Children of the World
A half-hour television series for children and their families.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
- Too often children have little or no knowledge of people with different ethnic backgrounds, or they grow up fearing people who are different from themselves. Their judgments often come from lack of understanding and personal contact. Today, more than ever, members of Latino, Asian, African, American and other cultures are mixed in the same classrooms, work places or are living in the same neighborhood. We all have to learn to get along and respect each other.
- How do we bridge these gaps? We have to start with the children. Children are curious by nature, but most of them don't have the opportunity to travel around the world. Children of the World is created to help children understand the means and ways of other countries. Children of the World joins the children together.
- These were the thoughts of two educators, Ilona and Erkki Kanto, natives of Finland, who wanted to bring the mysteries and wonders of other cultures to every child. "Children are the stars of this program, and every one of them is special and unique in his or her country," says Erkki Kanto, who has resided in the US since 1985.
- "This is a happy program and it gives a positive picture about every child and their country. Even though some countries are poor, such as Albania or Mexico, most of the children there live a happy and full life. Very few of them have their personal computers or even a TV set in the family, but they have something else. They have the rich culture and traditions of their country, as well as the unique games and hobbies of their own."
- The host of the series, professor Greg (Gregory Krosnes), is a funny young man. He knows exactly what appeals to children. "He is cool," is their usual comment after watching the show. To make the countries more concrete to kids, professor Greg introduces a souvenir from each country. He does have a habit of misplacing items, but soon he digs out his treasures, for instance, chopsticks from Hong Kong, a gondola from Italy, a troll from Norway, or a koala from Australia.
- At the closing of each episode, when it is time to say good bye, the professor uses the language of the featured country, repeating it a couple of times, so that the children may learn it, too. Albanian mirupahfshim or Italian chiao give a glimpse of what it is like to study different languages. Some are easier than others, but all are fun to learn.
Copyright ©1997-2006 Kanto Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.