It’s Good to be Curious: Hedda Sharapan visits DCM for the Annual Educator Open House

Many of you may fondly remember Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, the popular children’s show on PBS.  On October 1, DuPage Children's Museum brought the memory of Mr. Rogers to life with a visit from his longtime friend Hedda Sharapan. Sharapan worked closely with Fred Rogers beginning in 1966. Together they wrote books for children and parents and authored professional development materials for early childhood educators. Ms. Sharapan is now the Director of Early Childhood Initiatives with the Fred Rogers Company.

At DCM’s Educator Open House, Sharapan revisited the work of Rogers by sharing clips from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood that incorporated learning through the use of tools. She explains:

I remember a reporter once came to Fred and said, “Why didn’t you spend more time on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood with the ABCs, 123s, numbers?” And Fred said, “Because I’d rather give children the tools for learning. If we give them the tools, they will want to learn the facts.”

In the spirit of providing tools for learning, DCM will be opening a new exhibit to the public on October 27, 2012 called, How People Make Things, based on Mr. Rogers’  factory tours for children. It will be no surprise that this exhibit is borrowed from the Children’s Museum of Pittsburg—where Rogers was an advisor, a mentor and a friend.

Come visit the exhibit!  In the meantime, recapture some of your own memories by listening to Fred Rogers remixed...

You can sign up for the Fred Rogers Professional Development Newsletter here http://www.fredrogers.org/