OF, BY AND FOR THE CHILDREN : KCBS special raises an environmental awareness and offers tips for families

Not so long ago, say the producers of this morning’s KCBS special on the environment, Southern California was like a garden. Then we all came along and paved over everything, cut down trees and polluted the air and the water.

The premise of Whose Garden is This?, intended for families to watch together, is that Southern Californians have a commitment to take care of “our” garden. To this end, the show addresses key pollution problems and talks to the Tree People, a local group of people who plant trees to rejuvenate the environment. In addition, the show follows a group of Long Beach first-graders on a nature hike with the Tree People, where they find out that trees are their friends and learn that you’re never too young to help save the planet.

“Whose Garden Is This?” Sunday 9:30-10 a.m. KCBS. For 6- to 13-year-olds and their parents.

MORE KIDS’ SHOWS

The premiere of Disney’s Coyote Tales (Sunday 7-8:30 p.m., Saturday 10-11:30 a.m.) offers a dose of classic Disney cartoons and a message about being proud of who you are. For all ages.

In A Step Too Slow (Sunday 8:30-9 p.m., Wednesday 7:30-8 a.m. and 4-4:30 p.m. Showtime), a teen-ager must learn to deal with disappointment when he is cut from the school basketball team. Judge Reinhold stars. For 11- to 16-year-olds.

Maximillian Schell, Jean Simmons and Jennifer Edwards star in the 1968 film Heidi (Sunday 1-3 p.m. KTTV) based on the children’s classic about a girl who leaves her home in the Swiss Alps to find adventure in the “real world.” For 6- to 15 year olds.

An animated film version of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel (Sunday 2-3:15 p.m. Bravo) features music by Englebert Humperdinck, a screenplay by Irish poet/playwright Padraic Colum and the voices of Anna Russell and Constance Brigham. But what kids will really remember are the lifelike dolls who “star” in the film. For all ages.

The Animated Haggadah (Tuesday 7:30-8 p.m., Friday 6-6:30 p.m. the Disney Channel) uses clay animation to tell the story of Israel’s liberation from slavery.

Themed “Unselfish Play,” the live Fourth Annual Converse TeleClinic (Wednesday 5:30-7:30 p.m. the Learning Channel) is for students, families and coaches and discusses the physical, mental and ethical aspects of sports. Basketball players Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Julius Erving will appear. For ages 12 and up.

In the 1978 movie Superman (Thursday 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. the Disney Channel), the guy in the red tights battles evil while holding down a job at the Daily Planet. Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando and Margot Kidder star. For all ages.

In NBC’s live action and animated Super Saturday Sports Special (Saturday 11:30 a.m. -noon), Buzz Beamer, the audacious cartoon kid from Sports Illustrated for Kids magazine, travels the country to interview real-life sports heroes, including Joe Montana, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. For 6- to 13-year-olds.

The Liberators (Saturday 9-11 p.m. the Disney Channel) tells the story of two friends--one black, one white--who helped runaway slaves escape the South before the start of the Civil War. For ages 12 and up.

Those animals over at Nickelodeon promise that their Super Pets Super Saturday (9 a.m.- noon), featuring some of the best episodes of “Mr. Ed,” “Lassie” and “Flipper,” will leave you “barking for more!” For all ages.

In Casebusters (Saturday 6-7 p.m. the Disney Channel), a brother and sister help their grandfather’s security service by solving a caper. For 6- to 11-year-olds.