If you visit the TV, eh? website instead of reading through feeds, you’ll notice something a little different around here. The fabulous-to-work-with Gystworks came up with a cleaner, streamlined design. We’re still tweaking some things, like the menu and sidebars, but please let me know what you think and any suggestions for layout improvements.

I also recently switched web hosts from Hostpapa (“we proudly offer 6 kb/s downloads”) to 1&1, so things should be speedier around here, especially podcast downloads.

From a media release:

PRESCHOOL TV SERIES LAUNCHING SEASON 3, INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, MOBILE APP

• Tiga Talk! Returns With More Tools For Teaching Aboriginal Languages To Kids

The popular preschool series Tiga Talk! will ring in the New Year with the premiere of a new season on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), a brand new interactive website, and an iPhone application:

• Tiga Talk! Season 3 Begins January 6, 2011
• Airs Thursday mornings on APTN (check local listings for time)
• Interactive Website Launches December 8, 2010 www.tigatalk.com
• IPhone App Launches January 6, 2011 www.tigatalk.com and the ITunes Store

Tiga Talk! entertains kids while teaching both Aboriginal and English language skills during the preschool years – an integral stage in development. By watching the series, children can learn how to make language sounds more easily, and have fun doing it! The addition of an interactive website and iPhone application provide even greater learning opportunities, offering games, crafts and videos that give children and their families the chance to explore and learn together.

ABOUT TIGA TALK!

With Aboriginal languages being lost across Canada, Tiga Talk! was created to help teach language skills to preschoolers, while building confidence and instilling imagination in young minds. Targeted at all children (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) aged 3-6, Tiga Talk! is a gentle, entertaining series that has fun exploring languages and culture. It combines live action with a magic puppet world, and features music and imaginary play.

Tiga Talk! is centered around three stuffed toys – Tiga the wolf cub, Gertie the gopher, and Gavin the goose – who live with human friends Jodie and Jason, their father, and Kokum (“grandmother” in Cree). Jodie and Jason have a secret. When there aren’t any adults around, their stuffed toys come alive as talking puppets. Through their interactions and adventures, the puppets and kids learn about traditional practices and languages of various Aboriginal cultures in imaginative ways.

Tiga Talk! not only captivates and entertains its preschool audience, but also creates an ear for Aboriginal language, and encourages an excitement for learning about traditions and culture during those very important early years.

THE NEW SEASON

Season 3 of Tiga Talk! builds upon the strengths of the first two seasons, with exciting new additions that previous viewers will be pleased to discover, and first-time audiences will enjoy:

New Family – Season 3 welcomes Jason and Jodie’s dad, a character not seen in the first two seasons. Dad takes the kids on various field trips, from visiting a music recording studio, to a petting zoo, to the museum.

New Friends – In addition to the puppets from Season 1 and 2, Jason and Jodie now have four new friends to play with: Jack, Alice, Kyle and Tessa. These friends come over to visit, play games, and do various activities in the backyard.

New Sets – The majority of the show used to take place in Jodie and Jason’s bedroom at Kokum’s place, and at Tiga and Gertie’s indoor dens. In Season 3, the bedroom has been replaced with a larger set in Kokum’s backyard that includes a pond for Gavin, an underground tunnel for Gertie, and an outdoor den for Tiga.

New Segments – Two new segments are being introduced in Season 3: ‘Get Moving’, a segment that allows viewers to follow along to exercises with a song performed by the puppets; and ‘Things We Love to Do’, which shows kids doing different kinds of fun activities that fit with the theme of each episode.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Tiga Talk! was developed by an award-winning children’s television producer, an early childhood educator and a speech pathologist. Irene Green is producer and writer for the series, and also plays the role of ‘Kokum’. Singer/songwriter/actor Art Napoleon plays ‘Dad’, eight-year-old Kate-La Faith Hanuse returns as ‘Jodie’, and seven-year-old Gabriel Paul once again takes on the role of ‘Jason’.

Tiga Talk! is produced by Tiga Talk Season 3 Inc. Hilary Pryor wears multiple hats as executive producer, producer, writer and director, Peter Strutt is executive producer, and Vanessa Loewen is associate producer.