In the 'Loop': 'Lyla' celebrates, encourages kids' natural, creative problem-solving abilities
Feb. 3—It's nearly nine years since Dave Peth started thinking about a new children's TV series.
Over the course of that time, consultants and revisions came along.
After all the time working, Peth is gearing up to unveil the PBS Kids series, "Lyla in the Loop."
The show will make its debut at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It is also available to stream on the PBS Kids app.
"It was a long time working on this," Peth says. "We took our time to flesh out the characters. We did a pilot and PBS Kids really felt a connection and invested upfront to strengthen the creative side."
"Lyla in the Loop" centers on Lyla and her family — mom Lydia and dad Louis, who run Loops Lunch diner; older twin sisters Liana and Louisa; younger brother Luke; and sidekick Stu, who always does exactly, literally, what was asked.
With her family and best friend Everett Phan, Lyla tackles all sorts of challenges, from building her own homemade carnival games using repurposed materials, to riding along and lending a hand on the neighborhood trash and recycling route, to making a puppet show that recreates the Jamaican folktale of Anansi and the goat.
Lyla even helps her sister navigate the ethics of creating an art project with the help of Stu, showcasing an age-appropriate example of current questions surrounding the use of real-world AI tools.
In every adventure, Lyla and Stu introduce and explore foundational computational thinking concepts, leading to some comedic disasters and creative solutions, all while helping others in their community. The series will support a wide range of learners, modeling flexible approaches to finding and designing solutions, and creative self-expression.
"Kids are natural creative problem-solvers, experimenting and investigating the world around them with joyful curiosity," Peth says. " 'Lyla in the Loop' celebrates and encourages kids and the grownups in their lives to recognize those innate abilities and see them as a powerful tool to help others, express themselves, and solve all kinds of problems in everyday life."
The series pulls inspiration for its setting from Philadelphia, Peth's home base, and includes vocals by students from the public School District of Philadelphia in the series theme song, which was composed and performed by Grammy-nominated musician, Divinity Roxx.
"Finding stories and issues our audiences can relate to is paramount to creating the relatable world of Lyla Loops. When viewers can connect to and identify with characters, they're more likely to absorb and retain the curriculum," says Fracaswell Hyman, executive producer and head writer. "Working with a diverse group of writers who share authentic stories and interrelationships that ring true is where we find inspiration, humor and heartfelt moments that may spark new ways of looking at ourselves and our friends."
Hyman was retired when he met Peth.
"He told me about the project and I was hoping to learn something new," Hyman says. "When you come down to it, it's about the human stories. Those are things we do in real life. The writers all lent their stories to the talent in the show and the stories represent a diverse group of people."
Peth says the series worked to create interactive episodes that incorporate AI-assisted conversation with the main character, Lyla.
During the episodes, Lyla will ask the viewer questions, utilize responsive AI technology to understand what the viewer says, and respond accordingly.
"These episodes will undergo efficacy research to assess children's learning and engagement and will be released to audiences at a later date," Peth says. "(The) digital content for kids, families and teachers, launching in tandem with the series, will reinforce its core messages, support play and experimentation with computational thinking skills, and encourage creative expression."
