The Friday Zone: Recent Episodes
WTIU-TV
The Friday Zone is a weekly television program for children on WTIU (the public television station for South Central Indiana). The Friday Zone offers kids and families an entertaining and educational half our of PBS quality television. The Zone is unique in Indiana- featuring performances and appearances by guest from right here in our community. We also feature events, activities, games, crafts and ideas for family fun, exploration and entertainment. The Zone is about starting your weekend right!
Meet a young author who has been writing stories to raise money for charity and learn where he got his inspiration for his characters. A story from a winner of the PBS Kids Writers Contest.
“Kidz Rock” with Twinkle Time on The Friday Zone Playlist. Terre Haute students perform at a concert. The Bearded Chef whips up a vegan pizza. ComedySportz Indy presents a symphony of animals.
ComedySportz Indy comes to The Friday Zone to make up silly stories with a group of creative kids. Showmanship sells an amazing Stuntology trick that you can try at home. A story from a winner of the PBS Kids Writers Contest.
Stylin’ comes to The Friday Zone over-the-air and online. The kindie-rockin’ jam band The 123s hosts a dance party. Felix finds out why some kids wear glasses. Learn a simple magic trick using a hairband that will amaze your friends!
The Atomic Sharks teaches kids the basics of the ukulele and then share the stage in a performance of island music. Kids get the beat on a Field Trip to the Rhythm Discovery Center. Small Talk takes a microscopic look at an iPod screen.
Learn all about fireplace safety with experts from the Chimney Safety Institute of America. See how a chimney gets cleaned alongside a real chimney sweep. The Bearded Chef takes us outside to cook over a campfire.
The WonderLab Museum demonstrates the mind-boggling properties of magnets. Get bricking with a trip to the LEGO KidsFest in Indianapolis. The Bearded Chef cooks up some quinoa. Learn a math trick you can use on your friends.
The amazing kindie-rock jam band The 123s stop in for a bedtime dance party. Felix learns the importance of dietary fiber. Head into the night to hunt for amphibians. The Bearded Chef cooks up homemade brownies.
The Terre Haute Children’s Museum brings the science of motion to The Friday Zone with some cool demonstrations. A trip to a car seat manufacturing and testing facility. The Bearded Chef cooks up home-made oven fries.
Fuzzy critters are the theme of this week’s episode! We’ll put together a furry craft that you can make at home. Small talk gets a close-up look at the parts of a feather. Meet a skateboarding bulldog. A simple magic trick using a hairband.
Get cooking with a foodie-fun adventure as a special guest serves up a tasty treat. An amazing water glass stunt that you can try at home. Small Talk takes a microscopic look at spaghetti noodles. Felix gets a lesson in good hygiene.
The WonderLab Children’s Museum shares superhero science. Discover how science can give you amazing strength, enhanced vision, and the power to move objects without touching them! Plus the continuing adventures of Martin and the Alien Mice.
Learn all about Pluto and the latest discoveries made by NASA’s New Horizons mission. Take a ride on Holiday World’s newest roller coaster, Thunderbird! Felix gets tips on how to cure hiccups. Small Talk takes an up-close look at a bicycle tire.
ComedySportz Indy brings their own brand of improv comedy to The Friday Zone. Take a Field Trip to the Indianapolis Zoo to meet a walrus that can paint. The Bearded Chef creates a colorful treat. The continuing adventures of Martin and the Alien Mice.
Brad Tassell is back with a group of costumed friends to share some Halloween jokes and poems. A Field Trip to one of the most haunted places in all of Indiana. The Bearded Chef brews up a batch of apple cider. Martin and the Alien Mice premieres.
Get fired up with a visit from the Perry Clear-Creek Fire Department as we talk about a career in firefighting. A visit to a factory. The Bearded Chef makes fruitsicles with real fruit!
