 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Home Made Simple
- TLC
- Genre: Reality TV
Common Sense Media says
Extreme household makeover is fine for kids.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that in each episode of this home-improvement reality series, a team of experts helps a family simplify their home lives. Friends pitch in to help, and everyone learns new ways to make their households more user friendly. It's fine fare for young viewers, though only die-hard home improvement buffs will be entertained.
What's the story?
In HOME MADE SIMPLE -- which is based on Procter and Gamble's Web site of the same name -- families learn how to make their households run more efficiently, picking up useful skills along the way. Each week, two "home mavens" -- organizational expert June Saruwatari and carpenter Scott McCray -- visit a family dealing with issues like coping with raising triplets or a mom's return to the workforce. With the help of guest experts and the featured couple's friends, Saruwatari and McCray show the family how to organize their home, create simple meals, and set aside family-friendly spaces. In one episode, for example, the mavens showed culinary-challenged Kate, a mother of three boys under 5, how to create delicious, simple meals in minutes. Meanwhile, her husband learned how to transform a dilapidated backyard deck area into a sandbox for the boys.
Is it any good?
Home Made Simple has many positives: In addition to quick tips that appear from time to time at the bottom of the screen ("For the best zest, use unwaxed fruit"), devoted, caring parents and loving families are highlighted. But while the show is fine for viewers of all ages, Home Made Simple will primarily appeal to adults and older teens with the home improvement bug.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about pitching in. Why does a household run smoothly only when everyone helps out? Even though chores are often a bore, what can kids learn from helping out Mom and Dad? What helpful ideas can you take away from this show?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
| TV rating: | TV-G |
| Network: | TLC |
| Cast: | June Saruwatari, Scott McCray |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
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