PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND (July 14, 2020) – Children longing for that summer camp experience can find the next best thing in Camp TV weekdays at 10 a.m. on Rhode Island PBS.

Public television stations across the country are working together to create this unique one-hour public television series that brings the day camp experience to children nationwide for the next five weeks, through Friday, August 7.

Providing ideas for fun activities to children who cannot go to camp this summer, Camp TV is hosted by a head counselor played by Zachary Noah Piser, a Broadway performer (“Dear Evan Hansen,” “Wicked”) who guides campers as they learn through play.

Show creators hope to bring some of the magic, learning, and fun of summer camp through Camp TV. Public media stations have stepped forward to fill gaps in creative ways to help children learning at home during the pandemic. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Camp TV brings the camp experience to children sheltering at home, while also helping to prevent a ‘summer slide’ in student learning.

Head counselor Zach kicks off each episode with a welcome song and announces the day’s theme: Silly Hat Day, Camping Day, Rhyme Day, Silly Sock Day, Backwards Day, and more. Zach then guides campers through a variety of activities — exploring nature, math, science, the arts, movement, storytelling, writing, and more.

Kids will learn about surface tension while making bouncing bubbles, and discover shapes while creating a flying origami star. Children will learn how to do magic tricks, turn sneakers into tap shoes, create an oboe from a straw, and make guacamole.

They will meet all kinds of animals, too, from a playful bearcat to chickens who like classical music. Every episode also includes a storytelling segment that features a different book of the day.

Locally, Rhode Island PBS will produce three segments for the series with project partners Roger Williams Park Zoo and Save The Bay. Special Delivery visits Roger Williams Park Zoo’s newborn baby sloth and newborn binturong triplets and explores the special care involved in raising newborn animals at the zoo. A second segment visits the Save the Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium and their ongoing educational mission to connect youth to marine science. Another segment researches environmental and coastline care in the Ocean State.

Confirmed national Camp TV content partners include Bedtime Math, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Chamber Music Society, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Franklin Institute, Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, Let’s Learn NYC!, Liberty Science Center, Lincoln Center, Macmillan, Memphis Zoo, National Dance Institute, New Victory Theater, New York Botanical Garden, New York Public Library, New York Road Runners, Playworks, ReadWorks, Story Pirates, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS broadcasts over the air on digital 36.1, Cox 08/1008HD | Verizon FiOS 08/508HD | Full Channel 08 | Comcast 819HD | Verizon FiOS 18/518HD in MA | DirecTV 36 | Dish Network 36. The series also streams online at 10 a.m. on ripbs.org/stream.

Camp TV is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET. The program is distributed nationally by The WNET Group. Sandra Sheppard is executive producer. Melinda Toporoff is series producer and writer. Kevin Di Salvo is coordinating producer. Maria Stoian is producer.

Major funding for Camp TV is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by Joan Ganz Cooney.