Sesame Workshop and SC Johnson Launch New Resources That Foster Children’s Curiosity and a Love of Science

Videos and tools are the latest in global initiative to help families stay healthy, connected, and full of curiosity

RACINE, Wis., May 24, 2021 – Today Sesame Workshop released videos and tools to foster children’s curiosity and inspire them to explore the wonders of science, as part of its global initiative with SC Johnson. The resources available today on SesameStreetinCommunities.org encourage children and their parents and caregivers to explore scientific concepts through everyday questions concerning the world around them.

“Children are naturally curious, and as families continue to cope with uncertainty and transitions due to COVID-19, children have more questions about how and why things are the way they are. When we encourage children to ask lots of questions, we’re helping them build their curiosity and think like little scientists,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. “We’re proud to team up with SC Johnson to celebrate children’s questions as springboards to start scientific exploration together as a family.”

The new resources, available in English and Spanish, are designed to help families learn aspects of health and sustainability. They include:

• Just Ask! a music video with Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Julia’s dad and brother Sam that helps get children excited about asking questions. 
• What Are Germs? a video featuring Julia’s dad teaching Abby and Sam about germs, giving an up-close look at them, and explaining how to get rid of some of the germs that make us sick.
• Reuse! a video showcasing Ernie and Elmo turning recycled bottles into art—showing children that they can make amazing creations and help the planet by reusing some things that have already served their original purpose. 
• STEM and Levers a video focusing on simple machines, with Ernie and Abby learning to use wheels and levers to move a very big pumpkin. 
• New printable activities, including Questions for a Virus and a Let Curiosity Thrive chart to spark big questions and conversations between children and their families.
• New articles for parents about using children’s questions as a springboard for playful learning in everyday moments.

“SC Johnson is committed to educating and enabling future generations, and this latest series of engaging content is designed to help children, through their parents and caregivers, think scientifically, gain the skills they need to live healthier and more sustainable lives, and encourage family connections,” said Alan VanderMolen, Chief Communications Officer at SC Johnson. 

These videos are the latest in a series of global resources to help families build a healthier, more sustainable world, as part of Sesame Workshop’s broader Caring for Each Other initiative to support families during COVID-19 and beyond—all centered around the pillars of health, sustainability, and early education building blocks.

Forthcoming resources for families in the US, Latin America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa will encourage positive hygiene behaviors and reinforce the importance of staying clean to avoid germs, building on Sesame Workshop’s health and hygiene programming around the world. SC Johnson is supporting this work as part of its global efforts to create a healthier and more sustainable world for this and future generations. More information about Sesame Workshop’s collaboration with SC Johnson can be found here.

About Sesame Workshop 
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.