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Sci-Fi: which should come first?
My fiancee and I have been talking about kids as our wedding
approaches, and I'm debating which SciFi should be introduced to our
kids first. I'm positive that Star Trek can't come first. It's too
intricate a universe for most kids to fully appreciate. I'm leaning
towards Doctor Who, since I believe it was designed as a children's
program in the UK.
Now, my fiancee is a kindergarten teacher, so presumably she knows a
lot about child development. However, she's not much of a sci-fi fan,
so I'm not sure how skewed her opinion is. She says that me reading the
BBC Books Doctor Who stories to our kids when they're five-ish is too
much. She says they won't "get it". To me, I think Doctor Who is the
simplest of the sci-fi TV shows. There isn't even a greater depth to
it, underneath the simpler story (like Star Wars has).
Thoughts?
Expanding the imagination
I have a 1 1/2 year old. And I myself work with kids (k-6) I personally think stories with as much imagination as sci has there idea that will take hold in your childs imagination where they will grow there own ideas around it. I know it was that way for me. I had some many ideas around star wars growing up even though I didn't grasp the entire story it was still amazing. Hence every night i read my son the never ending story and next will be some twain and then stardust. And as he gets older we will revisit the things i read and hopefully he will gain new insight.
Read first!
As a sci-fi (and real sci) nerd myself, I would recommend starting with books, not T.V. There are oodles of great scifi and fantasy books for every developmental level, and reading books will expand the imagination more than any show/movie will. You can even start by reading to them at bedtime, or if you are feeling up to it, making up your own stories, customized to what your little starfarer likes.
That being said, when looking for a show, you want something that will hold a kids attention. Lots of adults talking may be just boring. On the other hand, even something with a large complicated arc may be enjoyable to the kids, even if they can't fully appreciate it. Also, Doctor Who can be quite scary to little kids. The BBC's DW website has a "fear factor' rating of every new episode, where a family of kids (6-14) rate each episode for scariness.
(Disclaimer- my first isn't due until next month, so I have no experience, just stating my mind).
As a fan of all three I think...
As a fan of all three I think the answer is more complicated. I think the original Star Trek TV series would be a fine place to start. Or the newer Star Wars films (Eps 1,2, &3) would also work. The new series of Doctor Who may be a bit much and with the older ones it may be difficult to keep your child's attention. But I think once your child is at the age of 9 or so he/she would be plenty capable of following any of these universes.
Tom Swift?
I've never read them, but my dad still has his entire collection of the "Jr" series. The most recent series (2006/2007) may fit your needs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift
Good luck!
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