The Octonauts are a team of underwater explorers who have taken the pre-school world by storm with their fun catch-phrases, quirky personalities and brave adventures. Explore, Rescue, Protect! Anyone?

Because I try to limit the amount of TV Bliss watches, I am also careful about which shows she sees and I’ve been really impressed by this show. This is a good thing because, as I’ve mentioned before, Bliss is a devoted fan of the Octonauts!

Here are 5 reasons I think The Octonauts make great TV for kids…

1. I Bliss learns stuff! I have learnt a ton about sea life and Bliss has too – I’m always impressed by the way they integrate the non-fiction elements into the story in a way that’s fun and engaging.

2. It fosters imaginative play. Bliss can play “Octonauts” for hours and hours and though her characters have the same names as the ones in the show, the way she develops their personalities is a world apart. I love watching her explore her imagination and make up a whole world that she is so wonderfully captured by.

3. There’s no bad guy. I love that everyone works together, making their own unique contribution without it being saccharine.

4. Following on from the above point, there’s a great lesson in empathy that runs through each episode – with the characters having to see the world from someone else’s perspective. I love that!

5. The length! Each episode runs for around 11-13minutes. It’s enough time for me to get a load of washing on the line, or make a quick phone call without the episode finishing in the middle of it. It’s also easy to you can watch x number of episodes and then the TV goes off.

If you’ve never seen an episode before you can catch them on the ABC4Kids website here: The Octonauts or you can enter to win one of 3 new release DVDs of “To The Gups” below.

First prize is a copy of The Octonauts: To the Gups, Bananas in Pjamas: The Majic Trick (not yet released but will be available instore from Dec 1)  and Yo-Gabba-Gabba (not yet released but will be available instore from Dec 1) . Total RRP $60

Second prize is a copy of The Octonauts: To the Gups RRP $19.99

Third prize is a copy of The Octonauts: To the Gups RRP $19.99

To enter please leave a comment below telling me about the favourite kids TV show in your household. The winners will be drawn after 5pm on Sunday 11th December.

Winners must have an Australian delivery address.

Incoming search terms:

• ra ra the noisy lion cake
• ra ra the noisy lion birthday cake
• rara the lion cake
• rara the noisy lion cake
• octonauts pajamas

If it were Bliss’ birthday party next weekend we would be having an Octonauts party. To say that she is obsessed with the little animals who live in the sea doesn’t even really begin to convey the level of her love for these little creatures.

Thankfully it’s not her birthday because there is no way I have the talent of other mothers…ones who can create cakes like this

{source}

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting The Octonauts, let me introduce you

The Octonauts are a band of underwater explorers who look after the sea life and rescue animals in trouble. Squigglemum has written a great post about what makes the Octonauts awesome, and I echo her sentiments. I particularly like that non-fiction elements and know that I have certainly learnt a thing or two from the show! I also love the motto Explore! Rescue! Protect! and the focus on helping others in need, responding with compassion and being understanding towards those things and creatures that might seem scary or confusing at first.

We role play The Octonauts every single day in our house with Bliss loving it when I read her stories “from my mouth”, that is – make up new adventures that involve her and Bear in the story. It’s mostly pretty cute and of all the shows she could have fixated on, I’m OK with it being this one.

Do the Octonauts live at your house too? If you’d like to make them feel more at home you can leave a comment below and enter to win one of three prizes.

1st prize: Octonauts DVD plus the three Octonaut books: The Octonauts and the Crab Decorator, The Octonauts and the Giant Squid, The Octonauts and the Whale Shark (total value RRP $58.80)

Two runners up with receive a copy of the Octonauts DVD (RRP $19.95)

For your chance to win one of three prizes leave a comment on this post. As usual, you don’t have to tweet or share on Facebook but it’d be nice if you wanted to.

If you aren’t a parent to young children then this is still a great giveaway for you too, with Christmas round the corner this DVD would make a little person in your life very happy indeed!

I will announce the winners on Sunday 23rd October sometime after 5pm.

This competition is now closed and the winners were James, Di and The Crafty Mummy

The Octonauts DVD is available now in-store and can also be purchased online at the ABC shop.

I received a media pack of the Octonauts which included a DVD, book and swim bag. I am running this post because Bliss is absolutely obsessed with the Octonauts, I have not been paid for this post.

Incoming search terms:

• octonauts cake
• octonauts
• octonauts party supplies
• octonauts party supplies australia
• octonaut party supplies