Are you a child or a parent who is wondering about kids eating healthy and staying fit this summer?
PBS KIDS and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, are kicking-off "Happy Healthy Summer" on PBS KIDS this summer on June 20th. The program will be hosted by Sesame Street's Grover and is intended to inspire kids to make healthy choices early in life.
Sesame Street's Grover, the gregarious blue monster and host of Happy Healthy Summer on PBS KIDS, and Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio from Sesame Workshop, were online Friday, June 17, at 3 p.m. ET to talk about eating healthy and being fit this summer.
Pbskids.org will feature healthy recipes and games about hygiene, nutrition, movement and sports -- kids can help Cookie Monster and Grover choose a balanced variety of fruits and vegetables at the grocery story in "Color Me Hungry" (pbskids.org/sesame). Activities on pbskids.org/healthysummer will change weekly to coincide with the weekly episode themes.
As the focus of her career, Truglio, Ph.D., assesses the role of television in the socialization and education of children. She has been with Sesame Street for seven years and is a widely published expert on child development. Her articles appear in child and developmental psychology journals.
The transcript follows.
____________________
Grover: Hello everybody! It is your furry blue pal Grover here!
_______________________
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Hi, this is Dr. Rosemarie Truglio.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: Grover, thanks for being online today! Have you always been a healthy eater, or is this new for you? If so, has it been hard for you to eat lots of fruits and veggies?
Grover: I have always been a healthy eater! I love the fruits! I love the vegetables! I also have a special fondness for legumes!
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: Hey I LOOOVE cute little Grover. I've watched Sesame Street for 35 years -- how come Grover never grows old?????
Grover: Healthy living!
_______________________
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: This one's for Grover: Are any of your fellow residents on Sesame Street vegetarians? How about that Count??
Grover: I am not sure if anyone is a vegetarian but I know Baby Bear is a strict porridge-atarian!
_______________________
Greenbelt, Md.: Hi, Grover! I just wanted to tell you how much I like your book, "There's a Monster at the End of this Book!" It's a lot of fun and always makes my nephew laugh!
Grover: I am glad your nephew enjoys the fine literature!
_______________________
Arlington, Va.: Dr. Truglio, thank you for taking my question. Did you develop this programming and why did you decide to do so? What do you hope kids will learn from it?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Sesame Street has always addressed the needs of children, and every year we revise the curriculum to address a specific need. Currently there is an obesity crisis in our country where we're seeing a percentage of preschoolers becoming overweight. Sesame decided to take a preventative approach since we are all about preparing children not only for school, but for life, and we have a wonderful opportunity using our popular muppets to reach children and their families to establish healthy habits for life. These habits involve eating healthy food, being physically active, getting plenty of rest, and exercising proper hygiene. We hope that children will get excited about trying new and nutritious foods as well as learning more about their bodies and keeping bodies healthy through eating right, physical activity, getting plenty of rest and practicing good hygiene.
_______________________
Ocala, Fla.: Hi Grover. How do you feel about Cookie Monster's new commitment to healthy eating? And does it detract from his basic "Cookie Monsterness"?
Grover: I think that it is wonderful that Cookie Monster is trying out new foods! And some of these foods he loves a lot! In fact he was thinking of changing his name to "brussel sprout monster" but it did not have the same ring to it!
_______________________
Falls Church, Va.: Question for Grover. I grew up watching Sesame Street while I was in Asia in the 70's. I always have loved Grover. Heck I even bought my son a Grover doll. I never ever remembered Elmo. When did he show up? Not really lovable like you Grover. I think they should stop marketing Elmo and get back to Grover. What do you all say?
Grover: You have lived in Asia? I love Asia! As you know, I love to travel the world! Where in Asia did you live?
_______________________
Near........far.........: Grover, would you say that eating healthy is an important way of staying in shape for when you demonstrate near...........and far............and near............and far.......
Thanks for so many great years!
Grover: I think if you eat healthy foods you can get very, very, very, very far!
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Dr. Truglio, can you tell us more about the activities and programs involved in this campaign? What's the targeted age group? Thanks!
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: The targeted age group is for children between the ages 2-5, the targeted age for Sesame Street. There are many components to this multiple media initiative. There is a home video with Grover called "Happy Healthy Monsters." There are some books coming out this summer and in these books there are also some recipe cards. There is a science museum in Phoenix, Ariz., that is called "Sesame Presents the Body." There is health content in every issue of Sesame Magazine, and the August issue will focus on health and exercise. The two books -- "Get Moving with Grover" and "Elmo's Breakfast Bingo" -- will be published in July. They will be coming with recipe cards provided by Produce for Better Health Foundation. There are two workbooks being published this summer by Learning Horizons called "My Healthy Body" and "Healthy Foods."
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Hey Grover! Name a few of your favorite songs of the moment. I'm curious to know what a furry blue monster listens to on his IPOD.
Grover: I enjoy anything by the Black Eyed Peas. They are both talented and delicious!
_______________________
Rockville, Md.: Me love cookies very much, but me looking for alternative. What suggestions do you have? By the way, me not monster.
