Canada gets a D- in overall physical activity - most Canadian kids don't get 60 minutes a dayi
Only 15% of 3 to 4-year-olds and 5% of 5-year-olds are meeting the Canadian physical activity and sedentary behavior guidelinesii
Young children spend an average of 50% of their waking time in sedentary activitiesiii
TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2014 /CNW/ - With Canada lagging globally when it comes to meeting guidelines for kids' overall physical activity and limiting sedentary behavior, Kids' CBC aims to inspire healthy change in the way Canadian children and their families move through their daily lives with The Moblees (30 x 11-minutes), a new live-action interactive musical adventure series for kids aged 3 – 5 years. Integrating a holistic approach to healthy active living, including non-sedentary behaviors, physical activity and nutrition, The Moblees airs on CBC Monday to Friday at 8 a.m. (8:30 NT) beginning on December 22.
"The Moblees is a great addition to the Kids' CBC family," said Kim Wilson, creative head of children's and youth programming, CBC. "It's all about empowering kids to live a healthy, active lifestyle, which is a key element of our Whole Child strategy."
"Using a television program as a strategy to reduce the sedentary behaviour of young children seems paradoxical," confesses Professor Mark Tremblay, Director of the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, "however, The Moblees is designed to condition and guide young children and their families to recalibrate their lifestyle to one where fun, creative, lifestyle-embedded movements are normal, spontaneous, frequent, desired and rewarded."
Featuring fun moves, memorable music and catchy lyrics, The Moblees turns home viewers into home do-ers by getting them off the floor and into the action through direct-to-camera address and playful participation. The series stars five loveable characters who – along with do-ers at home - overcome obstacles through teamwork and movement: feisty Bailey Butterfly (Shannon Hamilton); her spontaneous younger brother, Carlin Caterpillar (Scott Farley); brainy perfectionist Gisbert Grasshopper (Chris George); tail-waggity optimist Dasha Dog (Michelle Bouey); and super smooth Sylvio Snake (Matt Nethersole). Kids from around the world also share their own Moblee moves in the series.
Each episode features a movement-centric, song-driven adventure that culminates in the awarding of a Moblee Medal, rewarding preschoolers' newfound expertise in doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways with movement. Boasting an infectious blend of original world music, The Moblees' imaginative journeys provide transformative experiences where children and their families are encouraged to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
As a multiplatform "MOVEMENT Movement," The Moblees will extend the experience beyond the television screen to include online activities for kids at kidscbc.ca/moblees (starting on Dec 22) and healthy tips and recipes for parents and caregivers at cbc.ca/parents (starting on Dec 22) as well as outreach appearances in Canada. The Moblees and Kids' CBC will also partner with ParticipACTION to share information and explore additional outreach opportunities through the organization's network of 3,400 community organizations across the country.
The series' curriculum is advised by a team of esteemed experts including Kids' CBC Developmental Psychologist Dr. Lynn Oldershaw; Dr. Mark Tremblay, Chief Advisor for non-sedentary behaviors and physical activity, Director of Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research (HALO) at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa; Dr. James Mandigo, Professor and Interim Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University and co-founder of Brock's Centre for Healthy Development; and Mary Savoye-DeSanti, RD, CD-N, CDE, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and Associate Director of Pediatric Obesity at Yale University, School of Medicine.
The Moblees originated and continues as a live family show that is performed in Canada, the United States and around the world. Recent engagements include the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver and the U.S. White House Easter Egg Roll.
Filmed in Halifax in the summer of 2014, The Moblees is produced by Boulevard and Shaftesbury in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ohmland Holdings and William Kohane, and is based on the theatrical production "The Ohmies" by Laurie Miller and Benjamin Tollefson. The series is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Joanna Webb, Katrina Walsh, Seth A. Goldstein, Amy Sprecher, Benjamin Tollefson, Laurie Miller and William Kohane, with Teresa Ho serving as producer.
