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October 2004 PBS Ready To Learn is supported by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, PR/Award Number R295A00002 Nice To Meet You

www.pbs.org/teachersource/prek2.htm This month on PBS TeacherSource - From the Start the focus is multiculturalism and diversity. It is important to realize that every child has a diverse life experience – these web activities and resources can help children understand and appreciate the similarities and differences amongst peers.

“NICE TO MEET YOU!” Kids all over the United States live in diverse places, enjoy different activities, and have different families and cultures. Watch the new series POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER to see how Buster introduces the new friends he meets to his old friends at home. Then, read Everybody Cooks Rice and talk about the similarities all children have (like cooking rice), and the differences (rice can be prepared in many different ways). Encourage children to think about the qualities that make them both the same and unique compared to other children. Use the “Introduce Yourself” activity to encourage kids to make art, write something or introduce themselves aloud to friends and family.

Web Resources:

VIEW: POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER (101) Meet Me at the Fair (Knox, Indiana)

Monday, October 11, 2004 @ 3:30 p.m. & Tuesday, October 12, 2004 @ 10 a.m

Feed the cows, take out the garbage, clean the house and all before breakfast?! That’s part of life on the farm for sister and brother Lauren and Nathan. However, they show Buster, there’s more to living on a farm than chores – like riding horses, driving tractors, and showing off their pigs at the County Fair!

BUSTER MEETS NEW KIDS, FROM DIFFERENT PLACES, EVERY EPISODE!

This new series is on weekdays at 10 a.m. & 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. Kids can introduce themselves every day!

While you’re watching… DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: -What do you have in common with these kids? -What are the differences between you? -How would you introduce yourself to Lauren and Nathan? Tell them about your life - Introduce yourself!

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October 2004 PBS Ready To Learn is supported by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, PR/Award Number R295A00002 Nice To Meet You

Other Recommended Books: Everybody Bakes Bread & Everybody Serves Soup

by Norah Dooley, Peter Thornton (Illustrator) Houses and Homes by Ann Morris,

Ken Hayman (Illustrator) The Sneetches & Other Stories by Dr. Seuss Olivia by Ian Falconer My Favorite Thing (According to Alberta)

by Emily Jenkins, Anna-Laura Cantone (Illustrator)

READ: Everybody Cooks Rice

By Norah Dooley, Peter Thornton (Illustrator) Carrie is sent to find her younger brother at dinnertime. As a result, she is introduced to a variety of cultures by encountering the many different ways rice is prepared at the households she visits. Her neighbors are from Barbados, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, India, China and Haiti. She discovers that although her family cooks rice Italian style, everybody else cooks rice, but in very different ways! Included, at the end of the book, are recipes for the various preparations.

DO: Introduce Yourself

Encourage children to introduce themselves and explain why they like or do certain things. Give kids ideas by asking questions like:

• What is your favorite food, game, book, character? Why? • What is something you like to do with your family? Why? • What is your favorite part of the day? Why? • What do you usually do after school or on the weekends? • What is something you do different/same as a friend?

After children have generated their own ideas, parents and caregivers can try a number of things: children can help trace one another on large paper and then use art/collage materials to illustrate their introduction, they could write a story that describes themselves or they could introduce themselves aloud to their class, family, friends, or even better: to Buster and the friends he meets every afternoon!

ALSO INCLUDED:

GEORGE SHRINKS Activity: A Postcard To My Friend By sending postcards, children practice expressing and telling stories about themselves, and they also learn about a central method of communication: mail delivery and the U.S. Post Office!

THIRTEEN’S NEW AFTERNOON LINEUP! On October 11, 2004 from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m, Thirteen/WNET will air the PBS Kids GO! block by premiering two new series, POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER and MAYA & MIGUEL. These shows will join the current, hit series ARTHUR and CYBERCHASE in the PBS KIDS GO! programming block, an afternoon of entertainment and education that will create a home for elementary school kids to return to each weekday afterschool – and again on weekend mornings.

33::3300 POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER Arthur’s best friend Buster stars in his own series where he accompanies his airline pilot father as he flies the fictional Latin rock group Los Viajeros on a concert tour of the U.S., with forays into Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Buster stays in touch with his friends back home via a small, hand-held digital camera, sending them frequent video postcards of his travels.

44::0000 MAYA & MIGUEL MAYA & MIGUEL presents culture and language learning as fun, relevant and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. Lively and colorful, MAYA & MIGUEL chronicles the adventures, and sometimes misadventures, of 10-year-old twins Maya and Miguel Santos and features their family, friends and a richly diverse neighborhood.

44::3300 ARTHUR Arthur is an animated series whose goal is to foster an interest in reading and writing, and to encourage positive social skills. Based on the children’s books by Marc Brown, the show chronicles the adventures of Arthur (an eight-year-old aardvark) through engaging, emotional stories that explore issues faced by real kids.

55::0000 CYBERCHASE This animated adventure series takes kids (ages 8-11) on a wild ride through cyberspace where they are challenged to use the power of math. It features a team of curious kids – Matt, Inez and Jackie – who outwit and outsmart the bad guys in their adventurous quest to save Cyberspace. Each episode ends with a live-action segment, hosted by young, comedic actors who explore the show’s topic in the real world.

AANNDD, watch PBS KIDS GO! on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Visit www.pbskidsgo.org