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New WTTW Show To Highlight Science, City Museums for Kids

 Photos from the children's show. 
"Moochie Kalala Detectives Club"
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MUSEUM CAMPUS — Kelli Feigley thinks it is hard to get kids excited about science.

Her new children's TV series strives to debunk that theory. 

"Moochie Kalala Detective Club" will premiere at 11 a.m. Jan. 18 on WTTW-Channel 11, according to Feigley's company, Edgewater-based Dreaming Tree Films. WTTW, the local PBS affiliate, ordered six episodes for the show's first season.

Set in Chicago, each "Moochie Kalala" episode begins with two child protagonists listening to outlandish scientific claims from "Grandpa," played by Saturday Night Live alumnus Tim Kazurinsky.

The young detectives, played by Evelyn Alumbreros and Gregory Vasquez, then set out to investigate the claims — for example if a water-guarding dragon inhabits Mars — by visiting one of Chicago's leading learning institutions and asking its resident expert. The first episode will feature Adler Planetarium and astrophysicist Mark Hammergren.

 Set in Chicago, each "Moochie Kalala" episode begins with two child protagonists listening to outlandish scientific claims from "Grandpa," played by "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Tim Kazurinsky. The young detectives then seek out the truth at one of Chicago's leading learning institutions.
Set in Chicago, each "Moochie Kalala" episode begins with two child protagonists listening to outlandish scientific claims from "Grandpa," played by "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Tim Kazurinsky. The young detectives then seek out the truth at one of Chicago's leading learning institutions.
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Dreaming Tree Films

"Kids don't want to watch television to learn, they want to have fun and be entertained," said Feigley, a partner and managing director of Dreaming Tree. "It's proving these silly facts that get kids engaged in learning."

Though its aim is inspiring intellectual curiosity, the "Moochie Kalala" name is also intentionally silly, Feigley said. The name is that of a character who appears in the show's first episode, and "it just struck us as this odd, fun tongue-twister of a name," she said. 

Each episode ends with a hands-on activity between a Chicago area teacher and his/her students. Each teacher that participated in the show received a grant from Dreaming Tree for future science lessons, Feigley said. 

Founded in 2002, Dreaming Tree has produced films including "The Stream," a 2013 family comedy starring Mario Lopez and Rainn Wilson that benefited Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Moochie Kalala" is the first television series produced by Dreaming Tree, which has also partnered with After School Matters to provide Chicago Public Schools students with filmmaking experience. 

Feigley said Dreaming Tree will visit Chicago area schools in the spring for "Moochie Kalala"-themed in-school science events and deliver 1,000 free "Moochie Kalala" DVDs as well. 

Vasquez, an 8-year-old Romeoville resident who plays sidekick to his big sister on the show, has been acting professionally for five years, including a role on "Chicago P.D." During the "Moochie Kalala" taping he learned about the Sue exhibit at the Field Museum and why Mars is red, among other things. He said he really liked the planetarium, but his favorite museum was Hyde Park's Museum of Science and Industry.

"I've never done an investigator type of thing," Vasquez said. "Investigator shows are cool."

The series will air a new episode at 11 a.m. each Sunday through Feb. 22, with a rerun at 7 a.m. the following Saturday. Feigley said Dreaming Tree would like to shoot future "Moochie Kalala" seasons, but believes that won't happen unless the show is syndicated on other PBS stations. 

Below are the museums and experts featured on the show:

Episode 1: The Adler Planetarium with astrophysicist Mark Hammergren.
Episode 2: The Museum of Science and Industry with physicist Olivia Castellini.
Episode 3: Lincoln Park Zoo with primatologist Steve Ross.
Episode 4: The Field Museum with paleontologist Bill Simpson.
Episode 5: The Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House with historical architect Royce Yeater.
Episode 6: The Shedd Aquarium with marine mammals trainer Elizabeth Davis.

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