The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment Project in Jordan and its Role in Early Childhood Cultural Heritage Knowledge

El proyecto educativo multimedia “Hikayat Simsim” en Jordania. Su papel en la educación sobre Patrimonio Cultural en la infancia

Naif A. HADDAD (1), Khaled A. HADDAD (2), Phoebe SLOANE (2) (1) Department of Conservation Science, Queen Rania Institute of Tourism and Heritage, the Hashemite University, Zarqa , Jordan, E-mail: (2) Jordan pioneers multimedia and TV production, Amman ,Jordan,

Abstract In Jordan, it a is fact that cultural heritage resources are suffering. Many young children in Jordan and other countries of the are not taught about archaeology or other means of respecting and preserving the past. In order to reach children, we must utilize tools already popular with them, such as television and games, to teach lessons about Cultural Heritage. However, in order to interest children in these issues, it is essential to use modern multimedia tools. Hikayat Simsim is a national Jordanian Educational Multimedia project co-pro- duced by Jordan Pioneers for Multimedia in Jordan and in New York. One of the main aims of the project is to create a new generation of Jordanian children proud of themselves and their country, their own culture, respectful of other cultures, and empowered to embark on both formal and informal educational endeavours, using its entertaining Muppet characters. This paper attempts to discuss how the cultural heritage concept and material appear in the particular case of the Hikayat Simsim project with respect to two unique and complementary aspects: (1) The television show se- ries; (2) The educational outreach initiative. The paper will also address how Hikayat Simsim, can develop me- thods to promote appreciation, awareness of cultural heritage issues among children. This will be achieved by the support of presentation of ideas, based on the educational goals of Hikayat Simsim curriculum.

Key words: Entertaining Muppet Characters, Early Childhood Education, Awareness, Multimedia, Cultural Heritage, Hikayat Simsim, Outreach material.

Resumen: Durante los primeros años, y desde la perspectiva de los propios niños, el juego y el aprendizaje están unidos. Cuando alcanzan los cinco años, la gran mayoría ha aprendido mucho. Sin embargo, todavía están lejos de com- prender los elementos del Patrimonio Cultural de su entorno local como parte de sus vidas, eso es algo ajeno a la vida escolar. Así, a la mayoría de la infancia en Jordania y en otros países del mundo árabe no se les enseña nada de Arqueología o de respeto hacia los restos del pasado. Está claro que con el fin de llegar a la infancia, hay que utilizar las herramientas que les son más conocidas, como la televisión y los juegos, así como los recursos multimedia. Esto es lo que pretende Hikayat Simsim, un proyecto educativo multimedia producido por “Pioneros de Jordania para la multimedia”, en Jordania, y “Sesame Workshop” en Nueva York. Uno de sus objetivos principales es crear una nueva generación de niños y niñas jordanos orgullosos de sí mis- mos, de su país y de su propia cultura, además de respetuosos con las otras culturas. Para ello se utilizan los personajes Muppet de entretenimiento. Este trabajo analiza cómo el concepto de Patrimonio Cultural se intro- duce, en el proyecto Hikayat Sims im mediante dos aspectos complementarios:

892 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

(1) La serie de televisión, (2) La iniciativa de extensión educativa. También se ocupará de cómo el proyecto Hikayat SimSim consigue promover el aprecio y el conocimiento del Patrimonio Cultural entre la infancia.

Palabras clave: Muppets, Patrimonio, Educación Infantil, Conciencia, multimedia, material de divulgación

1. Introduction tural Heritage. However, to discuss cultural Over the past half-century, child develop- heritage topics and activities that children ment research has provided an increasingly enjoy, any treatment should include topics comprehensive knowledge base to explain that interest both young and older targeted how young children acquire skills and kno- children, parents and teachers. It is fact that wledge and define the environmental sup- 2D &3D animation, games web site games, ports needed to stimulate and sustain outreach material and Muppet held chil- development [1]. Early childhood educa- dren’s attention. Therefore, a well designed, tion, however, is a critical means to address age –appropriate, and culturally sensitive many of children’s developmental needs; educational and social activities during the the environment in which young children early childhood years must be provided to grow plays a major role in children’s deve- facilitate interaction with the greater envi- lopment. During early years, from chil- ronment, and foster learning of an array of dren’s own perspective, playing and social, emotional and basic cognitive skills. learning are not always separate in practices In Jordan, it is fact that cultural heritage [2]. By the time children are five years old, resources is suffering. Many young children the vast majority have learned a great deal. in Jordan and other countries of the Arab They have reached “developmental compe- world are not taught about archaeology or tence” and “maturity,” meaning that they other means of respecting, preserving even have achieved the normative learning documenting the past. In order to reach chil- benchmarks of their community [3]. Never- dren, we must utilize tools already popular theless, the notion of young children step- with them, such as television and games, to ping out of the classroom to experience teach lessons about cultural heritage. Howe- history, art and culture heritage as a living ver, in order to interest children in these is- and breathing phenomena in their local en- sues, it is essential to use modern vironment has become alien to school life. multimedia tools [7]. It has long been recognized that teaching For the purposes of this paper, cultural children about cultural heritage and ar- heritage is defined as manmade evidence of chaeology is essential to preserving history any aspect of culture, past or present. Cul- [4, 5]. Teaching young children to care for ture includes all aspects of human society. historically important sites and traditions is According to the United Nations Economic essential to preserving any society’s cultural and Social Council (UNESCO), cultural he- heritage [6]. Children, however, like seeing ritage used to refer mostly to physical ruins other children engaging in activities to learn from ancient civilizations. The definition of from. By promoting enjoyment and interest cultural heritage has grown to include any in participating in cultural heritage practi- aspect of culture from past or present tradi- ces, children Cultural Heritage appreciation tions [8], which is what this paper focuses can be build up. This is basic issue to create on. The UNESCO separates man made cul- generation of good Citizens to respect and tural heritage into tangible cultural heritage, to be responsible for preserving their Cul- such as ruins or artwork, and intangible cul-

