SteveSongs", which is a :60 song, usually performed on guitar, relating to the day's curriculum. Children join Mr. Steve by singing along and sometimes perform choreography. Mr. Steve is performed by Steve Roslonek, also known as SteveSongs, a professional recording artist.; Hooper: Hooper is a computer-animated guinea pig who attends the PBS KIDS preschool. He loves dinosaurs, and has a baby brother and a cousin, named Peachy. At one time in pre-production, the name "Bobo" was considered for this character. He is also very vain using himself for projects in class. ; Dash: Dash is the computer-animated boy from the PBS KIDS logo. He has green skin and appears on the computer screen in the block. Dash has a younger sister, Dot. ; Dot: Dot is Dash's little sister and is included in the hosted segments of the programming block's second season, which began Labor Day 2007. She is featured in Dot's Story Factory, an online storytelling game that kids can play online at the PBS KIDS site. [http://pressroom.pbs.org/_/Document/_/subject_pbs_kids_season.doc]

Throughout the block

In Season 1, characters included, Miss Lori, who appears as a live-action character, Hooper, who is a CGI-animated guinea pig, and Dash (from the PBS KIDS logo). Shows in Season 1 were Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, and It's a Big Big World. The first mini-show was Dash's Game of the Day, where Dash shows the viewer how to play a game on the PBS KIDS website. Not all of these shows made its way to Season 2. After Clifford the Big Red Dog, included a short dance as well as a song, performed by either Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck, Milkshake, or Miss Lori herself until the following season.

In Season 2, characters included, Miss Lori, Hooper, Dot (the girl found in the PBS KIDS logo), and Dash. Shows in Season 2 were Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, and Super Why! which replaced It's a Big Big World. Dash's Game of the Day was again found in the season with Dot's Story Factory, where Dot shows the viewer a random story made by a kid on television. Beginning this season, Miss Lori leads between-show segments with the participating children. These brief activities, generally assisted or narrated by Hooper, emphasize basic literacy and numeracy, fine arts, movement, music, and health.

In Season 3, two new live-action characters were introduced. They are Miss Rosa (played by actress Jennifer Pena), and Mr. Steve (or SteveSongs or Steve Roslonek) but they both joined Dash, Dot, Hooper, and Miss Lori. [http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20080416_spanishcontent.html] In Season 3 includes Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Super Why!, and Dragon Tales just like the previous season. Dash's Game of the Day was gone this season because it was replaced by Dash's Secret Treasure, a matching game to match the theme of the day. Dot's Story Factory stayed for Season 3. The season started on May 19, 2008. Miss Rosa hosts Spanish-language and other curriculum-based segments. Mr. Steve hosts Music Time.

Bands and their songs

During Season One, each day's segments included a short dance as well as a song, performed by either Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck, Milkshake, or Miss Lori herself. This portion of the show was abandoned beginning with Season Two.

; Milkshake
*It's My Birthday!
*Help Me Help You
*Picture This
*Rainy Day or Rainy Day Fun
*Rhyme Time
*Sally's Garden (Originally aired in the PBS Kids Share the Earth Day special for one minute and thirty seconds and was called "Plant a Garden". Now it is only one minute.)
*This is Our Earth (Originally aired in the PBS Kids Share the Earth Day special for one minute and thirty seconds, but now it is only one minute.)
*What's That Sound?
*You Can Be

; Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck
*Baby Brother
*Oh No!
*Five Senses
*A Place To Call Home
*Reach Up High
*The Rhythm in Your Heart
*Jump Jump Jump!
*S-H-A-R-E

; Miss Lori
*Me and My Postcards
*Mouse on the Run
*This Song About This Song

Interstitials

Beginning in Season Two, Miss Lori leads between-show segments with the participating children. These brief activities, generally assisted or narrated by Hooper, emphasize basic literacy and numeracy, fine arts, movement, music, and health.

*Reading Time
*Movin' and Groovin' Time
*Music Time
*Art Time
*Nature Time
*Singing Time
*Science Time
*Computer Time
*Math Time
*Snack Time
*Hooper Time

pecials

*PBS Kids Friend Day - Friday, November 24, 2006
*George to George Marathon - Monday, February 19, 2007
*PBS Kids Share the Earth Day - Friday, April 20, 2007

External links

* [http://www.pbs.org/parents/preschool/ PBS KIDS Preschool Destination web site]
* [http://pressroom.pbs.org/_/Document/_/subject_pbs_kids_season.doc Season 2 Press Release]
* [http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20080416_spanishcontent.html PBS KIDS® Engages Kids with New Spanish Content and Original Music on the Popular PBS KIDS Preschool Destination Beginning May 19th (2008)]
* [http://www.current.org/pbs/pbs0610showcase.shtml A preview of the Miss Lori and Hooper block]
* [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=541419 December 13, 2006 article about Miss Lori and Hooper from the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"]