Sesame Street, Einstein, Disney and How Young is Too Young to Teach?

Published October 29, 2009 @ 12:03PM PT

Forty years ago, on November 10, 1969, the first episode of Sesame Street was broadcast — "televised preschool" created by educators, experts in child development and officials at the Carnegie and Ford foundations. It was often close to controversy with everyone from feminists to conservatives complaining about certain aspects. Someone from the BBC even went as far as calling it 'a form of 'indoctrination' with 'authoritarian aims'," reports Reason Magazine. They contrast Sesame Street's success and popularity with the recent Baby Einstein "educational" DVDS, summing up that they'd be better known as "Baby Warhol."

There of course has been a backlash against Disney's Baby Einstein DVDs, with refunds now being offered. President Bush backed the maker of the DVDs but pediatricians explained that kids shouldn't be watching TV at all at such a young age (0-2). Indeed some fear it may in fact be harmful for under-2s to watch any television. Disney is now refunding money on its DVDs with the "tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect." Making false claims of genius doesn't help parents make informed choices about when is a good time to begin education, especially not when it goes against the commonsense to keep very young children away from television. Meanwhile, Kid TV watching is at an all-time high!

Photo credit: Eugenia_y_Julian

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Comments (4)

Everyone interested in this issue should read the book, "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards" by childhood psychologists Kathy Hirsch-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff (AboutCom review URL, below). It goes straight for Disney's jugular (check out the cover photo!) and strips Baby Einstein bare with authoritative advice backed by solid research in the warm and humorous voices of professional women who also happen to be experienced mothers. I've been recommending this book since it first hit the shelves and still refer to it myself as a teacher of children.

Posted by William Newman on 11/01/2009 @ 12:34PM PT
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Um, the URL I included was stripped off so you will have to search for the book yourselves. Well worth it!

Posted by William Newman on 11/01/2009 @ 12:35PM PT
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The people who really thought those videos would make their children smarter are dumb. I had the dvds for my son to entertain him when nothing else would and so that I could get work done. Without those videos I don't know what I would do sometimes. I know plenty of people who have the dvds for the same reason. It's not like they are watching it all day, it's like 20min big deal. I don't think they should give money back to people that dumb.

Posted by Stephanie Londono on 11/03/2009 @ 08:07AM PT
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But what about Teletubbies? I used to watch that show with My Stepniece(My Brother's Wife's Daughter from a previous Marrage) and I consider it to be a top quality Children's Television show.That show teaches very young Children about different Cultures and Religions and most importantly,to respect Cultural and Religious diversity. Of course Reverend Jimmie Swagert(spell check?) claims that Tinki Winki is a Gay roll model but He is just an dumb and ignorant Bigot that doese NOT know what He is even talking about!Case-in-point:,...He(Reverend Swagert) pretty much verbally trashed the Life Extension Foundation without even getting His FACTS right! Now if THAT'S not a really dumb thing to do,I don't know WHAT IS!!!!

Posted by Stephen Lang on 11/08/2009 @ 10:29PM PT
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