CNN has once again partnered with Sesame Street for a second town hall about coronavirus to give kids the opportunity to learn more about the pandemic and ask questions.
“The ABCs of Covid-19: A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Parents” aired on Saturday morning and tackled issues including summer safety, play dates, schooling and how kids and families around the world are creatively coping during these challenging times.
The 60-minute special featured experts and Sesame Street characters – including Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Rosita and Grover. Together, they answered questions submitted by families.
The event was moderated by CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill, and, of course, Big Bird.
Here are some of the best moments:
Dr. Gupta played an accordion for a song about caring
After just a little bit of convincing from Elmo, Big Bird and Abby Cadabby, Gupta bought out an accordion to play a big opening song.
Everyone, including Hill, sang along to the tune about how we should care for each other during the pandemic, because “like birds of a feather, we’re in this together.”
The song went through the alphabets of the word ‘care’: C is for covering your face with a mask, A is for a park and staying six feet apart, R is for remembering to wash your hands, and E is for everyone’s job to help others.
Turns out Dr. Gupta has some hidden talents we didn’t know about!
Some kids wondered when they could visit their grandparents
Kane, a 5-year-old from California, and Oscar, a 7-year-old from Kansas, wanted to know when it would be safe to hug their grandparents again.
While spending so much time away from family has been really hard for everyone, we do it to keep each other safe. But according to Dr. Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, it may be possible to start seeing family members again.
“One of the most important things though is that we always tell the truth,” Acton said.
“If we’re not feeling good, we should tell an adult that we don’t feel good because that’s not a good time to go visit. But your family might decide now might be an OK time to go visit.”
While everyone is starting to really miss their friends and family, it’s important to remember that we are all in this together, and what matters most is keeping each other safe.
What about play dates with friends?
A lot of kiddos had the same question: can they go back to having play dates?
While its ultimately up to our parents if we can visit our friends or have them sleepover, there is another way for families to stay social with friends.
“Families are picking other families to pair up with, so you kind of become two families that get together and that’s the same families you always get together with and that helps you keep safe as well,” Acton said.
It’s also very important to make sure both you and your friend aren’t feeling sick when seeing each other.
If you’re visiting a friend, Gupta added that it’s also a good idea to use the bathroom before the play date so you can avoid the risk of sharing too many spaces.
The muppets sang for essential workers
Some of our favorite Sesame Street characters, including Elmo, Grover, and Abby Cadabby, sang a song dedicated to thanking all the heroes in our neighborhoods.
Photos and videos of essential workers, including doctors, construction workers, cashiers, and firefighters, were displayed on the screen while the trio sang the catchy tune.
“Thank you to all the amazing heroes out there, helping and caring for others,” Abby Cadabby said.
Raya, a muppet in India, showed off how he passes the time
Millions of children across the world are still isolating at home as the coronavirus pandemic continues. For Raya, a muppet in India, shared his own experiences.
While schools are still closed, Raya got to go to the park where he practiced social distancing while meeting his friend.
“I waved to him from across the park and I even gave him an air [high] five,” Raya said. “It was great to see him, even at a distance.”
These siblings wanted to know if it was safe to go to the beach
Eight-year-old Alec and his sister, 11-year-old Angelina, asked Gupta if the coronavirus could be spread at the beach.
“When you’re outside, you’re going to be much safer than when you’re inside,” Gupta answered. “So outside is good, I think a lot of people should remember that. It’s probably healthy both physically and mentally.”
Gupta encouraged the siblings to go out at times when there aren’t too many people around. He also reminded us of the importance to always maintain social distancing and wash our hands whenever we use shared spaces, like bathrooms.
Acton also gave some fun ideas on how to social distance outdoors, like drawing a big circle in the sand around ourselves and our family at the beach.
US gymnasts shared how they’re working out at home
Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez, teammates on the gold-medal winning US gymnastics squad at the 2016 Olympics, joined the town hall to talk about how they’ve been staying active while being home.
Now that gyms are open, Biles said it hasn’t been easy getting back into the swing of things. Before that, the gymnast was doing Zoom workouts.
Hernandez got a new coach: her dog, who regularly interrupted her when attempting to practice some of her skills.
Both women were supposed to attend the 2020 Summer Olympics, which has been delayed until next year. Despite the disappointing news, Biles and Hernandez agreed that the world’s health comes first.
“It was kind of tough, it was like getting the rug swept out from underneath you,” Hernandez said. “Nobody was really expecting anything that happened this year to happen so we’re all just hanging in there and trying to make the best of it that we can.”
The gymnasts encouraged kids to stay positive and find things that makes them happy, like cooking, working out, or watching their favorite shows.
How to answer your children’s many ‘why’ questions
Jaime Dapper, a mother of three from Las Vegas, said her children are “constantly asking ‘why, why, why?’” She wanted to know how much, or how little, she should explain to them.
Children are full of curiosity, and it’s through these questions that they learn more about the world around them. To educate kids and answer their questions without overwhelming them, parents should only answer the one question asked, said Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president of curriculum and content at Sesame Workshop.
Giving children too much information can lead to worry and anxiety, Truglio said.
“If you don’t know the answer, it’s OK to say, ‘I don’t know, but let’s find out together,’” she said.
