Marathon County Special Education
Marathon County Children with Disabilities Education Board
 
 
 
Kids On The Block (KOTB)
 

For more information: contact Cheryl Adams at (715) 261-1980.

KOTB Topics

 Kids On The Block Picture
 
Puppeteers Cheryl Adams, C. Ann Dietrich and Mary Beth Raether, from the staff of Marathon County Special Education are certified in the field of special education and have been educating children and adults about disabilities since 1985.
 

The type of education The Kids On The Block provide will help to create positive attitudinal and behavioral changes for present and future generations.

 
The Kids On The Block is a very special troupe of disabled and non-disabled puppets; a very special bunch of "Kids". The Kids On The Block is an educational puppet program designed to enlighten all children on the issues of disability awareness, medical/educational differences and social concern. As a result, children and adults become more sensitive and understanding of disabled people. The "Kids" perform in the Japanese style of puppetry called "bunraku", which means "you can see". The puppeteers are dressed in black and stand behind the puppets. The stage is a standard school lunch table draped in black. Although the audience can see the puppeteers, the puppeteers are very large and colorful so after a while the audience forgets the puppeteers are even behind the puppets.
 
Developed in 1977 by educator Barbara Aiello, the "kids" were a direct response to the United States Public Law 94-142 in which disabled children were given the opportunity to be educated alongside non-disabled children in regular classrooms across the country.
Program Formats
 
Program Formats
 
"The Kids On the Block" offers three program formats, each approximately one hour in length:
 
  1. Your choice of skits without simulation activities.
  2. Your choice of skits with simulation.
  3. Inservices designed for teachers, parents or community groups.
 
One to three performances can be scheduled depending upon the size, needs, program choice and travel time.
 
KOTB Topics
 
  • Blindness
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Emotional Disturbance
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Cognitively Disabled
  • Name Calling
  • Sibling Rivalry
  • Spina Bifida
 

In addition to the Handicap Awareness series, the "Kids" offer:
 
Turning On - Turning Off - designed to be utilized with existing drug information programs that are currently in use in schools and communities, the "kids" program teachers children about peer pressure, parent-child relationships and making choices. "Turning On-Turning Off" is appropriate for students 5th - 8th grades. A script on the negative effects of smoking is also available for pre-k through 2nd grade.
 
Adjusting to Divorce - Presented in school in conjunction with guidance program or support service program, the "Kids" program deals with the problems a child of divorced parents might face, such as being caught in the middle between parents and dividing time between two homes. The half-hour program offers a skit and dialogue between the audience and the puppets. "Adjusting to Divorce" is appropriate for elementary school age audiences.
           
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