Spotlight : OF, BY AND FOR THE CHILDREN : VCR as teacher; Discovery and Nickelodeon air educational shows

Video has finally come to the classroom, and many cable television networks have responded by contributing commercial-free blocks of programming designed for teachers (or education-minded parents) to tape and use as teaching aides. You can set your VCR for Kids World (weekdays at 6:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon), a syndicated news and documentary program created by and for kids. For 8- to 15-year-olds.

Also airing without commercials are Eureeka’s Castle (weekends at 7 a.m. on Nickelodeon), which uses puppetry and animation to teach gentle lessons about socializing. For 2- to 6-year-olds.

On Kids Court (7:30 a.m. weekends on Nickelodeon), kids can air their grievances in a courtroom setting. Each of the programs will be preceded by a two- to three-minute “teacher guide,” offering tips for teachers using the shows. For 8- to 15-year-olds.

Every weekday at 6 a.m., the Discovery Channel airs two commercial-free 20-25 minute program segments under the umbrella title Assignment: Discovery. Shows presented fall under daily themes: Monday shows explore science and technology, Tuesday social studies, Wednesday natural science, Thursday arts and humanities and Friday world events and contemporary issues. A “video bulletin board” following the daily segments offers listings of news and events of interest to teachers. For secondary school students and some primary school students. More Kids’ Shows

What ever happened to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? A premiere movie, Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (Sunday at 7 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. on Disney Channel), follows the two Mark Twain characters into adulthood, where they solve a murder mystery. For children ages 8 and over.

In another version of the Sawyer legend, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Friday at 7:30 a.m. HBO) is a rebroadcast animated adventure series. For 6- to 9-year-olds.

The 1960 film The Three Worlds of Gulliver (Sunday at 6:15 a.m. on HBO) is a colorful adaptation of the Jonathan Swift novel about a larger-than-life adventurer. For all ages.

The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound (Sunday at 12:05 p.m. on TBS) is a feature-length cartoon starring the famous blue canine, who pokes fun at “every Western ever made.” For all ages.

Two animated specials are pre-Halloween treats: First, Buttons & Rusty: Which Witch is Which? (Saturday at 5 p.m. on USA) involves a bear cub and a baby fox in a tricky mix-up. Then, imagine throwing a party where the headless horseman shows up as an uninvited guest I and you’ll have some idea of the goings-on in Scooby Doo: The Headless Horseman of Halloween (Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on USA). For 2- to 11-year-olds.

A klutzy student at a school for witches has a hard time with her spelling-among other things-in The Worst Witch (Thursday at 4 p.m. HBO). For 8- to 11-year-olds.