Ready Set Learn!

{{quote box|width=22em| "Kids don't just sit and watch, they play along and learn at home." The TLC network's foray into preschool television, Ready Set Learn! was first mentioned as early as August 1992. Of the first five shows announced for the block, three of them (Bookmice, Kitty Cats, and The Magic Box) would have their U.S. premieres there; the other two were rerun packages and Zoobilee Zoo (a previously syndicated production of DIC Entertainment and Hallmark). Greg Moyer, Discovery Communications' senior vice-president of programming, expressed hope that a full-fledged channel would spin off from it the block was inspired by Ready to Learn: A Mandate for the Nation, with Iris, The Happy Professor rounding out the six-show lineup. A competitor to the PBS lineup,); A resident of Bethesda, Maryland (where TLC's parent company Discovery was based), Rory set out to teach children language skills through her music, as well as to "welcome the children into the world of The Learning Channel and also the parents, care-givers and other viewers" as hostess. Interstitial material on the block was branded under the "Short Stuff" banner, and rounded out each half-hour. Around 1994, music videos began appearing during this feature, starting with clips from Joanie Bartels (an artist signed to Discovery's former in-house record label). By 1996, TLC played 10–12 videos per day on Ready—showcasing children's artists as varied as Fred Penner, Parachute Express, Joe Scruggs, and Sharon, Lois & Bram—to the point where they would all but replace the older "Short Stuff" segments from 1992. The latter group would later headline the mainline Ready program Skinnamarink TV. Around 1992, the Discovery Channel began plans for a counterpart weekend block to Ready. it was launched on Sundays in early 1997 alongside the companion U.S. and Latin American Discovery Kids formats. The resulting relaunch on February 24, 2003 introduced Paz the Penguin as the new host of the interstitial segments; the 9:00 a.m. repeat moved to Discovery Kids. Paz, created by Irish author Mary Murphy, was seen in both puppet and animated forms; The Magic School Bus, a 1990s PBS staple, bookended the revised three-hour stretch. The final TLC airing of Ready Set Learn! occurred on September 26, 2008, with Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks and The Magic School Bus in its closing hour. From that point on, reruns of TLC's remaining programs for older audiences occupied its timeslot. By then, the Discovery Kids version was airing from 9:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m.; it evolved into HubBub after the network's October 10, 2010 rebranding as The Hub. As part of a cross-channel preview campaign leading up to The Hub's debut, TLC briefly returned to family-oriented entertainment with an airing of the Hasbro game show Family Game Night. ==Reception==