Go underwater with a song from Recess Monkey on The Friday Zone Playlist. See how kids build and control underwater robots with the SeaPearch Robotics Team. The Bearded Chef mixes up a batch of homemade hot chocolate.
Learn all about orangutans with a Field Trip to the Indianapolis Zoo! We’re not monkeying around! Small Talk takes a close-up look at dog hair and The Bearded Chef cooks up a batch of baba ghanoush.
Let’s get outside! Felix learns about the importance of sunscreen. Enjoy a popular campfire snack with The Bearded Chef. A Field Trip to the Angel Mounds State Historic Site in Evansville.
Things get really creative as we show off all sorts of artistic expression! Learn how to make a painting in a new and fun way. Get your waltz on with a ballroom dancing lesson. Kids perform music at a special concert at Indiana State University.
The Atomic Sharks share a song and a lesson about sharks. Kids catch fish and fry them up for a tasty meal. A silly squirting stunt you can try at home. Plus The Digits, Felix, Lishy Lou, and Lil BUB too!
From mountain bikes to rocket ships, we’re on the move! Word Songs defines “mellifluous” with the help of a familiar tune. A visit to an Indiana auto assembly plant. Kids try riding dirt bikes for the first time at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience.
Music and comedy come together as kids get silly with a game on this week’s show. The Digits play Girls vs. Boys. Learn how to make your very own I-Spy game. Small Talk takes a microscopic look at the surface of a playing card.
A sweet episode! Lishy Lou and Lucky track down a cookie thief. Get a behind-the-scenes tour of a lollipop factory. ComedySportz Indy plays a “Candyland” improv game. Felix and Heather mix up “Snak Stix.”.
IU MoneySmarts stops in to share a game shows the challenges of managing a family budget. What would you do with $10? The Digits offer a lesson for making change. Take a close-up look at a penny with Small Talk.
A look at firefighting gear with the help of Indiana Firefighters. Lishy Lou and Lucky are reminded about fire safety. Meet a girl who called 9-1-1 and saved her grandmother’s life. Heather and Felix empower kids with a fun DIY recipe they call “U R The Tater Maker!”
The Friday Zone heads outside for some fun in the sun! Lishy Lou and Lucky throw an explorer-themed dance party. A lesson in creepy-crawly bugs. Small Talk takes a microscopic look at a dandelion. Felix and Heather share an Earth Eats recipe for a “Sunshine Shake.”
A SeaPerch Robotics Team brings their underwater robots into The Friday Zone. See kids explain how this competitive club builds, operates, and has fun with science and engineering. Plus, Small Talk looks at a cucumber.
Birds and beasts abound as animals run amok in The Friday Zone. Learn about critters of all shapes and sizes. Small Talk gives an up-close look at a worm. Felix and Heather mix up a drink called “The Purple Cow.”
Find out what it’s like to star in a play as we meet young actors appearing in the Terre Haute Children’s Theater performance of Aladdin, Jr. Watch as The Digits go from 0 to 100 percent. Plus Lishy Lou, and a story from the PBS KIDS Writers Contest!
A stylin’ episode! Kids become rainbows at a “Color Run” event. A song about a great new word that is a perfect description for a stinky perfume. A lesson in empathy. A visit to Bloomington’s Textillery Weavers.
Young Astronomer Will Sears visits to share facts about black holes. Plus, we travel to outer space to battle an evil mathematician in a story from the PBS KIDS Writers Contest.
It’s a zoo in The Friday Zone this week! Lishy Lou learns to take care of a new pet fish. A visit a goldfish farm. Find out what an “arctophile” loves most. Learn how to make your very own “sock-to-pus.”
Recycling and Green Living expert Elisa Pokral is back to talk trees! Learn a tree's life cycle and what role a tree plays in our yards, forests, and parks. ComedySportz Indy brings in a gardening expert to demonstrate hilarious potting techniques. The Digits perform a rock concert for one.
