OF, BY AND FOR THE CHILDREN : ‘Kidquiz’ finals on KCBS drive home the benefits of doing all your homework

Hey, kid, want to be on TV? That’s right, you. We bet you’ve always wanted to be a household name. You do? All right then, guess what you have to do to get on television? No, you don’t necessarily have to be beautiful or handsome, you don’t have to play sports or electric guitar. You just have to do your homework!

Check out the whiz kids on Kidquiz Championship Finals and you’ll see what we mean. Once just ordinary-albeit smart-sixth graders from Eliot Middle School in Altadena and Murchison Elementary School in Los Angeles, these students have parlayed their grasp of math, current events and literature into a shot at the big time. The winning team during the championship round will win a MacIntosh computer and a set of encyclopedias for its school. The show is hosted by KCBS news anchor Maclovio Perez, who probably did his homework when he was a kid, too.

“Kidquiz Championship Finals,” Saturday at 6:30 a.m. KCBS. For 11- to 13-year-olds.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

Born Free (Sunday at 6 a.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. Showtime) is a classic family movie about a lion cub named Elsa, who is raised as a pet in Africa. For all ages.

“People With Disabilities” (Monday at 4 p.m. Showtime) is an episode of Kids-TV in which D.J. Macaw dons a blindfold for a day to see what it is like to be blind. For 5- to 11-year-olds.

“Lies of the Heart” is the title of a new CBS Schoolbreak Special (Tuesday at 3 p.m. CBS) about a high-school senior who is responsible for a hit-and-run accident involving a teen-ager’s father. For 13- to 17-year-olds.

The Mind’s Eye: The Experience of Learning (Tuesday at 8 p.m. the Disney Channel) is a documentary that explores the physical and emotional effects of learning disabilities. For parents.

Legend of the Emerald Princess (Thursday at 7:30 p.m. the Disney Channel) is based on the classic Russian fairy tale about a princess who resists attempts by evil dragons to conquer the last free state in Russia. It’s told through the eyes of two American children who experience the tale through a magic lacquer box. For ages 7 and up.

The animated The Railway Dragon (Tuesday at 11 a.m. the Disney Channel) is about a modern little girl who befriends a medieval old dragon. Afterward, rock star David Bowie ch-ch-changes his tune to host the animated The Snowman (Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. the Disney Channel), about a little boy who also makes a new friend. For 2- to 11-year-olds.

“My Dad Can’t Be Crazy, Can’t He?” is a repeat ABC Afterschool Special (Thursday at 3 p.m. ABC) about how a student and his family must cope with his father’s mental illness. Wil Wheaton, Loretta Swit, Don Murray and Christian Jacobs star. For 13- to 17-year-olds.

David Hartman is host of Seasons of Life, a new series that follows the course of the human life cycle. Episodes Monday and Tuesday (noon KCET) deal with conception through adolescence. For parents.

The animated Six Who Went Far in the World (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Nickelodeon) tells the story about a group of men with extraordinary powers who unite to defeat a greedy king and his daughter. For 6- to 12-year-olds.

Keep an eye on those picnic baskets! A Yogi Bear Super Saturday (Saturday at 9 a.m. Nickelodeon) features three hours of antics by that smarter-than-the-average bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo. For all ages.

In the animated The Coat of Many Colors (Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Nickelodeon), a beautiful princess runs away from her evil father, the king, and travels to another kingdom. Fo 6- to 12-year-olds.

The award-winning series ABC Weekend Specials returns for its 15th season with the rebroadcast “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” ( 12:30-1 p.m. ABC), an animated special based on the book by Beverly Cleary. Part two will air next Saturday. For 2- to 11-year-olds.