From China to America, a Brilliant Spectacle of Light and Color

A planetarium show introduces children to the night sky while forging cross-cultural connections.

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 four- to six-year-olds is truly nothing short of stellar.

Big Bird, Hu Hu Zhu, and Elmo (One World, One Sky)

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.

The show is written in three languages: English and Spanish for American audiences, and Mandarin for Chinese audiences. In the American version, Hu Hu Zhu visits Elmo on Sesame Street, while the Chinese version flips the storyline and tells the story of Elmo visiting Hu Hu Zhu in China. In both versions, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu teach each other how to say simple words such as "star" and "moon" in their native languages.

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.

President and CEO Gary Knell is pleased that Sesame Workshop is able to continue forging cross-cultural connections.

"Sesame Street brings children images of the world beyond their own and now One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure will take that one step further, bridging kids across nations through a common bond in learning about the sky together,” Knell said.

To reinforce the planetarium show's key messages, Sesame Workshop is delivering outreach materials for children, caregivers, and educators. These materials include a parent/child activity brochure with an interactive poster, a facilitator guide and teacher materials including suggestions for activities and lessons. A DVD of the show will also be available for schools to show their students. With these materials, One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure hopes to encourage and support collaboration between science educators and institutions in China and the United States.

One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure is a creation of Sesame Workshop, the Beijing Planetarium, Chicago's Adler Planetarium, and Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. The show premiered on September 26, 2008, at the Beijing Planetarium, and will debut in the United States on October 15, 2008, at Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

If you would like to bring "One World, One Sky" to your facility and need booking information, please contact:

Michael Daut, Director of Show Production/Marketing
Evans & Sutherland Digital Theater
801-588-1627 voice
801-580-0254 cell
801-588-4520 fax

Annette Sotheran-Barnett, Creative Content Director
Sky-Skan, Inc.
603-880-8500 voice
484-786-3491 cell
www.skyskan.com

Peter van Roden
Sesame Workshop
212-875-6651

Funders

National Science Foundation
PNC Foundation
W.L.S. Spencer Foundation
China Association for Science and Technology
National Natural Science Foundation of China