A visit to Clay City to see how pottery is made the old-fashioned way. Gardening tips. Hear a song celebrating “synchronization.” Small Talk gives us a close look at topsoil.
Chill out as ComedySportz Indy takes us through an improv story involving frozen oranges. Indiana’s DNR talks hibernation. Ice skating.
Let’s eat! See how Cheese Puffs are made. Does Gorgolax have enough volume to eat a clock radio? Learn how to make a cup – out of paper! Felix and Heather mix up a batch of Super Pudding.
Take flight with bats and learn how to construct a backyard bat house you can use to help Indiana’s bat population. Take an up-close look at a feather on Small Talk. Fun and easy bird crafts.
Ideas for costumes, treats, and even a DIY decoration! The Digits answer a viewer letter. A behind-the-scenes tour of a haunted house. And the secrets that can be discovered by examining an animal’s skull!
Take to the field to harvest the fun, including a look at where your favorite food comes from. ComedySportz Indy leads an improv game that will solve the problem of frozen Florida oranges.
It’s time to work out! Limbo with The Atomic Sharks. Discover the science behind “dry ice bowling.” Batting tips from a former major leaguer.
An exploration of how things work, from robotic toys to super-computers to DIY kazoos. Felix and Heather share a recipe for Cinnamon Apple Crisps.
It’s storytime! Hear a story of a grade-school bully, learn how newspapers are printed, and a reporter talks to a bug! Plus a story from a winner of the PBS KIDS Writers Contest.
Meet Jodh, a Young Astronomer who is an expert on expolanets. Could there be real aliens on other worlds? Learn how to make a spacey craft. Travel to the moon with a story from the PBS KIDS Writers Contest.
Make some noise! Learn about ukuleles and surf music from The Atomic Sharks. Word Songs defines “melancholy.” Keep the beat as kids drum in an African Drumming class at Indiana State University. Plus DIY musical instruments!
We welcome two brothers who share a love for video games’ most famous bros. Get a video game history lesson. Improv hilarity with a new game from ComedySportz Indianapolis. A fun game you can make at home and Felix gets a safety lesson about the importance of wearing a bike helmet.
Journey with us to Anderson, Indiana for a visit to the World’s Largest Ball of Paint. A colorful experiment you can try at home. See a cartoon written by a winner of the WTIU PBS KIDS Writer’s Contest. Messy paint art. Plus a new joke, Lil BUB, and more!
Splashy science from The WonderLab Museum. Catch a fish with kids at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience in Indianapolis. Felix mixes up a tasty treat called the “ABC Slush.” Nurses stop by to talk about the “Shades of Urine.” Plus a new joke, Lil BUB, and more!
Amazing food science comes to The Friday Zone with help from the Terre Haute Children’s Museum. Take a tour of the Dum-Dum factory to see how suckers are made. Felix learns about cavity prevention. Word Songs defines “deplorable,” learn to make a marshmallow catapult, Lil BUB’s made of sugar and spice, and a cake joke!
Travel around the world and back with us! Hoosier Heights brings rock climbing into the studio. Learn safety skills and all you need to do to get ready for your first ascent. Make a DIY jetpack and watch as Felix finds out about broken bones and how they heal.
ComedySportz brings the laughs with a skit starring an eccentric pet shop owner. Inspirational ideas for paperbag puppets. We travel to the Midwest Reptile Show to get up-close and personal with some scaly critters. Young hunters at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience show off the skills of their dogs.
Let’s go down on the farm! Go behind the scenes of a popcorn shop. Felix learns how to identify poison Ivy. Get a fun idea for a egghead planter. Stuntology teaches us how to roll a towel into a chicken. A song about pumpkins. A PBS KIDS Writers Contest story about recycling. ComedySportz Indy brings a gardening expert to The Zone.
Robots invade The Friday Zone! Robotics expert Zach Haga takes apart toy robots to show us how they work. Follow Girl Scouts to a regional LEGO robotics competition. Our Friday Zone Investigation takes us to BIG RED II, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Plus Lil BUB demonstrates her supernatural mind powers!
