Despite the "slothful" reputations of sloths, KETC/Channel 9 and Snook from the PBS Kids series It's a Big Big World are helping to energize kids at the Normandy Early Childhood Kindergarten Complex in the Normandy Public School District.

In partnership with the Saint Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Gardens, KETC is using It's a Big Big World to help train parents and teachers on how they can use children's natural curiosity about nature and animals to develop a lifelong love of learning.

Each month from January—May 2007, KETC is conducting workshops incorporating the Learning Triangle methodology of viewing, doing and reading, transforming watching television from a passive activity into an active learning tool. By doing activities that relate to It's a Big Big World, children will learn about the world while having fun. For a sample activities you can do at home, click on Snook.

To celebrate Earth Day, KETC will have a "Built It!" family festival in May with a tree-planting ceremony at the school. The tree will serve as a reminder for parents, teachers and children of the joys of learning about and taking part in the world we live in.

See photos from KETC's February It's a Big Big World Workshop at Normandy Early Childhood Complex.