Most parents who allow their young children to watch TV spend a lot of time fretting over issues such as which shows are age-appropriate, which ones are educational or improving, and which ones could be harmful.

The latest kids' show to be called into question is Nickelodeon's long-running cartoon series, 'SpongeBob SquarePants.' According to The Wrap, a study due to be published online Monday by the journal 'Pediatrics' found that watching just nine minutes of 'SpongeBob' had a negative effect on four-year-olds' attention spans.

Nickelodeon questioned the validity of the findings, criticizing the small size of the control group and pointing to the fact that 'SpongeBob' is targeted at children aged six to eleven, not four.

Disclaimer: Children should not take Acid. In fact, no one should sample LSD, but children should really stay away.

That said, speaking theoretically, if kids did drop a soaked sugar cube or six, they would see visions potentially less bizarre than what they take in during an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba(!). The Nick, Jr. and Noggin show is back this week with new episodes for fascinated children and really high adults.

A lot of kids love it. It's colorful, kinetic, and everybody involved keeps a smile on their face -- even the bizarre anthropomorphized, toys-turned-life size characters -- Muno (red cyclops), Foofa (pinkish bow thing), Brobee (the green monster with no elbows) ), Toodee (the blue cat) and Plex (the yellow, 50s-ish robot).

I'm attempting to round up as much information as I can on upcoming specials and programs dedicated to Black History Month. If I've missed anything in my search, let me know in the comments and I'll include it in a future post.

A&E, Nickelodeon, BET and the History Channel will air repeats and new specials in honor of Black History Month. They include:

Biography on A&E:

Monday, February 12 at 4:00 a.m.: The Harlem Globetrotters
Tuesday, February 13 at 4:00 a.m.: Dionne Warwick
Friday February 16 at 4:00 a.m.: Bob Marley
Tuesday, February 27 at 4:00 a.m.: Whoopi Goldberg

Moona. Foofa. Brobee. Toodee. Plex.

Either I'm typing in tongues or those are the names of some characters from the upcoming Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba!, a series I keep accidentally referring to as "Gabba Gabba Hey!" (curse you, Ramones!). Moona, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex are a cyclops, a pink flower bubble, a green something-or-other, a cat-dragon and a robot, respectively. Just the names and the descriptions of the characters has the preschool part of my brain excited to see what the shows is all about.

Yo Gabba Gabba! will be hosted by DJ Lance Rock and also feature special guests and animated segments. Based on the promo video, it looks like an eclectic mix of Electric Company-style retro and funky music mixed with the bright colors and simplicity of Teletubbies. You'll probably find it annoying, but if you have little kids, they'll probably love it. And yes, I do believe that is Biz Markie making an appearance in the promo.

The series hits Nick Jr. this fall.

Okay, we probably don't get a lot of preschoolers reading this blog, but if you happen to be a parent with young kids who are fans of the Nick Jr series Max and Ruby, they can look forward to new episodes featuring the brother and sister bunny duo in Spring of 2007. The episodes will air, as usual, during Nickelodeon's Nick Jr morning block of preschool programming, and on Noggin. The new slate of episodes will kick off with an Easter special. Also, at some point during the new episodes, one of the bunnies will be mortally wounded with a shotgun. Wait, sorry, I'm confusing this series with Dallas. Anyway, kids will learn the usual lessons about sharing, compromise, and respecting others. Also, they'll learn that bunnies wear clothes and talk, which is absolutely true.

If your kids are looking for an alternative to Cartoon Network's Halloween marathons, Nickelodeon is offering a bunch of Halloween-themed episodes at the end of this month for every age group from the Nick Jr set to young teens. Kids can catch spooky episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants; Catscratch; Fairly OddParents; Mr. Meaty; The X's; Danny Phantom; The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius; Hey, Arnold; Kappa Mikey; Rugrats; The Amanda Show; Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide; Unfabulous and Zoey 101.

The little tykes will also be able to catch episodes of Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, Wow! Wow! Wubzy, LazyTown and Wonder Pets. Hey, kids gotta have something to watch while they're shoveling all that candy into their mouths.