h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That programme is deeply evil. Reading at college level?

CHildren do learn form this show and is supported by many. How can it be deeply evil?

Living in bins? Eight-foot tall monster birds in sinister yellow? SNuflle...snufalup...snophalopo....completely unpronounceable creatures?
But it's all for the best, let the little-uns develop a bizarrely twisted view of the world early.

Yes this episode was bought to you by the numbers 66 and 6 and by the letter B (for Bealzebub (or is that . . . Big Bird!?!?!))

The worst way to treat children is to treat them like children - they feel they're being patronized and switch off. Sesame street must be doing something wrong, given the current behaviour of US schoolkids. For a programme that claims to be teaching English it's got some very strange views about grammar and pronunciation.

I personally know kids that are reading at astonishingly young ages thanks in large part to Sesame Street. If kids are having funny ideas about pronunciation and grammar, I think it's more attributable to the current state of public education. For some reason, education is given lip-service by many public officials, but is still a low budgetary priority.

My little boy, who's only 1, loves watching Sesame Street in the morning. The bright colours attract him and he loves the music. It keeps his attention for a long time.
Children are more affected by how their parents treat them in the first few years of life than any tv program. Most people in society do not use correct grammar so you can't expect children to learn it.
And yes education suffers from lack of money. How can you possibly expect good teachers to be attracted to a job with such low pay. And I'm fed up hearing about local and college libraries having to cut their spending on books and periodicals. As a child, the local library was my sanctuary.
And children hate being patronized more by people who are talking to them than by tv programs.

I agree. If parents do not give their children the attention while they are young they are certainly going to develop at a slower rate.
Any parent who adopts the policy of substitutes reading to their kids and giving them time and attention to learning, for watching Sesame Street is going to end up with a child who has a muppet for a brain.
I'm not saying don't let kids watch it - just that too many parents think as long as they're plugging their kids into the TV set they don't have to do anything to help them learn/

Sure, but Sesame Street is a supplement; it is not a substitute for anything. I think it goes without saying that proper parenting and guidance are important. So, having said that, I'll reiterate: Sesame Street is a cool thing.

But what make the show a better learning tool is when parents sit and watch the show with there child(ren) and help them understand, to answer questions the chlid(ren) may have.

Yup. Couldn't agree more.

thank you

Wingpigge, I think it might say more about the standard of American college-level education than Sesame Street (only kidding, guys!).

Eight-foot canaries notwithstanding, all education is by definition a Good Thing in my book, except maybe teaching children that the alphabet ends in "zee" instead of "zed". Let's all give thanks for it, from the Children's Television Workshop to the Open University.

Gary

PS I am not aware of a single incident of someone carrying or using a firearm whilst watching Sesame Street. Chalk another one up for TV.

Of course it can't be overtly evil. It is implanting the unconscious desire to kill while crying out, "zee zee zee" in the minds of our young ones!

I agree zed is a far more final way of ending an alphabet. zee leaves the door open to a sequel: The alphabet II - just when you thought it was safe to go back to the dictionary.

that's what I'm ranting about. Too many parents are neglecting to do this and are using this as a substitute - which (as aforesaid) - for proper parental attention.
No, son, the TV set is not your mother!!

+ I always thought sesame street was lame when I was a kid.

If you think the grammar there is bad, try watching Teletubbies.

Come on if you end the alphabet in Zeeee, it rhymes better with the alphabet song....*singing* Now I know my ABC's won't you come and sing with me"
If you end in Zed it just doesn't work.

now I know my A B zed I will shoot you in the head. Oh no more killing madness. maybe that would make a good Celebrity death match: The teletubbies vs. Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird. Those teletubbies are fuckin wimps. they'd get wasted!!!

I think it's OK for me and my child to watch it together. I didn't want to give the impression that like many others I just leave him sitting in front of the telly. It is the only program I allow him to watch and I am continually there reinforcing things with him.
TV can be a good tool for learning if used correctly. But yes it can turn children into zombies with low concentration spans.

The only thing my kid likes about the tellietubbies is turning them off!

And I agree with some of the above comments. Education does not just mean school, it is a whole life thing. Having a young child is great as it is amazing to watch his enthusiasm for learning new things. But good education starts the moment a child is born. If you don't talk to it, the child will never learn to talk back. I found the two best things for making it easier to talk to my son was reading aloud whenever I was reading (Clive Barker at a very early age can only be good) and nursery rhymes. They kind of stop you feeling too silly when you don't get any talking back.