Wednesday, August 05, 2009

In the Night Garden




‘In the Night Garden’ is one of the programmes for young children produced by the BBC for their CBeebees productions. I came to know of, ‘In the Night Garden’, because my grandchildren watch the show and they have soft toys representing the cartoon characters featured in the stories. It’s a magical wonderland where the imagination can run riot. Both children and adults can be enthralled with the antics that the characters get up to while exploring and playing in a beautiful garden where there are lawns, trees, bushes, boulders and even a cave. The main characters are Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle who are friends. Others, such as Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos and the Pontipines play their parts in the action. There are plenty of jolly songs, funny noises, squeaks and whistles to enhance the colourful presentation, and while new stories unfold the youngsters learn basic phonetics and counting skills.
The official BBC web site for ‘In the Night Garden’* has plenty of interactive games that familiarise parents and children with the characters, and there are even a couple of scenes that can include webcam photos of those who take part in the interactive fun. I know, because I’ve seen myself riding in one of the carriages of a train-like vehicle called Ninky Nonk. I forgot to say there’s also a Zeppelin-type balloon that glides to and fro; I think its name is Pinky Ponk. You can even have a flight inside Pinky Ponk with Upsy Daisy while the airship rocks from side to side making you feel quite queasy.
Well, you can tell I’m amazed at what I’ve discovered, and now I can join more fully in the fun with my grandchildren as they play with their soft toys: Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and the Tombliboos. Don’t tell them, but I’ve recorded the songs of these characters on my mobile phone so that I can surprise my grandchildren when I next share with them.
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/inthenightgarden/

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