The Time Warp Trio TV Series
An educational TV show for kids that makes learning history fun
Time Warp Trio is an animated, educational show for children. Parents should love how the show teaches kids about history, while being fun, funny, and engaging.
There's a TV show for kids that is so fun, and so educational, that parents actually feel good about letting their children watch it. The TV show is called Time Warp Trio, and it's on the Discovery Kids Network television channel every day. The author of the Time Warp Trio book series for children, has helped create a show that makes history interesting and engaging for kids.
The Basics
Three friends find a book that acts as a portal into the past (and, once, the future - more on that later). The three boys are preteens, and children ages 6 and up will find them relatable and realistic - despite the unreal situations the boys find themselves in. The book drops Fred, Joe and Sam into historic events or eras, and they need to find their way back to their own time. One seven-year-old said her favorite episode was "My Big Fat Greek Olympics," which takes place during the first Olympics in ancient Greece. Two other children related that their favorite episode was "The Caveman Catastrophe." In that episode, the book drops the children into the Paleolithic Era, and they meet a Neanderthal named "Duh."
History, Education, and Fun
In other episodes, the children meet Thomas Edison, Sacagawea, Leonardo da Vinci, Amelia Earhart, Napoleon, and many, many more historic figures. But about that time the portal drops Fred, Joe, and Sam into the future...The book takes the boys to the 22nd century, in Brooklyn, NY. There, they meet their three great granddaughters (who naturally look just like female versions of the boys at the same age), who are in possession of the book in their future time. This allows the TV show to have the boys and girls team up, and work together to solve the puzzles that enable them to return to their real time. Freddi, Jodie, and Samantha are every bit as resourceful as their same-age great grandfathers. In fact, Samantha is significantly more resourceful and knowledgeable than her great grandfather, Sam. Parents of young girls will especially appreciate the gender balancing, and the frequency with which important female figures from the past play crucial roles in the daily Time Warp Trio adventure.
The Villain
Mad Jack is an additional recurring character on this great, educational children's TV show. According to the Time Warp Trio legend, Mad Jack stole the book from his brother, Joe's uncle - but only for three minutes. In those three minutes, Mad Jack went to many different times and places, stealing objects and historic relics for profit. The Time Warp Trio children are entrusted to find and return these stolen relics to their proper time. Mad Jack is an enjoyable cartoon villain: With the stereotyped long, twisty mustache, thick eyebrows and comical sneers, it's impossible to be very afraid of him. Joe tells his friends and great granddaughters that they must return the objects, or else "the time space continuum may fracture, causing an implosion of all matter, destroying everything we know. I will be SO grounded if that happens." How many TV shows for kids can talk about sci-fi matters like the space-time continuum, yet still be educational and based on historical facts? Not many. Time Warp Trio finds the right balance between being fun and entertaining, and educational as well.
The Educational Effects
A 6-year old wrote a 1st grade school report on Sacagawea, after becoming interested in the Lewis and Clark story line on an episode of Time Warp Trio. The educational effects are obvious, and long lasting. It makes a parent feel great to know that their children are watching a quality TV show like this one.
Time Warp Trio is based on the popular childrens book series by Jon Scieszka.
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