Robots invade The Friday Zone! Robotics expert Zach Haga takes apart toy robots to show us how they work. Follow Girl Scouts to a regional LEGO robotics competition. Our Friday Zone Investigation takes us to BIG RED II, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Plus Lil BUB demonstrates her supernatural mind powers!
Go on a mission to hilarious new heights with ComedySportz Indianapolis. A visit to a local observatory to get an up-close look at the moon. Amazing astronomy, air powered rockets, a fun space craft you can make at home, and more!
A visit with raptors at a local library. Get an up-close look at how hot-air balloons take flight. Learn a recipe for a “Feather Dip” that you can make at home. Watch as students use science and ingenuity as they compete in an “Egg Drop” competition.
Kids do cool comedy with ComedySportz Indianapolis. Learn severe weather preparedness tips from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Icy tricks you can try at home. A recipe for “Pineapple Freezies.”
Cars and trucks and things that go! Kids create a convoy of balloon-powered vehicles. Ride along as we go four-wheeling at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience. Learn a recipe for “Sweet Stuff Roll-ups.” Watch as students compete to create mousetrap cars using scientific know-how.
Kids learn fancy dance moves. How to make musical crafts. Word Songs defines “mellifluous.” Kids create working instruments using science!
Travel to the Hoosier Outdoor Experience with us to try out some shooting sports. We’ll create an I-Spy craft, and we learn how eye shape determines why some kids need glasses.
Animals invade! We welcome WildCare, Inc. to the studio to show off some awesome animals. ComedySportz conducts an “animal orchestra.” Plus Lil BUB, Joke Time, and a yummy recipe.
We show you some cool Halloween special effects you can pull off at home. It’s a spooky time on a Friday Zone Field Trip, and we take a look at how our favorite candy, Dum-Dum lollipops, are made!
It’s Career Day in The Friday Zone! Jobs that kids can do and tips on where to find out about starting your own business. Plus a visit to an ice sculptor’s studio and a trick using a business card.
Yum! Learn how to build a marshmallow catapult, break eggs, and more! Plus a trip to the Mike-Sell’s factory and the Terre Haute Children’s Museum stops by to conduct food experiments!
Critters from the Terre Haute Children’s Museum visit us in The Friday Zone! Plus Felix mixes up a drink called “The Purple Cow” and explains what makes your stomach growl.
Art is smart! We explore all sorts of artistic ideas while looking at the science behind it. The Hudsucker Posse, a hula-hoop group teaches us some spinning fun and the WonderLab Museum helps us make spin art!
Cockroaches, bumble bees, walking sticks, and more! It’s an insect invasion in The Friday Zone as Bloomington’s WonderLab Museum stops by with some creepy crawly friends.
There’s more to dance than just music! Join us as we bust-a-move with some musical guests and meet some kids who invented their very own musical instruments!
Hot stuff! We take you inside a burning house to learn about fire safety with Indiana fire fighters. A visit the Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum. Learn how trick candles work!
On location at Jellystone Park at Lake Monroe featuring campground games, snacks and crafts and a recipe for “Felix’s Field Mix” on Earth Eats! Plus we hit the trail for adventure, heading to travel to Patoka Lake to learn about turtles!
From Indiana Beach in Monticello, IN. Science experiments on board amusement park rides, behind-the-scenes of park operations, and a visit to a backyard rollercoaster!
An exploration of one of Indiana’s most abundant renewable resources: trees! Plus Lil BUB, Joke Time, and Felix and Heather share a recipe for “Snak Stix.”
Hit the trails for adventure! Meet raptors and birds of prey at the Ellettsville library and learn how to bring a campfire into your bedroom with a nifty craft.
Get off the couch and get movin’ with The Friday Zone! Taylor gets a high tech batting lesson and we look at the physics of the playground.
