Arthur Celebrates Earth Day with New Episodes and a Visit From a NASA Astronaut

PBS KIDS GO!'s ARTHUR is celebrating Earth Day with 5 brand-new episodes beginning Friday, April 22, 2011 (check local listings). Starting with "Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea."

Then continues the special Go Green Challenge online, Arthur and friends will teach kids simple steps they can take to help protect the environment. Also, in a special episode airing Thursday, April 28, 2011 (check local listings), kids learn that teamwork can help their dreams soar when NASA Astronaut Mike Finke guest-stars on ARTHUR in "Buster Spaces Out".

"This Earth Day, we wanted to show kids how simple actions can affect the environment," says Senior Executive Producer Carol Greenwald. "Through this episode and the Go Green Challenge, kids can learn simple steps that they can take to help protect the world around them."

Throughout the week of new episodes, Arthur and friends will follow a soccer ball as it makes its way around the world. In Follow the Bouncing Ball, airing Friday, April 22, 2011, Alberto Molina's beloved soccer ball, signed by his favorite Ecuadorian soccer star, "El Boomerang," is lost. Kids are invited to join Arthur in learning about new cultures and track all the places "El Boomerang" goes as it travels around the world (and into outer space!).

In a special episode airing Thursday, April 28, 2011, kids learn that teamwork can help their dreams soar when NASA Astronaut Mike Finke guest-stars on ARTHUR in Buster Spaces Out. Inspired by footage of the moon landing, Buster wants to go to outer space. Well, someday. For now, it would be really cool to build and launch a rocket. So Buster enlists his friends to help...but they can't agree on anything and the mission stalls. Luckily, their new friend Astronaut Mike teaches them that only teamwork will accomplish this mission--and then it's blast-off!

Tune in for these adventures and more as your favorite ARTHUR characters travel the globe in Around the World in 11 Minutes, start competing blogs in Muffy and the Big Bad Blog, try their hand at fashion design in All the Rage, cope with teasing in D.W., Queen of the Comeback, explore Africa in In My Africa, and discover knitting in Arthur Unravels. The full schedule of airdates is below (check local listings):

Friday, April 22, 2011 - Follow the Bouncing Ball, Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea
Monday, April 25, 2011 - Around the World in 11 Minutes, Muffy and the Big Bad Blog
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 - Arthur Unravels, All the Rage
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - D.W., Queen of the Comeback, In My Africa
Thursday, April 28, 2011 - Buster Spaces Out, The Long Road Home