OK, so I used to be one of those moms who felt guilty even turning the TV on at all. But now, I realize that a limited amount of TV can actually be good for kids. That's right. I'm just going to come out and say it. TV can be good for kids.

Let me illustrate my point with an example. My kids generally get to watch two shows a day on weekdays. On weekends we are usually too busy for the tube. Some days, they don't watch their shows at all. If they are really sick, though, I let them watch as much as they want!

Anyway, last week my 5-year-old chose to watch Cyberchase . In this particular episode, the characters had to figure out a code to use so that the bad guy couldn't understand their communications. My daughter thought that was so cool. So, I made her a decoder sheet by numbering the letters of the alphabet, and then I sent her a secret message. She spent the rest of the day decoding and writing messages. Since she had to read her messages and sound out the words to write her own, she got a hefty dose of all three Rs, and she had a blast doing it! Her second show for the day? She never even asked to watch it.

Lucky for us parents, it's the "in" thing in kids' television to be more educational in some new and different way. In order for that to happen, characters have to make learning fun, so many of these shows offer great ideas for play that is creative, fun, and educational.

• How much TV do your kids watch?
• Have you ever used TV shows to teach your children? (I can add show specific ideas to the "Expand Upon the Curriculum" section of my TV show reviews)

Learn more about the importance of your child's play at the Parenting Channel's Blog Carnival!