Sesame Street To The Rescue

Tony Gentilcore

February 2008

In his phenomenal book, “The Tipping Point,” author Malcolm Gladwell discusses how little things can make a big difference.  For instance, how do certain trends such as Hush Puppies (which were popularized in the early 1990’s) become a fashion epidemic, while other trends fade away faster than you can say “Paris Hilton?”

Likewise, how do certain shows such as Sesame Street work so well?  We all know that the attention span of a young child is shorter than short.  It’s hard enough to get them to put their toys away, let alone realize that an apple is a healthy alternative to a candy bar.  So how does Sesame Street succeed in this regard? 

It’s no secret that the creators of Sesame Street accomplished something extraordinary; after 40+ years on the air that’s obvious.  Gladwell explains, “they discovered that by making small but critical adjustments in how they presented ideas to preschoolers, they could overcome television’s greatest weakness as a teaching tool and make what they had to say memorable.  Sesame Street succeeded because it learned how to make television sticky (AKA:  The Stickiness Factor).” 

Imagine my surprise when I came across an e-mail a client sent me, simply titled “Super Grover.”  In a nutshell, Sesame Street has taken its winning formula of “stickiness” and created an incredible educational attraction that immerses kids and families in the Sesame Street world to teach them all about the human body and how to keep it healthy. Teaching lessons of healthy habits through song and dance, Sesame Street explores exercise, nutrition, sleep/energy and hygiene - all in a quest to get children more aware of the importance of a healthy body.  Check out the website:  Sesame Street Presents:  The Body.

Additionally, I also came across a cool website designed by teachers for teachers (K-5th) called Take 10.  The premise behind this program is to integrate movement (10 minutes a day) into the daily curriculum.  It promotes physical activity in and out of school (very important) and helps to reduce sedentary behavior in children (even more important).

If you haven’t caught on by now, there’s a theme going on here.  Kids need to start learning at an early age that physical activity, nutrition, hygiene, etc are important for their well being.  Sometimes we need to be told where to find these resources, and well…I just told you (wink). 

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