Television for toddlers gets a bad rap. It stifles the development of imagination, some argue. It hinders language development, say others. But I’m here to say Dora the Explorer, in particular, has taught my son some valuable life lessons. To wit:
- If someone is stuck in a tree, the best way to handle it is to dig in your backpack for a net. Wait to do this until the person/animal is about to fall, then catch them deftly in the net’s super-strong strings.
- The trick to getting anything to open — door, gate, treasure chest, etc. — is saying the Spanish word “abre.”
- When you’re trying to avoid Swiper the Fox (an everyday occurrence, of course), if Dora has enough time to tell you what steps to take (“say, ‘Swiper, no swiping!’), you’ll definitely have time to follow her directions while the fox tiptoes towards you, bit by bit. And, yes, repeated verbal requests to the bad guys always work — no need to call police, or anything.
- If you don’t have time to take evasive measures, no worries. Swiper never throws the objects he swipes very far away.
- A map can help you find things even if you don’t know where they are.
- more to come….
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