Sesame Street prepares for an emergency
Categories: Preschoolers, Health & safety, That's entertainment, Resources
The lovable Muppets of Sesame Street have never shied away from difficult topics. There was a series of episodes wherein Big Bird's nest was destroyed by a hurricane, a grease fire in Hooper's Store and Elmo's subsequent fear helped children deal with emotions following the terrorist attacks in 2001, and, of course, there was the loss of Mr. Hooper -- a veritable institution on the show and in many children's lives -- that helped children deal with the loss of a loved one. Now, the show, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, is being more proactive in dealing with emergencies.
Sesame Workshop has put together a magazine for parents, a workbook for kids, and a DVD featuring Grover and Rosita helping their families prepare for emergencies. The materials are aimed at kids aged three to five years old. Wherever you live, there is bound to be some sort of disaster to be ready for, be it earthquakes (our personal bugaboo), hurricanes, tornados, flooding, or even the simple house fire. If you have children to protect, it's even more important to be ready and that your kids know what to do should something happen. What better way to learn than via their Muppet friends?
Best of all, the magazine and workbook can be downloaded for free from the Sesame Workshop website. Check it and make sure your kids are prepared!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Laura - Dashin Fashion 9-21-2008 @ 5:20AM
What a wonderful idea to help prepare the family for an emergency. If your family has a plan of action if an emergency happens hopefully everyone will be more calm.
I'm going to go and download the workbook now.
Thanks for sharing!
Laura at http://www.dashinfashion.com
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Laura 9-22-2008 @ 10:45AM
Kudos to CTW and Sesame Street!!! My kids (29 & 21) grew up with Sesame Street and I was addicted to it as well. It remains the best show on television for children!!
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evans 9-22-2008 @ 11:23AM
This is a remarkable thing expecially in a world that seems to forget about our little ones. It's about time we get some decent news that will acually help.
Indigo Nocturna 9-22-2008 @ 1:40PM
Go Sesame Street! I've always loved this show. They cover things that are so important for little ones to understand. I'm so glad to hear that they are covering emergencies because Sesame Street will cover such a situation with tact and make sure that it's not a "scary" thing for kids. :-)
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Momma 9-22-2008 @ 2:54PM
Teaching kids to be prepared for disasters is a sensible way to prepare for the worst, and diffuse the fear of "What if?"
What I'd really like to see is an "Eddie Eagle"-type program being taught to kids. NRA's Eddie Eagle teaches kids to (1) Stop!; (2) don't touch; (3) leave the room; and (4) go get a grownup. Considering that about half of American homes have guns in them, the need to safety proof kids in regards to firearms is at least as important as preparing them for a tornado or earthquake.
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AMS 9-22-2008 @ 5:13PM
I watched Sesame Street as a child and when my children came along they watched it.Better than most garbage they got on tv for kids.Teletubbies and BooBah(sp?) GAG!Sadly they are growing up and very rarily watch it(Even thought we have I don't know how many videos).I'm going to check this out though!
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saira 9-22-2008 @ 9:23PM
its great that sesame is helping kids to know what to do in case of natural disaster, theyre trying to help on other shows too.
i watch tv with my sister(shes 2) and because of global warming.
theyre telling kids lots of stuff they didnt tell them years ago.
in the 90s there were only two eco friendly shows that i saw on tv.
captain planet and some other show on nick that came on at 5 in the morning.
but now all the kid shows are putting out eco friendly messages.
and they altered the barney"clean up"song to include picking up trash, and not to put it there in the first place.
if your an adult and u cant get "Go Diego Go" the theme song out of your head.im sure youll notice this too.
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Heather 9-25-2008 @ 8:42AM
I am glad they are doing this. In our world today it is a real possibility. Wither it is terrorism or a natural disaster it is hard to know what to tell them. I have tried to get my 5 yr old to understand sometimes he can't question me and we just need to leave somewhere if there is an emergancy. I hope this helps that if there is an emergancy he just needs to listen, and do as I say, now.