Learn to build catapults, paper airplanes, and all kinds of DIY contraptions. Plus a recipe for a “Fruit Stacker” desert, Lil Bub, and a visit to Crazy Town.
A fun art project with a group of kids from the Indiana State University Community School of the arts, fire and light experiments with WonderLab, and Felix learns the recipe for “Zap Snax.”
A fun art project with a group of kids from the Indiana State University Community School of the arts, a visit to Ozark Fisheries to see where pet store goldfish are raised, and a drink-swinging stunt.
Kids join Maddie and Taylor to look at what makes a habitat and learn tips on how we can help care for our planet. Plus and amazing Stuntology Trick and pizzas with unusual toppings!
An exploration of the “nano” scale with Bloomington’s WonderLab Museum. Plus Lil Bub, Stuntology, Joke Time, and an Earth Eats recipe.
Chill out with members of the Bloomington Blades ice hockey team. An ice sculptor welcomes us into their studio. Learn a recipe for making “Pineapple Freezies.”
Animals take over The Friday Zone as we learn about exotic creatures from around the world and in our own backyard. Plus a visit from WildCare Inc. and we mix up a drink called the “Cool Cat.”
Jet packs, helicopters, monster trucks and more! Plus a Field Trip to a cyclocross race and learn how to make a trio of flying vehicles at home.
A field trip to a local observatory to get a close-up look at the moon and a group of kids join forces with ComedySportz for an improv comedy skit through a rollercoaster of different environments.
Learn how doing "the elephant" and "the vampire" can help avoid the spread of the flu as we welcome the IU School of Nursing and The WonderLab Museum to talk about germs.
An exploration of the Solar System. A backyard astronomer gives an up-close look at the sun and a NASA Solar System Ambassador gives us an update on the Mars Curiosity Rover.
Gravity-based experiments from The Terre haute Children’s Museum and skydivers show us what’s inside their packs. Plus another Earth Eats recipe, Lil Bub, and an amazing floating ping-pong ball stunt you can try at home.
Get in the game! A game expert shares video from a board game factory and The WonderLab visits to teach some fun logic games. Plus, kids perform improve comedy and a lesson in one-handed juggling.
A finance expert gives us some tips on how to be responsible with money. A magic trick with a dollar bill, a tour of a change machine factory and how to make duct-tape wallets.
Kids get dressed up to perform as “living statues,” a tour of Clay City Pottery, and a cute craft. Plus more Lil Bub, Earth Eats, Stuntology, and Joke Time with Davy and Jack!
A tour of a cheese-puff factory and a field trip to a dog-treat bakery. Plus Lil Bub, Joke Time, and a group of kids join forces with ComedySportz for an improv comedy skit about a mad pizza-maker.
A Purdue University Engineer shows off his home-made guitars to a group of kids. Learn how music travels through the air and into your ear, plus music-making you can do at home.
Young track and field athletes show their skills at high jump and more. Learn what makes a Frisbee fly. Felix and Heather share an Earth Eats recipe for “Super Pudding.”
A musical menagerie takes center stage as ComedySportz leads a group of kids in an improv sketch. Plus a field trip to the Indy Reptile Show, frog jumping, Lil Bub, and Joke Time.
The IU School of Nursing stops by to get physical with Taylor and Maddie. Learn about all the things looked at during a typical annual check-up.
Life on the farm can be hard work, but it’s rewarding, too! The Terre Haute Children’s Museum stops by, a class of kid farmers give us a farm-to-table lesson and Felix and Heather have a recipe for a smoothie called a “Purple Cow!”
Kids learn about severe weather preparedness. Learn how to make a cloud in a jar, mix up a “Sunshine Shake” and take a trip into a city’s storm water tunnels.
Wake up! Students from the IU School of Nursing teach smart sleep habits, nocturnal animals visit and a Field Trip to a “Lunar” skate party.