This past December my family and I were invited to come check out Sprout TV and we were surprised to find out that they film the Sunny Side Up Show right here in Philadelphia at the Comcast Center! Chica’s home might be The Sunshine Barn on Sprout Farm but Sprout Farm is in the city If you’re a parent you should know about Sprout. It is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers.

Sprout’s program lineup consists of more than 20 different gold-standard, curriculum-based children’s shows which air at various times throughout the day includes: Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney and Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas and Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Fifi and the Flowertots™, Super Why and more.

Sprout’s original programs include:

• Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle : Airs every weekday morning from 6a -9a
• The Sunny Side Up Show: Airs 7 days a week from 9a-Noon
• The Sprout Sharing Show: Airs every weekday afternoon from 3 – 6p
• The Good Night Show: Airs each night from 6-9p and repeats from 9-midnight for families in different time zones.
• Noodle and Doodle: Airs every weekend at 9a and 11:30a.

Hosts Dennisha from The Sunny Side Up Show, Nina from The Good Night Show and Chica!

We visited during The Sunny Side Up Show which is television’s only live preschool morning program filming LIVE 7 days a week from 9a - noon and it is quite an operation they have going on. Those at home may only see Chica and Kelly, Sean, Dennisha or Liz on the screen during the Sunny Side Up Show but behind the camera there’s a team of about 8 people working extra hard to make sure everything goes smoothly on the set since it’s live TV.

They do everything from controlling the camera as well as Chica to making sure your sproutlet’s submission of local weather reports, birthday cards, and artwork gets on air. Besides the team behind the camera they also have a team a few rooms down that does all the set decorations and props which I thought was pretty cool. They really take pride in what they do to bring our kids the best educational programming.

Sunny side Up Show Host - Sean Roach

Sprout is all about being interactive and connecting with your child. In addition to Sprout TV there’s SproutOnline.com where you can find info all all things Sprout as well as everything for preschoolers from coloring pages, games, videos to craft ideas and recipes. My favorite part of Sprout Online is the “Send to Chica“ section. There you can find how to send in a handmade birthday card for your child that they share on air. Not very crafty or short on time? You can also submit a birthday wish which includes a short message and picture that can air on the screen as quickly as 30 mins or you can nominate them for a Good Egg Award and more!

I always love seeing the creative cards parents make for their sproutlets for their birthdays so the first question I asked was “How do you decide which birthday card to share on air?” because I assume that they receive a ton from all over the country. I wanted to see how they decided what cards made it on. I would hate for you to spend time making a pretty card and it not make it on air. So here’s the scoop on how to make sure your card is eligible to air on Sprout:

• Must mail in at least 2 weeks ahead of time
• Remember it’s going to be on TV so make sure it’s BIG, BRIGHT and CLEAR to see and read. I recommend legal size paper (8.5×14″) or larger construction paper or card stock (avoid white, orange and pink paper as well as light-colored or very thin markers)
• Include a fun picture of your child (use 4×6 or larger)
• Include your favorite PBS Kids Sprout characters ONLY (So no Dora, Mickey or Spongebobs, they are not allowed to air them)

To find out more visit SproutOnline.com, “Like” Sprout on Facebook or Follow @SproutTV on Twitter!

Now tell me, what’s your favorite thing about Sprout?? We are big fans of winding down the end of the day with the Good Night Show I also love knowing that Sprout is always on.

Disclosure / Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal experience and opinion which may differ from yours. No monetary compensation was provided for this post.