Resources

Kids on the Block Puppets

SPAN is pleased to be able to offer the Kids on the Block program to St. Paul and surrounding communities. The Kids on the Block provides educational puppet programs that enlighten children on the issues of disability awareness, medical-educational differences, and social concerns. The National Office of the Kids on the Block develops relevant and timely program topics performed by over 1000 troupes around the world.

What's involved

Kids on the Block is a troupe of Muppet-like puppets that show children, through a series of skits, that people with disabilities have the same needs, wants and dreams as everyone else. Handled by volunteer puppeteers, working in teams of two, the puppets appear in five skits and answer questions about the disabilities portrayed: Mark, who has cerebral palsy; Mandy, who is deaf; Renaldo, who is blind; Ellen Jane, who has a developmental disability; Jennifer, who has a learning disability; and Melody and Brenda, their friends. The show is designed for six to 11 year olds. But Kids on the Block is more than entertainment for school children; it helps children deal positively with their misconceptions and concerns. There is a question period after each skit.