PBS Kids characters coming to museum

By DIANE SPEER, News Lifestyles Editor


Area youngsters are invited to the Besser Museum on Saturday to meet PBS Kids characters, Maya and Miguel.

The PBS Kids show, which airs weekdays at 4:30 p.m. on WCML PBS (Channel 6), chronicles the adventures and sometimes misadventures of 10-year-old siblings Maya and Miguel Santos. It also features their family, other relatives and a richly diverse neighborhood of friends.

The museum and the Ready to Learn program through CMU Public Broadcasting have combined efforts to offer this fun and educational outing for children, with Maya and Miguel at the center of all the activities. Besides a chance to meet these two well-known characters, young participants also will get to make crafts, see Maya and Miguel videos, and take home a free book.

“This is just another family-oriented event that we are offering,” said Museum Director Janet Smoak.

Last week, the museum hosted a Night at the Museum sleepover event that proved quite popular. The museum also regularly offers special Third Saturday of Month programs geared to children, and is home to the Educational Service District’s Discovery Zone for young families.

The Ready to Learn program is an education-based outreach that brings workshops and community events such as the Maya and Miguel event to the PBS viewing area.

It promotes literacy skills and school readiness as resources,” said Charlotte Galgoci, the Ready to Learn coordinator. “We always have a great turnout whenever we bring characters out for people to meet in person.”

Galgoci will be traveling to Alpena, where she will lead youngsters in several crafts, including the making of papel picado and milagros. Papel picado is a Hispanic tradition that involves folding and cutting tissue paper into beautiful designs for celebrations, while milagros features coloring and cutting out representational “charms.”

The Maya and Miguel television program encourages children to value, respect and better understand a variety of cultures. Each episode focuses on a particular set of vocabulary words, which are repeated throughout the show. In addition, Maya and Miguel fosters a positive attitude toward knowing and learning another language.

Six showings with Maya and Miguel are planned on Saturday, beginning at 10:40 a.m. and continuing through 1:35 p.m. Tickets are $3 each for kids and $5 for adults, with children 5 and under admitted free. The shows are by reserve seating, with families asked to call ahead for reservations at 356-2202. Tickets also will be available at the door.