The Moblees is produced with the participation of The Canada Media Fund, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia through The East Link TV Independent Production Fund and the Government of Ontario Film and Television Tax Credits; and with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund, and the assistance of the Nova Scotia Film Industry Tax Credit. Shaftesbury holds all sales rights for the television series outside of Canada.
About Kids' CBC
Kids' CBC celebrates and empowers Canadian children and families by giving them a voice, and creating smart, forward-thinking content that promotes children's well-being and development. Our educational mandate is to create shows that are not only age-appropriate, but also actively promotes healthy child development in all areas - cognitive, social, creative, emotional and physical. In addition to our award-winning Kids' CBC interstitial content (which specifically targets the five main areas of development), the programs in our lineup, both on air and online, have been carefully selected to reflect a balance of a child's core developmental needs. Kids' CBC programs are available in the morning on CBC TV, and online at Kids' CBC 1 and Kids' CBC 2, the free TV for Me streaming app for iPad, and at YouTube.com/KidsCBC. The CBC Parents website extends the Kids' CBC experience by empowering parents and caregivers to implement the whole child strategy in their every day life with crafts, activities and helpful information.
About Boulevard
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Boulevard specializes in children's television production. The owner, Katrina Walsh, executive producer, has been involved in this industry for two decades and has a proven track record of producing high quality award-winning television for children. Series produced include Poko (awards: Gemini – Best Preschool Series; YMA Best Children's Series; Shaw Rocket Prize), Lunar Jim, Bo On The Go, Animal Mechanicals, The Mighty Jungle (YMA Best overall series and Special Jury Award), Canada's Super Speller (awards: Gemini – Best Children's and Youth Non-fiction) and Monster Math Squad.
About Shaftesbury
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an innovative creator and distributor of original content. Sold in 120 countries, Shaftesbury's slate includes five seasons of The Listener for CTV, Fox International Channels, Shine International and ION; eight seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV and ITV Studios Global Entertainment; and new preschool series The Moblees for Kids' CBC. Shaftesbury's digital media studio, Smokebomb Entertainment, creates original digital content including the hit YouTube series Carmilla; comedy series Backpackers for The CW and CTV Extend; and 3D sci-fi series State of Syn for Hulu and Google Glass. Shaftesbury recently launched shift2, an innovative agency that targets Generation C on YouTube. Visit us online at http://www.shaftesbury.ca and http://www.smokebomb.ca.
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i Active Healthy Kids Canada (2014). Is Canada in the Running? The 2014 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: Active Healthy Kids Canada. http://bit.ly/1j4bH4n
ii Ibid
iii Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Clarke J, Tremblay MS. Physical activity of Canadian children and youth: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Reports 22(1):15-24, 2011; Colley RC, Garriguet D, Adamo KB, Carson V, Janssen I, Timmons BW, Tremblay MS. Physical activity and sedentary behavior during the early years in Canada: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 10(54):1-11, 2013.
Image with caption: "The Moblees (30 x 11-minutes) is a new Kids' CBC musical adventure series that gets kids aged 3-5 up and moving, produced by Boulevard and Shaftesbury in association with CBC. The Moblees are (left to right): Matt Nethersole ('Silvio Snake'), Chris George ('Gisbert Grasshopper'), Michelle Bouey ('Dasha Dog'), Scott Farley ('Carlin Caterpillar') and Shannon Hamilton ('Bailey Butterfly'). Photo Credit: Chris Reardon for Boulevard & Shaftesbury (CNW Group/Shaftesbury)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141210_C8056_PHOTO_EN_9312.jpg
Image with caption: "Kids' CBC (CNW Group/Shaftesbury)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141210_C8056_PHOTO_EN_9313.jpg
Image with caption: "The Moblees (CNW Group/Shaftesbury)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141210_C8056_PHOTO_EN_9314.jpg
Image with caption: "Shaftesbury (CNW Group/Shaftesbury)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141210_C8056_PHOTO_EN_9315.jpg
SOURCE: Shaftesbury
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