Dr. Joel Schneider left a very special legacy for Sesame Workshop. While he was head of education and research,
he dreamed of a project that would promote scientific curiosity and foster cross-cultural
appreciation between China and the United States. He saw a unique opportunity to achieve
both of these goals through the lens of astronomy. In his memory and inspired by his motivating
force, One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure was born – and the resulting planetarium show for
pre-K and kindergarten is truly nothing short of stellar.
The 20-minute planetarium show follows Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the Moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth.
One World, One Sky is a brilliant spectacle of light and color as the furry friends watch the stars twinkle over Sesame Street. Children attending the show can interact as they watch, drawing constellations and counting the time it takes the Sun to set.
The show aims to nurture a child's natural sense of wonder about the night sky, and the children at the advance screening responded well.
"Wow! I've never seen Sesame Street like THIS before!"
exclaimed one young viewer. Click the below play button to see yourself!
When Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu "travel" to the Moon, they discover some basic but surprising scientific facts. For example, they can't fly a kite there because there is no wind. The fuzzy friends then excitedly realize that children like to fly kites in both China and the United States. At the end of the show, Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu pick a friendship star to remind them that no matter how far apart they might be, they can always look into the night sky and cherish their shared memories.
Teacher Guide (English)
