TVOKids
Programming blocks
The Space
The Space (formerly known as '"The Crawlspace"') is the name of the after-school programing block. The space airs non-stop episodes of shows with a host block in between each episode, varying in length. The Crawlspace launched on April 1, 1994, and was originally hosted by Patty Sullivan and Kevin Brauch. The Space currently airs Monday to Friday, 3:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST and on Saturday and Sunday, 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST. The Space is currently hosted by Kara Harun, Drew Dafoe, and Dalmar.
Gisèle's Big Backyard
TVOKids' Preschool Block, Gisele's Big Backyard (formerly known as "The Nook"), is hosted solely by Gisele Corinthios, where she is often joined by her puppet friends Sticks the Squirrel (Jason Hopley), Jay the Blue Jay (Ali Eisner), Melvin the Skunk (Marty Stelnick), This (Ryan Field), That (Frank Meschkuleit), and Polkaroo. Gisèle's Big Backyard airs Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m EST.
Programming
Some of the programs on TVOKids are produced in-house by TVOntario, and are based on Ontario's educational curriculum. Each program is approximately 3-4 minutes per episode.
- Super Citizens - A comedic live action show about a group of superheros that promote good citizenship. The Super Citizens are EnviroGirl (Nicole Stamp), Professor Atlas (Milton Barnes), Atomic Guy (Mark Sykes), FlyGirl (Julie Patterson), NiftyGirl (Jackie English), and the Blue Brain (Ryan Field).
- EnviroGirl - A series promoting energy conservation, starring idealistic superhero EnviroGirl (portrayed by Nicole Stamp).
- The Royals - A queen of hearts and her jester explore good manners and games.
- The Bod Squad / BOD TV - Spoofs of popular television shows and movies, and starring the TVOKids hosts, these short episodes humorously promote healthy eating.
- The Bodies - A series promoting healthy eating using characters who live inside a computer program.
- The Reading Rangers - A Western-style series promoting literacy.
- Artbot - Meet adult artists who explain visual art concepts such as line, colour, and composition. The robot Artbot is portrayed by Jackie English.
- Tumbletown Tales - A series performed by small live rodents (using the TVOKids hosts as voice talent). The star of the series is Tumbleweed the Hamster (voiced by Phil McCordic); the learning objective is real-world application of mathematical concepts.
- Tumbletown Reads - Tumbleweed works for a newspaper while teaching children writing skills.
- Time Trackers - A series converging the broadcast and web aspects of TVOKids to teach Canadian history in a humorous and interactive way.
- Space Trek - Explore the solar system and beyond with host Captain Kent (Mark Sykes).
- Dino Dig - Paleontologist character Alberta Rex (Jackie English) hosts this informational show on dinosaurs.
- Critter Corner - Host Jackie English explores the animal kingdom.
- Mark's Moments - Host Mark Sykes interviews kids with disabilities to learn about their lives.
Tumbleweed
For many years, The Crawlspace had a hamster named Tumbleweed, who served as their ongoing mascot. Tumbleweed took a real hamster's form on the host set until 2003, when he "left to explore the world" with Phil McCordic. He then took a cartoon form.