Grover: I know you say you are not a monster, but I know you must have studied monsterese in college because your seem fairly fluent. Anyway, why not try a piece of fruit, or a crunchy vegetable or perhaps a refreshing frozen yogurt
_______________________
Wheaton, Md.: Grover,
How do you stay SOOOOO thin?
Grover: I do not snack, I enjoy exercise and I always remind myself how good I look in my Jordache jeans!
_______________________
Silver Spring, Md.: Grover, I just want to say thank you for all the cuteness you have brought to the world. I'm 26, and you've always been my favorite. I am slightly resentful of Elmo -- who was not around when I was a child -- because he seems to be overshadowing you a bit. But I'll always love you! --From one cute kid to another
Grover: Thank you for recognizing my cuteness! I will now recognize your cuteness! Oh there it is! Hello, cuteness! Now let us all take a moment to recognize Elmo's cuteness! He is so cute and red and fuzzy! He really is very cute!
_______________________
New Orleans, La.: Grover, I have never seen your teeth. How do you eat fruits and vegetable without them?
Grover: We monsters have very strong gums!
_______________________
Falls Church, Va.: Dr. Truglio, You've been in childhood developmental research for some time. Can you name an example or two that surfaced during your research that were surprising for you? Anything come out that was never expected?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: As we were preparing for this curriculum focus for healthy habits for life on Sesame Street, we did some initial research with preschoolers to assess if the Sesame Street muppets could really get kids excited about eating green vegetables. While we were fairly confident in thinking that we could, it is not until you conduct the research with the real experts, the children, to find out if it's true or not. We conducted the study -- we asked kids, we gave kids a picture of a chocolate bar and broccoli, we asked them which one they wanted to eat. The majority of the children to no one's surprise picked the chocolate bar. Then we paired Elmo with the chocolate bar and another unknown, but the red muppet character, and once again the children, picked the chocolate bar. When we switched Elmo to the broccoli and the other red character to the chocolate bar, most of the kids chose the broccoli. We see the power of Sesame Street muppets to get kids to be more open to trying different kinds of food.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Grover, I think you are fabulous! I especially enjoyed your performance as a waiter. How did you like the restaurant business?
Grover: It is very hard, very tough, and very sweaty, and that is just the special of the day! My advice is to not order it. Try the salad, it is fresh and tasty!
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.: Dear Grover,
Miss Piggy is a pig and Kermit is a frog. Grover, what are you?
Grover: A cute and fuzzy blue monster of course!
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.: Hi Grover! Will Super Grover be around for Happy, Healthy Summer too?
Grover: Super Grover? How would I know where Super Grover will be this Happy Healthy Summer? Super Grover is his own monster and not my alter ego or anything like that.
_______________________
A Mom: Grover, you are my youngest daughter's favorite on Sesame Street. She even has a well worn -- and very well loved -- Grover doll. Both are currently at Penn St. and doing well. Keep up the good work!
Grover: Hello mom, I hope she is doing well on her finals!
_______________________
Anonymous: Dr. Truglio, do you plan to do more programming like this in the future? How are you making kids and parents aware of this summer campaign?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: The healthy habits for life is a multi-year initiative so next year on Sesame Street you will see more health messages. Regarding the Happy Healthy Summer campaign we were fortunate to have Grover as host to these newly created initiatives, which will air on your local station promoting children's programs beginning this Monday, June 20, and every Monday throughout the summer. Sesame Street has always dealt with health because Sesame Street is based on a whole child curriculum which is comprised of positive, social, emotional and physical development.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Grover:
As a well-respected monster and part-time superhero, what foods do you eat for quick energy if you need to come to the rescue of someone in distress?
Grover: I have asked Super Grover this question before and he tells me it all depends on the heroic thing he must do. If he must bend steel he likes apricots! If he has to leap over a tall tower, it's casaba melon. And to use x-ray vision, a mushy pear!
_______________________
Atlanta, Ga.: Dr. Truglio, can you share some tactics on how to teach the idea of a "sometime" food, like in Cookie Monster's song?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: I think one key message I could give you regarding this is to never use food as a reward and not to ban the more unhealthy foods, such as cakes and cookies. The reason for this is that when you make food a reward or forbidden item it becomes more appealing to children. The key here is to teach kids about moderation, and as we did with Cookies, we talked about all of the wonderful delicious foods that are healthy and make you strong. But a cookie once in a while is not a bad thing.
_______________________
New York, N.Y.: Hey Grover, I'm a big fan! It took me a while to warm up to Elmo, when he first moved to Sesame Street. Did you ever feel envious of all the attention he got?
Grover: I have never been green with envy, I am always just cute and blue!
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Hi. I applaud Sesame Street, Grover and Dr. Rosemarie Truglio for helping children become healthier.
I work for a non-profit called Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and I thought you might be interested in what we do. We help communities build trails on old rail lines that are no longer being used. Rail-trails provide an excellent opportunity for children to get outside as they are safe areas away from traffic to walk, bike, in-line skate, etc. There are now more than 13,000 miles of rail-trails across the U.S., you can find one near your home by going to Rails to Trails.
Keep up the good work.
