Do you want to help your little one learn to love the earth? They can learn all about appreciating and preserving nature with Elmo and his fellow Bear Scout friends during their visit to Bear National Park. The funny Park Ranger Squirrel teaches Little Bear why he should not litter and shows Elmo why he should not waste water. The Bear Scouts all end up earning a Love the Earth Badge and graduate to being Grizzly Scouts. Multiple forms of media and presentation are used in this video, which will help keep your little one interested. Aside from the wonderful Sesame Street puppets, there are multiple songs, cartoons, and video of real children interacting with nature. The main message of the video is that 'if you do your part, and ask everyone else to do their part, the whole world can be a cleaner place.'
Since the lessons apply directly to everyday living, it is easy and fun to bring the messages to life for your child. Just like Elmo and his friends, you and your little one can spend some time outside discussing what you notice about nature. You can ask you child questions like: What does it smell like? What colors do you see? What animals and insects are around? What sounds do you hear? The video also teaches how to recycle objects and shows new uses for them and using them, sometimes twice (or more!). It can be a fun game on a rainy afternoon to give your little one an object, like an empty jar or a grocery bag, and have them come up with as many other uses for it that they can. How about helping your child come up with a song about recycling? The sillier, the better!
My three year-old friend Sam really enjoyed the when the children interacted with the park ranger. At the end of the video, the park ranger asks the kids to prove how much they love trees, and to find their own tree in the park to give a big hug. Sam insisted, "I love trees too! Can I hug one?" I laughed and took him outside so he could hung the weeping willow in his backyard. His mom said she caught him talking to it a few days later, and when she asked what he was doing, Sam answered, "Mom, trees are very special. This one is my friend."
--Audra