OF, BY AND FOR THE CHILDREN : Three teens and one very big cat go on African safari in Disney’s ‘Cheetah’

Spotted on the Disney Channel: Cheetah, the 1989 family adventure movie about two American teen-agers who go to live with their parents at a research station in Africa.

They soon befriend a young African herdsman, who takes them on adventures throughout the countryside, where they discover an orphaned cheetah cub. But when it’s time to return the grown-up cat to the wild, the three friends must devise a plan to outwit a couple of unscrupulous gamblers and a poacher, who have their own plans for the cheetah. Filmed on location in Kenya, the film offers an important lesson in respect for nature and fellow man.

“Cheetah,” Sunday at 7 p.m. the Disney Channel (on “Magical World of Disney”). For 6- to 11-year-olds.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

A tattletale isn’t always a bad thing to be according to Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend (Sunday at 7 a.m. HBO), which points out that it isn’t wrong to tell on friends who are involved with drugs. For 9- to 13-year-olds.

The 1987 sci-fi love story Innerspace (Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ABC) brings new meaning to the term “I’ve got you under my skin.” It concerns a man (Dennis Quaid) who is miniaturized and accidentally sent into the body of another man (Martin Short)-sort of like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” in a different, uh, vein. For ages 10 and up.

What’s a girl to do when the guy on whom she has a major crush is being pursued by the most popular girl in the eighth grade? If she belongs to The Baby-Sitters Club (Monday at 5 p.m. HBO), she gets her friends to help her out. For 11- to 16-year-olds.

The Tournament of Roses Parade (Tuesday at 8 a.m. NBC, ABC, CBS, KTLA, KTTV, KMEX) is a colorful diversion-with the added bonus of keeping kids occupied the morning after parents’ big night. For all ages.

Around the World in 80 Days (Tuesday at 10 a.m. USA) is the 1956 film version of the Jules Verne story. It stars David Niven and Shirley MacLaine and features 40 cameo appearances by famous people the kids probably won’t recognize. But that shouldn’t stop them from enjoying the film. For all ages.

Those are the voices of Dale Robertson, Edgar Buchanan and Howard Keel in The Man From Button Willow (Thursday at 4 p.m. Showtime), an animated feature about an undercover government agent who helps out settlers in 1869. For 6- to 11-year-olds.

Have you heard the news? CNN Newsroom (returning from a week hiatus early Tuesday) is a 15-minute, commercial-free newscast that brings junior and senior high school students up to date with what’s going on in the world. Designed to be videotaped and used in the classroom, the show airs daily at the very late/early hour of 12:45 a.m. Schools that sign up for the service with CNN receive daily classroom guides for teachers. For information, call 1-800-344-6219.

And as long as you’re setting your VCRs, teachers, A&E; Classroom is a regular block of commercial-free programming (4 a.m. weekdays A&E;) for sixth- through 12th-graders. Programs are grouped under daily categories: Monday shows focus on history, with drama on Tuesday, the performing arts on Wednesdays, biographies on Thursdays, and archeology and anthropology on Fridays. Study guides are available. For information, write Carole J. Kealy, Director, Community Development, A&E;, P.O. Box 1610, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10163-1610.