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Thank you so much. It sounds like this is a wonderful organization. Keep up the good work. It's so important to have children and their families take walks and explore their environment. I will definitely look at the Web site link.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Hello everybodeee!!
Dr. Truglio, I've heard that the childhood obesity epidemic is less a result of eating habits and more a result of less physical activity than in earlier generations, what with video games, DVDs and digital this and that. It seems that climbing a tree and riding bicycles can't compete anymore. How much do you stress physical activity versus healthy eating in your program? Thank you.
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Both are important, and in our program we stress quite a bit the fun of being physically active, in particular during the summer months. That's what the campaign Happy Healthy Summer is all about.
_______________________
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: And we encourage parents to do more family activities that will get the whole family out, keeping in mind that parents are important roll models for their children. And if you go to the pbskids.org Web site, you can learn more about fun activities and tips to keep your children happy and healthy. And keep in mind that on Sesame Street there are some wonderful segments that get kids up and moving and dancing to music while they are watching the show.
_______________________
Lanham, Md.: Hey Grover, my brother Willie who is 11 years old is picky about what he wants to eat. He won't eat papaya, cantaloupe, or any of the other fruits that other people eat. He ends up getting fat by eating too much food my mom cooks for him even though I'm eating healthy. What should I do so Willie won't be fat? His shirts, underwear and pants won't size due to his tummy and waist (he's a 34/35 in 20 section for boys). Shouldn't Willie eat fruit without saying no to me and my other family members? And to help him to lose weight? I try locking the freezer but he was able to open it. What should I do Grover?
Grover: It is very nice that you care about your brother, Willie, and the best thing you can do is go out with Willie to play! Physical activity is a great way to get healthy! You and Willie can run and ride bikes and skate and lots of other fun things too! Also, don't worry, sometimes it takes me many times before I like a new food. I had to try garbanzo beans 37 times before I started liking them.
_______________________
Snow Hill, MD: Dr. Truglio,
I saw on www.pbsparents.org, you are answering questions about how to help kids have a happy, healthy summer. Thanks for the great advice about what kids can do in this summer heat! How long are you answering questions for?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Thank you. I will be doing this for the next two weeks.
_______________________
Elementary, Grade 2: Grover! We are using the computer in the library. We love you, especially the time where you drove a car. Was it a blomby car! Do you like math! I wish I could fly like Super Grover. I don't like math.
Love,
Anna and Karin
Grover: Dear Anna and Karin, It is so nice to talk to you. I love you too! As for the car, I do not think it was very blomby, it may have been just a little, teensy bit blomby ... to tell you the truth, I do not even know what blomby is, so I must say it could have beem blomby and I would have never known of its blombyness!
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Dr. Truglio, have you enjoyed working on this series?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: Yes I have. It's been a wonderful experience and I feel that we're doing some wonderful work and we've been getting some great letters telling us about the impact that we're making from the parents of the children that we're reaching through our television show and across our multiple media platforms.
_______________________
World's Cutest Monster: Grover,
Just wanted to tell you that you are my favorite monster in the whole wide world! I love you so much!
Grover: And I love you too!
_______________________
Takoma Park, Md.: Do you think Super Grover drinks energy drinks?
Grover: I do not drink any energy drinks, I prefer nice cool tap water with two ice cubes and a cute little purple umbrella in it!
_______________________
Cape Cod, Mass.: I'm delighted that you're both online today! I'm a returning fan to Sesame now that I have a two-year-old boy and I love to watch the clips and segments from the "old days." I've been wondering if there's a book about behind the scenes at Sesame Street and the history of Sesame Street. I just noticed the reference to your book Dr. Truglio -- does it provide this type of background on Sesame?
Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio: My book "G is for Growing: 30 Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street" provides more of the education and research behind Sesame Street, but there is a book called "Sesame Street Unpaved," published by Hyperion, which provides more of the behind-the-scenes history of Sesame Street.
_______________________
Los Angeles, Calif.: Do you feel Cookie Monster is doing the right thing in giving up cookies?
Grover: Cookie Monster has not given up cookies completely, he just tries to eat cookies sometimes instead of all the times. Now instead of eating cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, Cookie Monster will eat Cookie, Cookie, bell pepper, cookie! He changes it up a little!
_______________________
Manassas Park, Va.: My boys and I just visited you at Sesame Place last weekend. We had a ball. All the monsters were so friendly, especially you, Cookie, and of course Elmo. My three year old on the autism spectrum is an especially big fan. Does your friend Dr. Truglio have any advice to help broaden his range of foods? I am sure Grover would agree -- a boy can't live on chicken nuggets alone.
Grover: I can only tell him what I like to do. I like to eat my cute little colors! What does it mean to eat your colors? I am glad you asked. When I eat my colors, I nosh on a nice orange carrot, I chew on a beautiful green broccoli, I munch on a tasty yellow pepper, in short I mix it up and eat all the colors of the rainbow! Try getting him to eat his colors; it is very fun!
_______________________
Grover: Well that is all for now! It is time for this monster to hit the road! Just remember to have fun, be safe and have a happy healthy summer, everybody! Bye-bye!
_______________________
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
