Someone in the Forums recently mentioned how survival preparedness has gone mainstream (or at least it is on the radar screen, however briefly…perhaps until hurricane season is over).

Along those lines, a new Discovery Kids’ program called Flight 29 Down has posted a “Survival Manual” on the web at http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/29down/survivalmanual/survivalmanual.html

Flight 29 Down is described in the media as Lost for tweeners and teenagers (I had to ask my wife what on earth a tweener is). I encountered the program because my Cub Scout son likes Endurance on Saturday mornings and Flight 29 Down comes on right before it. My son connected with the program, I suppose, because one of the characters was a Boy Scout (experience they don’t treat very sympathetically << heavy sigh >>).

It’s not fair to compare TV fantasies with ETS, but they really could stand to hire Mr. Ritter as a consultant, and I sent a note to Discovery Kids to that effect. I guess that makes me an optimist.

Never herd that one before ... what is it?

It is the ages of 8/9 to 12. Its basically the beginning of "growing up". Yes, I know you grow up when you are younger, but at about 8, you start getting more exposure to the world and becoming more independent. Its the best time to teach kids the values of life and to be VERY involved. Otherwise, the teenage years will be all downhill.

"Tweens" is for kids "inbetween" childhood and being teenagers, considered by many to be a very important stage in a one's life (and I certainly wouldn't want to relive mine).

This new show reminds me somewhat of "The Voyage of the Mimi," which starred a very young Ben Affleck. The show was about science and nature, and in one episode they were shipwrecked and had to use survival skills. We saw it on LaserDisc when I was in fifth grade.