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Fall Fun with KCPT Kids

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by
Elizabeth Hansen
• Published on • Last modified on
Mr. Stinky Feet performs with kids at Be My Neighbor Day.
Mr. Stinky Feet performed for kids at Be My Neighbor Day.
Station News

This fall, we brought two favorite PBS KIDS characters to Kansas City — Daniel Tiger and Cookie Monster — to meet families and celebrate two new initiatives.

In October, we opened our parking lot and to introduce Kansas City to the the new Sesame Street in Communities resource during a KCPT Block Party. Nearly 500 people attended the party and had a chance to pose with Cookie Monster, enjoy story time with Mid-Continent Public Library, take away free books from the Ruiz Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, eat healthy snacks from KC Healthy Kids, and participate in activities from Synergy Services and the Whole Person. The Family Conservancy’s Talk Read Play Book Walk also entertained. In our neighbor’s CCVI Sensory Garden, families engaged with activities from the Sesame Street in Communities website including Elmo Says…, Feelings Tic-Tac-Toe, Workout with Grover and the Walk and Talk Activity.

Block Party-goers also walked away with activity folders from Sesame Street in Communities and Kansas City PBS jump ropes and other PBS KIDS goodies.

In November, we hosted our second new initiative, Be My Neighbor Day, with partners PNC Grow Up Great and the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center.

More than 850 people gathered over the day at the Discovery Center to focus on being a caring neighbor to people and to the environment. Special guest Daniel Tiger of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood led off the activities, which included:
  • Making more than 400 sandwiches with Initiative PB & J for people in need
  • Contributing two bins of sweaters and coats for Synergy Services
  • Contributing three barrels of food for Harvesters
  • Writing approximately 100 cards welcoming refugees for KC for refugees
  • Painting more than 200 kindness rocks for veterans centers with Kids for Vets
  • Creating hundreds of seed balls and homemade books to gift to neighbors and friends.

The day also included performances by Mr. Stinky Feet and StoneLion Puppet Theatre, puppet making with PNC Grow Up Great, story time with Literacy KC and the Discovery Center, hands-on activities from Science City, and free books from the Ruiz Branch of the Kansas CIty Public Library.
KCPT KIDS Sesame Street in Communities Be My Neighbor Day infographic
Special thanks to all of the volunteers that made this day possible, including our Kansas City PBS volunteers and those from PNC, Centurions, and Kansas City Community Gardens!

During both of these special events, Kansas City PBS interviewed kids for the Local Stories on KCPT Kids series, which runs on the 24/7 KCPT PBS KIDS channel. This winter keep an eye on the television to see our local children showing us how they dance, stay healthy, and show that they care.