THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHIVE - All Things Mister Rogers | ||
Grow and Learn: Alike & DifferentDate: 1999
Editorial Consultants: Cathy Cohen Droz, Elaine Lynch, Aisha White 1999 Creative Teaching Press, Inc. Date: 1999
Editorial Consultants: Cathy Cohen Droz, Elaine Lynch, Aisha White Copyright © 1999 by Family Communications, Inc. DescriptionFor over 30 years, Mister Rogers has been a television friend to young children, helping them grow both "inside and out" as they learn along withi him every day. Alike & Different brings to you his deep understanding of children and how they grow, and features practical, hands-on activities for your classroom. Just look inside Alike & Different -- there is so much to do! Children learn that things are alike and different as they experiment with high and low sounds, sing quickly and slowly, and compare foods. Children learn to appreciate the similarities and differences in people as they compare shoes and feet, create self-portraits, and discuss physical challenges. And, to make learning about the concepts of alike and different even more meaningful, children play games in which they match, make predictions about, and play with objects that are alike and different. As a teacher, you have many ways to help children learn about their world. Now, with these ideas from Mister Rogers and Alike & Different, you will have a wonderful resource to support you in this important work. A Letter From Fred RogersDear Neighbor, In many ways we are all alike -- and yet we're all different! We can feel a great sense of kinship to those around us and at the same time recognize that each one of us is unique! During much of our lives, we often play the tug-of-war game of being accepted as part of a group while still remaining our individual selves! That game begins early on when young children say no as a way of separating themselves so they can feel some sense of autonomy -- a sense of being different from the people whom they love. Sometimes saying no to someone else's suggestion is a way of saying yes to self-control. Of course, what matters most for children is how they feel about their uniqueness once they do begin to realize that they are, in some ways, different from everyone else. How they feel about this early in their lives often determines whether they grow into adults who rejoice in the diversity of the world's people or into adults who fear and resent that kind of diversity. We want to do all we can to encourage children to become adults who rejoice in living in a world of endless variety of human beings and at the same time share with their neighbors the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows we all have in common. Of course, we do this best by being that way ourselves. Attitudes are caught, not taught! Fred Rogers |
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