‘Sesame Street’ is Celebrating Their 45th Anniversary this week. James Halcomb talks about what boys learn by watching this classic show from his childhood.
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“Sesame Street” was a huge part of my childhood. “Rubber Duckie”, “C is for Cookie” and the immortal “Letter B” are stuck in my brain alongside Sinatra’s Reprise catalog and “Batdance”. The show reached its 45 anniversary this week and I would like give you the top five things I learned from my years of watching this amazing and important children’s program.
Music and learning go hand in hand. If there is one show, where a catchy tune can teach you something it can be found on “Sesame Street.” I bought every album. One of my best friends and I kept a “Sesame Street Fever” poster up in our apartment. It was It was a big part of my early learning and my love of music was fostered there.
Snuffleupagus is a cool name. Just saying’… What’s better than having a best friend who’s name is Snuffleupagus.
Diversity: Being from Eastern Kentucky, while there were diverse people (more than the media and popular culture would have you believe). Actually being immersed in other cultures and experiencing their world was a unique experience for children in the pre-cable days.
Imagination: It is strange, in our culture, that we continuously seem to try to damper this part of the human brain in favor of ingraining our common core world. Creativity should be fostered and I was lucky enough to have parents who did just that. I hope I am able to do the same for my son.
It’s OK to feel. Fear, love, anger, sadness (don’t get me started on Mr. Hooper’s death); all of these emotions are within us and we need to be allowed express them. Seeing these characters experience them helped children, especially young boys, know that it was OK to feel sad. Emotions can be confusing and dealing with them is part of growing up.
When “Sesame Street” first came into my life, I had a lot to deal with in my life: a dad who worked all the time, a mom dealing with an ailing mother, all the while struggling to balance being a daughter, a mother to me and the mayor of a small town. I won’t say that my life was built on “Sesame Street,” but I can say that I received a window to a bigger and more imaginative world because of those puppets and that street.