JAPAN PRIZE 2004 : Program Details

Runners-up List of Entry
Program Division  /  Early Education
The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Prize
Program Title:Childrenïs Supershow: The good old days
Organization:Norsk Rikskringkasting(NRK)
Country:Norway
 
Content
This program is one episode from an entertaining and educational program series targeting 4 to 9 year old children and this special episode focuses on comparison between today and the past. Was everything good then? Was TV black and white? Was the air clean? Did the sweets taste better? In order to answer such questions, children go to a nursing home to research the old days, take pictures and prepare an old-fashioned dessert.
The main educational aim of this program is to help children learn socializing: the development of self-confidence and the ability to cooperate with others. During key scenes, children and adults switch roles; children direct adults in familiar situations involving children. For example, the program shows children making adults stand in line and drink cod liver oil from a spoon. The children also use headsets to order adults to play tricks on each other.
Children in this program play in a band, sing a song and do a dance. They do so actively and naturally as if the cameras do not exist.
Jury Comment
Children's Super Show is a spirited, positive early education program that is fresh and innovative in its use of an impressive ensemble cast of children as hosts. In fact, children take the lead in every possible way in this show. The episode features kids and their grandparents actively exploring growing up today in contrast with 'the good old days,' as their grandparents like to call it. During key scenes, children and adults switch roles with children directing adults in situations familiar to other children. Well-produced and directed, smartly written and edited, this show draws viewers in and keeps them engaged from beginning to end. The show is age-appropriate and well-paced as it navigates its way through a number of segments related to the central theme, like cooking an old-fashioned dessert or a magical story told through a child's eyes about Grandpa and Grandma falling in love. This allows the child viewer at home to learn about the important subject of the 'olden days' in the relaxed environment created by the show. We know that children learn through play and this program is full of fun-filled learning.
Producer's Comment
Mr. Ingrid Hafstad
Producer

It was a great honour to travel to Tokyo to receive the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Prize.
A certain balance of power always exists in the relationship between children and adults. Those of us who work with children in our capacities as presenters need to be aware of this so that we do not force the children's ideas into an adult perspective. Children should be able to manage as much as possible on their own terms. We are also keen for children to challenge the boundaries and rules set by adults. By employing a sense of humour we wish to make children aware of the fact that some boundaries are important while others are stupid.
We are also not interested in just portraying a world where everything is rose-coloured. In our opinion this would be tantamount to betraying all those children who realise that things do not always go well. Children also realise that they themselves are not always good. We try to tell the children, in a humorous way, that it is actually possible to cope with challenging situations.
The Children's Super Show will also be broadcast in 2005. We will strive continuously to make high-quality, entertaining and educational programmes for children, and the prize we have received is fantastically motivating. Many thanks to NHK and the JAPAN PRIZE.
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