A Day In Nanalan'
Each day Mona is quickly bathed, dressed, fed, shuffled out the door and packed in Mom's car - which is often a little hectic and most certainly confusing. But once she arrives at Nana's house, Mona is filled with the awesome delight of Nana's kitschy wonderland. Bee's are buzzin', the flowers are in bloom and there are amazing things to discover in every nook and cranny.
First things first. Mona gets some fresh air in the backyard playing with Russell, playing with bugs or perhaps watching a hummingbird drink from a feeder. There are flowers to smell, worms to touch, and chipmunks to talk with, and soon Mona is set on her path to a new discovery. It's not long before something else catches her attention and at this point it's usually...
Mr. Wooka! He always has something fun to share mostly in the form of a homemade puppet show. Nana, Mona and Russell are always appreciative and it's always the perfect fit for whatever Mona is exploring that day.
Inspired by the puppet show, it's time for Mona and Russell to get back to the yard to finish exploring Mona' s new discovery, often just in time for Nana to hustle them inside for lunch.
It's always a surprise what Nana has prepared. Some are delicious, like homemade jelly sandwiches and others are revolting, like Nana's green pea jellied salad (which is way more fun to play with that eat). Sometimes Mona helps Nana make the feast, and sometimes they order pizza, but whatever lunch is , you can bet that Russell is nearby waiting to steal it off the plate.
After lunch, it's time to burn some calories exploring a new discovery in Nana's living room. It's the perfect place to build a fort out of cushions, or perhaps to crawl under the couch to surprise Russell or maybe have a chat with Nana's ceramic pink dolphin statue. It's a great place to snuggle quietly on the couch or have a boisterous sing-a-long with Nana and her electric organ. It's definitely the best place to sit on Nana's knee in the story chair for storytime.
The story is perfectly suited to Mona's day of exploring and Nana always takes time to admire the pictures. After the story there's still time to finish exploring her new discovery before...
Ding Dong!
Mom comes to pick Mona up. After some hugs, kisses and goodbyes to Nana and Russell it's time to get back in the car. It may be a little sad to see her go but we know that tomorrow she'll be back for another day in Nanalan'.
The Show
A Nanalan' half-hour follows Mona through a full day in Nanalan' as she moves smoothly from moment to moment as they unfold. The episodes are structured around an underlying theme (i.e.; patience, freedom, belonging, communication etc...), which smoothly carries from scene to scene. The 24 minutes allow us to carefully plot the discoveries of the theme and, more importantly, to explore different aspects of it. It gives us the time to build the idea and tell a well-rounded story at a preschooler's pace, to really take the time to enjoy each exciting moment. Preschoolers have all the time in the world to make the most out of everything, which is something we take literally.