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robyn 9-28-2008 @ 9:44AM
Sesame street is wonderful. They even have a DVD out where Elmo's dad gets deployed. It is free and was wonderful to help my 4 year old deal with her dad's deployment. They recently came out with a homecoming version that was also helpful.
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K 9-28-2008 @ 10:42AM
KCET needs to bring back Mr. Rogers!
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Diane 9-29-2008 @ 1:58PM
K - I also loved Mr. Rodgers, but, HELLO, he died!
Bea 9-28-2008 @ 10:48AM
My kids grew up on Sesame Street and now so are my grandkids. Where do I find these DVD's? I would like to buy them for my grandkids. I want them prepared for any disaster they might encounter.
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Supermn76r 9-28-2008 @ 11:56AM
a nice thought of you bea but why not teach your grandkids these things yourself. Get the kids away from the tv and teach them the methods of the old days...when people didn't lock there doors or were kind to each other. teach them to respect all people. how about teach them a craft or how to garden, canning food or something they will remember you and thank you for in the future. Too many kids are forgetting these ways and only think of technology and video games. It's a shame.
Kristin 9-28-2008 @ 11:54AM
Although I am not a parent, I applaud the idea and think it is an excellent one for children! This is the best concept I've heard so far in helping kids prepare and deal with emergency situations - and in a much less intimidating way with characters they love and trust. Way to go Sesame Street!!!
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Supermn76r 9-28-2008 @ 11:59AM
I love Sesame Street although i haven't watched it much as an adult. Although i admire the thought behind it; seems to me that these kids shows are trying to teach kids too much. Soon we'll be seeing episodes such as - what if the world ends or a nuclear attack occurs (very reminiscent of the 1960's). Hey while they're at it why not have Sesame Street bring in a gay character and teach acceptance, or have two mommies or 2 daddies, how to work for change in our political system or better yet how to do stuff for themselves like garden, can/preserve food, save money, 401k, not buying foreign made products to keep american jobs here in the usa.
Oh, and TMNT was not an irritating kids show btw. why not add blues clues to your list.
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barbara 9-28-2008 @ 12:52PM
Ya know what blew my mind was when I sat down with my twin boys when they were babies and watched sesame street .I was 28 at the time .It just kind of makes ya want to cry when ya see something on tv like that that u can share for generations .
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sonja 9-28-2008 @ 1:26PM
I watched Sesame St. with my children who are both now in the their early 30's and now I have the joy of watching it with my grandson. He LOVES Elmo and all the other characters and I even attended a SS stage show with him. The world would be a better place if more adults watched Sesame St. to bring that childhood innocense back in their lives instead of the trash that's on TV today. My grandson and I have such lovely times, him sitting in my lap with his sippy cup watching the show together. I will always treasure those times. Good for SS for helping to prepare kids for the many emergencies we seem to have in our society today.
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Welcome to China, All 9-28-2008 @ 1:40PM
Using childrens' formats, coloring books, etc. to push political propaganda has netted much success for China- who, by the way, has been doing this for years with regards to their Communist way-of-thinking... with great success.
"Homeland Security," "9/11," "Islamic Extremists," "Terrible Depression" and "Recession" have either been created by or recycled to no end by the Bush camp. He's kept American (adults) scared sh!+ less for 7years, now their teaming up with the safest, ageless and [most unpolitical] show on Earth- only to taint it with scare tactics.
Very sad times-
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Jenny 9-28-2008 @ 2:19PM
You're apparently of the unfortunately growing crowd of ignorant people that believe that the word terrorist is synonomous with Muslim people. The KKK is a terrorist organization, too. Maybe they've already signed you up.
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Sam 9-29-2008 @ 8:28AM
I think SS is courageous to address issues most parents feel uncomfortable addressing but are supportive when knowlegeable organizations tackle these issues. Those that think it isn't necessary are being blind to how much our society have changed and yes it is necessary to address these issues, this is the world around us and children need to know how to cope and deal with issues that 2 and 3 generations ago did not have the need. Single parents or 2 parent families all share the same issues besides individual problems unique unto themselves and having support that will educate their children as well as themselves is welcomed and having it presented in a manner that is embraced by the age group learning from it deserves all our heart felt thanks.
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