Big Bird and the Big One

Learning about earthquake preparedness can be instructive and entertaining. Just ask the 80 children at Cypress I Preschool in East Los Angeles who learned important safety tips from a Sesame Street puppet show acted by the chapter’s California Safe Corps (AmeriCorps) members.

Samantha Bowles, Zara Bott-Goins, Elda Kong, Jasmine Tucker, Candace Bolden and Andrea Palato are spending 10 months at the chapter as Americorps volunteers helping educate underserved communities about disaster preparation, prevention, and response.

The puppet show is one of the many educational tools the team uses to reach out to children to provide early exposure to earthquake safety. With the help of Elmo, Big Bird and the rest of the Sesame Street gang, the AmeriCorps members explain the importance of finding safety spots, holding earthquake drills and staying calm.

Anna Martinez, the school’s director, said the free show filled with valuable lessons was well-received by the children and staff. Cypress I Preschool is a Kedren Head Start state preschool for working and income-eligible parents in Los Angeles.