SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: July 13, 2020
This week, KLRN Public Television premieres Camp TV, a new one-hour public television series from The WNET Group that brings the day camp experience to children nationwide.
Providing ideas for fun activities to kids who can’t go to camp this summer, Camp TV is hosted by a head counselor played by Zachary Noah Piser, a Broadway performer (“Dear Evan Hansen,” “Wicked”) who guides campers as they learn through play.
KLRN was one of 10 PBS stations selected to produce and contribute local content to this nationally distributed series. The San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology, The DoSeum, San Antonio Public Library and Dinosaur George will be featured in this series. We are proud to feature these San Antonio organizations alongside many others that are doing great work for kids coast-to-coast. Broadcast dates for the San Antonio features are currently TBD.
“Camp TV is a very special program that inspires our children’s curiosity about our world—even if they can’t get out and explore it on their own. It gives life and opportunity to kids at a time when it’s most needed,” said Arthur Emerson, KLRN President and CEO. “We are proud to be able to shine the spotlight on many of our local community organizations and share their stories.”
“Public media stations have stepped forward to fill gaps in creative ways to help children learning at home during the pandemic,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “CPB is proud to support this public media effort, which brings the camp experience to children sheltering at home, while also helping to prevent a ‘summer slide’ in student learning.”
Head counselor Zach kicks off each episode with a welcome song and announces the day’s theme: silly hat day, camping day, rhyme day, silly sock day, backwards day and more. Zach then guides campers through a variety of activities — exploring nature, math, science, the arts, movement, storytelling, writing and more. For example, kids will learn about surface tension while making bouncing bubbles and discover shapes while creating a flying origami star. They will learn how to do magic tricks, turn sneakers into tap shoes, create an oboe from a straw and make guacamole. They will meet all kinds of animals, from a playful bearcat to chickens who like classical music. Every episode also includes a storytelling segment that features a different book of the day.
Confirmed Camp TV content partners include Bedtime Math, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Chamber Music Society, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Franklin Institute, Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, Let’s Learn NYC!, Liberty Science Center, Lincoln Center , Macmillan, Memphis Zoo, National Dance Institute, New Victory Theater, New York Botanical Garden, New York Public Library, New York Road Runners, Playworks, ReadWorks, Story Pirates, and Wildlife Conservation Society. Additional content is provided by teachers who participated in The WNET Group’s NJTV Learning Live series.
Watch a preview of Camp TV here.
Major funding for Camp TV is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by Joan Ganz Cooney. Local support for Camp TV is provided by Basis San Antonio Northeast.
ABOUT KLRN
KLRN is the Emmy-Award winning public television station for South Central Texas broadcasting to a 33-county radius from Laredo, through San Antonio and up to Hill Country. The mission of KLRN is to open a world of lifelong learning through trustworthy and enriching programs on-air, online and in our community. Through four broadcast channels, community screening events and discussions, and a robust educational department that reaches children, families and teachers, KLRN is committed to being a community entity that informs, entertains and inspires our diverse and growing communities. Learn more at www.klrn.org.