Rating: Tv-Y
Target Audience: Preschoolers
Episode length: 30 min
Channel/Schedule: PBS/WQED/ Check local listings for times
For my capstone project this semester I am focusing primarily on the separation anxiety and other fears that can arise when preschoolers begin school for the first time. So when I started doing research to see how kids react and how adults can help them through that sometimes difficult transition…who better to look to than the one man who cared and understood children more than anyone else in television and probably the world…Mister Rogers.
Not only does Mister Rogers address the feelings kids go through when they first begin school…but he spends an entire week of episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood focusing on the topic. I was lucky enough to visit the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College…where they allowed me to look through the Mister Rogers’ archives and watch some of the episodes.
Fred Rogers always approached children in the most caring and understanding way…he invited them into his home…talked with them…pretended with them…and always reminded them just how very special they are. As I sat and watched some of the “Going to School” episodes I saw many different ways to approach that topic. For example…in one episode Mister Rogers went to the elementary school he attended and was given a tour by one of the Kindergarten teachers. What I found most fascinating about this approach was how Mister Rogers seemed to react to that experience just as a child might. When he walked into the classroom he commented on how big the room was…he also asked where the bathrooms were…many of the biggest thoughts and questions that go through a child’s head when they go into a new environment. In another episode he addressed the feelings children have or had about starting school by showing a montage of interviews he did with children about their first day of school and the thoughts or fears that they experienced. During this montage you never once saw Mister Rogers… you always heard him…but the focus was always on the children. And finally… it wouldn’t be Mister Rogers if he didn’t also approach the topic through make believe. Throughout the week the characters in the Neighborhood of Make Believe decided to build a school where Prince Tuesday…Anna Platypus…and Daniel the Striped Tiger could learn. Of course…Daniel was nervous at first…but once he got there he realized how much fun school was…especially with all his friends there.
The way Mister Rogers addressed beginning school just seemed so in depth and loving. He wanted to make sure that he did everything he could to show kids that school could be a wonderful place to learn and grow and have fun. It was so fun to watch because you just see in him the wonderful curiosity that all children have. Sitting there watching him just seemed so comforting. I don’t think I have ever watched a show that worked so hard to prepare kids for the huge journey ahead of them. There was always a pureness about him that when you watched you always knew he was telling you the truth. He truly was the best friend any of us could ever have.
For more information on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood visit: http://www.fci.org/
Target Audience: Preschoolers
Episode length: 30 min
Channel/Schedule: PBS/WQED/ Check local listings for times
For my capstone project this semester I am focusing primarily on the separation anxiety and other fears that can arise when preschoolers begin school for the first time. So when I started doing research to see how kids react and how adults can help them through that sometimes difficult transition…who better to look to than the one man who cared and understood children more than anyone else in television and probably the world…Mister Rogers.
Not only does Mister Rogers address the feelings kids go through when they first begin school…but he spends an entire week of episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood focusing on the topic. I was lucky enough to visit the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College…where they allowed me to look through the Mister Rogers’ archives and watch some of the episodes.
Fred Rogers always approached children in the most caring and understanding way…he invited them into his home…talked with them…pretended with them…and always reminded them just how very special they are. As I sat and watched some of the “Going to School” episodes I saw many different ways to approach that topic. For example…in one episode Mister Rogers went to the elementary school he attended and was given a tour by one of the Kindergarten teachers. What I found most fascinating about this approach was how Mister Rogers seemed to react to that experience just as a child might. When he walked into the classroom he commented on how big the room was…he also asked where the bathrooms were…many of the biggest thoughts and questions that go through a child’s head when they go into a new environment. In another episode he addressed the feelings children have or had about starting school by showing a montage of interviews he did with children about their first day of school and the thoughts or fears that they experienced. During this montage you never once saw Mister Rogers… you always heard him…but the focus was always on the children. And finally… it wouldn’t be Mister Rogers if he didn’t also approach the topic through make believe. Throughout the week the characters in the Neighborhood of Make Believe decided to build a school where Prince Tuesday…Anna Platypus…and Daniel the Striped Tiger could learn. Of course…Daniel was nervous at first…but once he got there he realized how much fun school was…especially with all his friends there.
The way Mister Rogers addressed beginning school just seemed so in depth and loving. He wanted to make sure that he did everything he could to show kids that school could be a wonderful place to learn and grow and have fun. It was so fun to watch because you just see in him the wonderful curiosity that all children have. Sitting there watching him just seemed so comforting. I don’t think I have ever watched a show that worked so hard to prepare kids for the huge journey ahead of them. There was always a pureness about him that when you watched you always knew he was telling you the truth. He truly was the best friend any of us could ever have.
For more information on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood visit: http://www.fci.org/
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