Source: Sesame Workshop

Sesame Street’s ‘Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times” special airs tonight on PBS on September 9, 2009 at 8PM EST (please check local listings – there may be conflicts in some areas due to President Obama to address Congress.).

Like it has for the past 40 years, Sesame Street is not shying away from a tough issue. Instead it faces it head on; helping both children and adults cope in a healthy way. The title of the special Sesame Street’s ‘Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times” says it all.

The one hour prime-time special will be hosted by Al Roker and his wife. It features a series of mini documentary style stories of real families dealing with difficult financial circumstances. You may be surprised that there are no surprise cash or prize giveaways at the end of the stories. That’s not the point of this special.

The brilliance of Sesame Street is presenting reality as it is so it can be discussed. In this special the financial hardships are real. The point is allowing parents to help their children understand the situation and how, as a family, they can pull together and get through it.

The special explores how Elmo’s Mom explains being laid off to him and their plan for getting by, Super Grover looking for a job and a community market on Sesame Street where local families are trying to earn some extra money.

The show emphasizes the differences between needs and wants. Helping children make the important distinction. It also offers strategies to help families talk, come together, and reach out for support.

Sesame Workshop is also offering support beyond the special. They are offering resources online and in print. They are working with PBS stations and community organizations to hold local screenings and deliver educational outreach kits. The kits include English/Spanish DVDs, a printed children’s story, and a parent/caregiver guide on positive strategies to deal with the current economic climate.

For more information please visit http://www.sesameworkshop.org/toughtimes/project and check out the “Tool Box” on the right hand  side.

The Sesame Workshop is a non-profit organization funded through donations and sponsors and through the proceeds of sales of licenced Sesame Street Toys. The

Sesame Workshop re-invests all proceeds from the sales of Sesame Street Toys back into its innovative and exceptional programs and initiatives like this one.

Sesame Workshop has made special note that the ‘Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times” initiative is made possible by generous support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

Technorati Tags: Elmo, Specials, Super Grover

Sandra Oh introduces the Sesame Street gang and gives a heartfelt description of the awe and wonder she experienced being on the show. Can you imagine being on Sesame Street? The celebrity guest stars are so lucky! She does a great job expressing how important Sesame Street is to all of us.

Next up is an awesome montage of clips from 40 years of Sesame Street. Including some of my personal favorites from the 70s like rubber ducky, Herry monster and Jon Jon, the chef with the cakes stumbling down the stairs and the counting pinball song.

It also has a tearjerker with Susan helping Big Bird understand Mr. Hooper has passed away that makes you remember how valuable the lessons from Sesame Street are and how well they present them for children.

The montage is followed by a number of the cast members (Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Gordon, Bob, Maria, Luis, Abby Caddaby, Dorothy, Zoe, Chris, Telly, and Oscar the Grouch) performing a musical salute to the “people in their daytime TV neighborhood”.

Take a few minutes and enjoy this clip and congratulate Sesame Street on 40 years of helping kids around the world. Truly an inspiration.

Oh … and make sure you watch all the way to the end … Cookie Monster has an important message.

Technorati Tags: Awards, Sesame Street, Video Clips

What’s the most popular toy in the house?

The TV remote of course. Whats not to love? It has buttons to push, its small enough to grab, and Mom and Dad love it and want to keep it all to themselves!

Sound familiar?

Well you are in luck. Check out the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote. Currently one of the best selling Sesame Street Toys on Amazon.

What is it?

A durable hard plastic remote for your toddler to claim as their own.

It has a complete number pad and VCR controls that each make unique sounds. Each of the ten number buttons has its own character. When a button is pressed it alternates between Elmo announcing number or the character rhyming off their unique catchphrase.

The other buttons like fast forward, rewind, volume up and down all make sounds appropriate to the function. Turning the volume up gets you a whistle rising in pitch. Turning the volume down gets a whistle descending in pitch.

It also sports some pretty cool googly eyes that open and close and a few flashing lights thrown in for good measure.

There are 35 sounds and phrases in total. Requires 2 “AA” alkaline batteries, included. Measures 1.5″H x 2.75″W x 8.75″L.

Who is it for?

Recommended for Toddlers – 18 months to 3 years.

But lets be honest. This is one of those Sesame Street toys that is as much for Mom and Dad as for the kids. Keeping your remotes out of the apple sauce is pretty important!

Pros:

• By all reports this is a very durable toy. Unlike your real remotes it holds up well to drops and the occasional bite.
• It has educational value. And its not just learning to change the channel right during Dad’s big game either. Elmo speaking numbers when they are pressed helps children associate the word and symbol. Also the unique character on each number allows you to play number recognition games like “what number is Cookie Monster?”.
• Doesn’t have to stay at home. Small enough to make a great on the go toy.
• Off button and volume control. Maybe not the kids favorite features but we did say this was also a favorite for Mom and Dad.
• We have made light of the remote grabbing but in all seriousness it is nice to have a more positive response to curious hands. Saying no all the time is hard to say and hear. This remote gives a positive alternative for everyone.

