It’s that time of the year: back to teaching for me. I had a great holiday break with family at my place, and then a really productive two weeks of writing (offline!) Here’s a back-to-school ditty with some cuties who will put smiles on your faces. (It’s good to remember that even the most tuned-out seeming college student is someone’s child, and was once that six-year old mugging for the camera.)
Have a good week! I sure do miss the smell of that big ol’ box of 64. (And, am I a complete freak, or is Kids Place Live not the best satellite radio channel? I just might forgive the poor punctuation of its own name.)
Historiann 
Awesome. I was starting to feel impending dread for the semester coming up, but this is really a nice positive way to kick it all off. Thanks!
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XM Kids is early twentieth-century radio (national broadcast, appealing characters) and late twentieth-century children’s television (gently didactic but in a hip, zippy, energetic package) for the digital age. The Animal Farm, in particular, is wonderfully entertaining sketch comedy though not politically correct. I know many adults who enjoy Kids Place Live/XM Kids.
I am surprised you have not commented on the lyrics to Jonathan Coulton’s “The Princess Who Saved Herself”. . .
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I find that tune pretty cloying myself, Hist/Admin. I prefer the really stupid songs like “Catboy” by Pencilhead and the Playground Punks. Or, of course, “Electric Car” by TMBG.
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Thanks for that! Makes me feel very happy as I put the finishing touches on my syllabus and meet my students tomorrow!
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We needed some fluff. I was thinking, re the 64-box, that the sense of smell doesn’t necessarily fade with time, but it seems to become a smaller and smaller part of the sensory toolkit by which we organize our apprehension of the universe. Or, maybe not…
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Glad you liked it! I’m considering buying a box of 64 just to keep on my desk to sniff occasionally. Mmmmmnnnn. . .
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Love me some XM kids. Don’t touch the Llama! It has the right mix of appealing to adults and kids simultaneously. If you can do the internet radio thing, WXPN does Kids’ Corner from 7-8 pm ET. It’s absolutely brilliant (and you get some acts that for some reason don’t make the cut on XM such as Bubboon and Bubbles).
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I used to listen to ‘XPN’s Kids’ Corner back in grad school, ca. 1990-93. I think they played “Star Trekkin'” every. single. night.
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