Pointers for Parents Share 40 Years Of Sunny Days With Your Chil (NAPSA)—Many parents are pleased to be able to share a special part of learning and growing with their youngsters, including the experience of watching an educational TV show that’s been providing new ways of seeing things for 40 years. Preschoolers have been inspired to learn, grow and achieve their highest potential with help from “Sesame Street” for nearly two generations. Now, as the show celebrates its fourth decade, many are noting someof its most memo- rable milestones: 1969—‘“Sesame Street” pre- mieres. That same year, James Earl Jones makesthefirst celebrity guest appearance on the show. e 1970—Big Bird appears on the cover of Time and the show receives three Emmys. e 1971—Maria and Luis bring bilingual education to their Fix-It Shop. e 1977—A Kermit the Frog balloon is added to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also, “Sesame Street” travels to Hawaii to help children learn about and appreciate differences and diversity amongpeople. e 1981—School skills, such as taking turns and raising hands, are taught on the show. The role of the teacher and the structure of a school day are explained, as are such skills as listening and following directions. e 1984—Elmo, a curious 3%- year-old, and the always-worried Telly Monsterjoin thecast. e 1986—The program teaches children to count to 40. Kids learn about the concept of zero and about adding and subtracting numbers larger than 10. 1991—A Latina Muppet, Rosita, joins the cast. A classic children’s show is cele- brating 40 years of programming. e 1994—Then First Lady Hillary Clinton discusses healthy habits with Big Bird and Rosita. e 1999—The program winsits 75th Emmy award. e 2001—Big Bird’s nest is destroyed in a hurricane and children learn about coping withloss. e 2007—One week after its launch, the “Sesame Street” podcast reaches No. 1 on iTunes’ top podcastlist. e 2009—CGI animation is used for the first time on “Sesame Street” in the Abby’s Flying Fairy School segment. Families can now relive many of their favorite segments when “Sesame Street: 40 Years Of Sunny Days” debuts as a two-disc DVD set from Vivendi Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind “Sesame Street.” Featuring nearly six hours of stories, songs, Muppets andcelebrity segments including James Taylor, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson and Feist, the collectible set spans the renowned show’s four decades, includes never-before- seen archival footage and a lim- ited-edition, hardcover commemo- rative book. Learn more at www.sesame workshop.org.