Cons:

• Children catch on pretty quickly. They are still interested in the “real” remotes. Luckily, this remote is entertaining enough that it doesn’t take too much convincing it is more fun than the real thing.
• Some parents are a little turned off by Oscar’s catchphrase – “Get Lost!”. If that is a bit too grouchy for you you may want to pass.

Summary

Overall a well rated, well received toy with both practical and educational value. On the inexpensive side of the Sesame Street Toys market with a reasonable shelf life we give the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote the thumbs up.

Click here to find out more…

Technorati Tags: Educational, elmo toys, Review, Sesame Street Toys

We all want our children to grow up happy, healthy and well adjusted.  But not everything children learn is in school.  Children learn an incredible number of crucial life shaping skills from playing.  Before even entering school, playing has taught them physical and language skills, problem solving skills and other social skills.  These lessons shape their character and often are only refined, but not changed, as they age.

Now what influences play?  Toys!  The toys we choose for our kids influences their play, which directly influences their character education.  So the toys we choose directly impact our children’s entire lives.  That is a pretty powerful statement.  You may think it is obvious, but due we really give toy selection the time and attention it deserves? Have you ever actaully considered your “toy decision making” process?

In broad strokes I’m sure the answer is yes.  One of the main reasons Sesame Street Toys are so popular is parents’ confidence in the underlying values of Sesame Street.  Sesame Street embodies the character traits we want our children to learn and emulate.  But even if you stick to Sesame Street toys, given the influence these toys have, you should consider what each toy is bringing to the table.

First and foremost you must consider safety.  It is important you follow the toys age recommendations.  And, before giving a new toy to your child, search the web for any related toy recalls.  They are rare, but even Sesame Street toys have had serious issues and needed a recall.

After safety, you can consider the value of the toy in terms of your child’s development.  Here are some qualities to consider:

1. Engagement: Does it engage your child’s imagination and creativity?
2. Development: What aspects of your child’s development does it support? Physical? Cognitive? Emotional? Social?
3. Interpretation: Does it help your child interpret the world around them in a positive, open and unbiased way?

Of course not all aspects of a toy are positive.  So you also need to consider what negative characteristics this toy may promote and weigh them against the good.  Its possible to spin a negative trait into a positive by making it a learning experience.  A great example from the world of Sesame Street toys is Cookie Monster.  Although Cookie Monster’s overwhelming positive character puts us at ease; his obsession with cookies could be seen as a negative.  But parents the world over use Cookies little problem as a tool to teach their children about the benefits of restraint and self control.  A negative to a positive.

We hope we raised your awareness of the importance of picking the right toys.  Its tough to resist the giant marketing campaigns out there designed to circumvent your selection process.  We are planning a series of posts with tips and advice to help you develop those “toy picking muscles”.  We want to help you become the Arnold Schwarzenegger (or should we say Big Bird) of toy picking.  Our goal is for you to tackle the huge assortment of Sesame Street toys confident you are making a great choice.

Technorati Tags: elmo plush, elmo toy, elmo toys, gund sesame street, sesame street games, Sesame Street Plush, sesame street plush toy, sesame street plush toys, sesame street products, Sesame Street Toys

That’s where we come in.  The Sesame Street Toys blog helps you sort through the huge selection of Sesame Street toys to find your perfect choice.

You want the toy your loved one will drag around for years and years.  (Like our current reigning title holder … 33+ year old plush Super Grover!)  You want a toy that will light up their face with delight.  Or maybe one that just doesn’t get you a funny look. 

It’s tough. A story telling Elmo or a Green Elmo (yup … Elmo went green)?  How do you choose?

Well, we will always have a list of the current best selling Sesame Street toys on Amazon.com as a quick way to get what you need.  If you aren’t sure what your loved one is interested in or what they already have, going with something off this list will always put you in the ballpark.

If you have some more time or looking for something that matches your loved one more personally, we have tips to help you figure out what they want and what is appropriate for their age group.

We can also help you find Sesame Street toys based on your objective for the toy.  Do you want a toy to help with math or sharing?  Or a toy that gets them up and moving? Or something to keep them quietly entertained?

And we know not all Sesame Street toys are for kids.  We will have lots of nostalgia inducing features on classic Sesame Street episodes and the escapades and lessons from your favorite classic Muppets.  Find your favorite moment and a matching toy that captures that feeling.

This is our first ever blog post so we are just getting started.  We hope you find the site useful.  Your opinion is the most important element of our site.  We want to live up to the high standard set by the Sesame Street folks.  So please let us know what you think.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: Sesame Street Toys