Children in a parochial school in Nizhni Tag ii, Russia, wave BABES puppets to show their delight.
In the beginning, when BABES was created through the mind of Dr. Lottie Jones, she visualized BABES reaching around the world. The name of this publication and the masthead mirror that vision. Last October, two BABES Presenters from Orangewood Children’s Home introduced BABES to children in a city in the foothills of the Ural Mountains in central Russia. When you look at your world map, you will see this spot is just about halfway round the world from Detroit, where BABES was born.
The following was written by Pam Carlson. (In Russian schools all children learn one foreign language. In schools she visited, that language was English.)
“And the puppets jumped into the suitcase, 11 is how this special BABES story began. It was being told in Nizhni Tagil, located in the Ural Mountains, 900 miles east of Moscow. The puppets traveled to Russia with Pam Carlson and Illa Patterson of Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange, CA. Pam, a librarian, and Illa, a social worker, were traveling as part of Hands Across the Water, an exchange program with headquarters in New Jersey. Each October, Americans travel to Russia as part of the program. The following spring, the Russian hosts and hostesses have the opportunity to visit America.
Most of the participants are teachers and each is able to share from his or her expertise with their Russian counterpart.
The BABES program is an important part of life at Orangewood, an emergency shelter for children in need of care due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. It was only natural, then, that the program be shared in Russia. The main story was that Buttons’ and Bows’ father had earned a large bonus at work and decided .to take everyone to Russia on a special vacation. Myth Mary was afraid no one would speak English and she wouldn’t like the food.
The puppets were used the first time in a second grade classroom where the children loved them. They learned the “I Am Special II song and sang it quite well. We took the puppets to other classes and shared with teachers, students, and librarians about BABES. Many of the students wanted their pictures taken with the puppets. The adults were enthusiastic and would love to initiate their own program. It was a good time of learning for everyone and Myth Mary found lots of food to enjoy.
