TRIAL AND ERROR CBEEBIES ON WITH TINPO

**This post is sponsored by UK.Mums TV**

A brand new series of Cbeebies Tinpo is about to launch in January!

We’re new to the world of Tinpo – a team of little inventors who roll around the colourful Tinpotown on the Tinpo Train [which strangely reminds me of a humvee cruising the town] waiting for little alerts to pop up across the town. The alerts signal that help is needed and the Team are constantly on the move, employing their unique and superbly creative problem-solving skills to make their friends happy and lives whole again.

There’s Tinpo [in charge of the team], Doug-Po [fond of the unexpected], Logi-Po [a perfectionist] and Hack-Po [looks at the big picture] in the team and their collective goal is to create a better, completely fun-filled lifestyle for the residents of Tinpotown. Through working together, talking, and trial and error, they find a solution that works for every situation.

So you’ve got to be wondering just how on earth, if it’s through trial and error, the Tinpo Team arent just constantly making construction site after construction site. Well, Tinpo has quite a handy gadget that seems to create interactive projections that can be altered and tweaked until ready to be made. One of our favourite episodes from the new series has some little cheeky ducklings who keep leaping from a rooftop for fun – potentially to their doom. The Tinpo Team are called by the owner of the house where the ducklings are, and they work together, swapping and building on each others’ ideas to find a solution that works for everyone – and to prevent any calamity taking place.

Although the main emphasis is on construction, it’s the putting forward of suggestions, the contributing as part of a team whilst appreciating the contribution that someone else can make instead of seeing it as a threat, the trial and error, out of the box thinking and perseverance which as a parent I’m happy to see being encouraged instead of an emphasis on simple, instant, personal success. The Tinpo team volunteer ideas and aren’t afraid of constructive criticism. They bring it up kindly with each other saying things like “What if we tried this…?”. Instead of “No, No, I think we should”… It’s all about positivity.

What stops the Cbeebies show Tinpo being overly preachy to children and turning them off, are Team Tinpo’s solutions – they aren’t always something that you could see working in real life [although I wish some of them really would], and sometimes you’re left thinking it’s all going to end up in disaster, but in the eyes of my boys they’re epic, fantastically fun and I’m absolutely sure this show will encourage more problem solving and bravery in class to put ideas forward – and less tears when instant success isn’t hit upon.

The episodes are only 7 minutes long – perfect for keeping preschoolers’ attention but long enough for an adventure. Don’t forget to tune in on January 28th on CBeebies – and join us [@keepupjonesfami] on January 29th with UK.MumsTV for a Twitter party!