Proceedings of the First International Conference on Best 893 Practices in World Heritage: Archaeology 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment... tural heritage, such as theatre, dance, litera- answer constituent questions [11]. There ture, and telling of oral histories [9]. would also appear to be a trend for more cross-curricular work, involving arts and 2. The role of multimedia edutainment in other (non-arts) subject areas working toge- children cultural heritage enhancement ther on creative and/or cultural themes. Science and technology can be used not Recently, Virtual heritage and archaeo- only to document, restore, conserve and logy start to play significant role in explo- preserve archaeological sites, historical mo- ring issues involved in creating immersive numents and artifacts themselves but also to cultural heritage projects enhancing our promote awareness and appreciation. The perspective and understanding of the envi- rapid development in multi-media tools , es- ronments in which our ancestors lived and pecially in TV , filming, animation, website worked. However, in spite of various con- games, outreach material for children’s shall cerns and objections regarding the appro- take place in supporting the efforts in chil- priateness and educational efficacy of dren awareness and appreciation about their virtual reality, there remain compelling cultural heritage issues. This can foster the reasons for believing that virtual heritage children appreciation of the people involved projects warrant serious investigation and in cultural heritage and the work they do, can provide strong tools for learning [12]. seeing them at work and their creative pro- Virtual archaeology refers to the use of 3D cesses. computer models of ancient buildings and The glory of cultural heritage, actually, artifacts visualized through immersive tech- is captured best through the pictures and nologies. VR hardware and software are re- sound provided by television, computers, flected in the creation of a number of and other multimedia modern technologies. educational and cultural heritage programs However, instructional television received targeted at the widest possible audience on extensive comparative research attention in many levels [13]. Institutions of informal the 1960s when it began. Studies compared education, such as museums, research, and in-person learning to televised instruction, cultural centres are now in a better position routinely finding no significant differences to make use of such advanced systems and in learner performance between TV instruc- investigate their educational potential while ted and in-person students. effectively shaping how they deliver public has proven around the world that children entertainment and education. can learn various academic and social les- On the other hand, taking a more direct sons from television shows [10]. Research approach to these issues, many museums TV Consortium is looking for new means and media organizations have designed of distribution and interaction, including the multimedia curriculums for children dealing Video. While the validity of classroom tea- with cultural heritage. Many of these sites ching is rarely questioned, teaching with and curriculums do not directly discuss the technology invariably attracts the cautious issue of preservation of culture, but indi- question. Major institutions with an educa- rectly promote an interest in and respect for tion outreach mission start to implement heritage and history among students. For live curators to help teachers and students instance, the British Museum offers a web- use their site. They should co-develop, ac- site for kids about the ancient Greek Olym- cumulate, and disseminate curriculum ideas pic Games [14]. The Metropolitan Museum and lesson plans and they could provide re- in New York holds lectures and storytelling ferrals to other resources when others better sessions for kids about medieval history

894 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

[15]. The Public Broadcasting Service expand and improve early childhood care (PBS), a non-profit television and media or- and education especially for the most vulne- ganization in the US, has also used the me- rable and disadvantaged children. In the area dium of television to teach children about of cognitive development, countless studies heritage and supplement elementary school conducted in the United States and interna- history curriculums. For American teachers tionally have repeatedly evidenced the power they have created “The Greeks,” a multime- of Sesame Street to introduce skills that have dia site with videos, activities, and other in- significant impact on children’s academic formation about all aspects of ancient Greek achievement and lives. The international ver- culture and history [16]. The site offers stu- sions of Sesame Street shows are produced dents interactive tours of ruins, such as the in each country based on careful research Parthenon, as they are now and images of about the local context children grow up in, how they might have looked when ancient so that lessons are related to children’s every- Greeks were using them [17]. day lives and they can see how to apply them. A general diagram of Sesame Street 3. Sesame workshop/ street as early methodology model and the Muppet charac- childhood multimedia edutainment and ters are shown in Figure 1. the Arab region While the international adaptation of Se- Sesame Workshop is a non-profit organiza- same Street began in the early 1970s, the tion based in New York, established over 40 first sesame street co – production in years ago, and has been dedicated to addres- began in Kuwait in 1979 with Iftah ya Sim- sing children’s critical development needs sim. Iftah ya Simsim have since aired via in more than 150 countries, loved by chil- satellite throughout Arabic speaking coun- dren, respected by educators and trusted by tries and helped raise past generations of parents [18]. Sesame workshop’s four deca- preschoolers with a wide range of educatio- des of experience have proven that with the nal and social skills. Since Iftah ya Simsim, right combination of humour, art and sensi- sesame workshops had co – produced other tivity, television can address those “hard to series in Arabic to help address the educa- teach” topics and provide new images and tional needs of specific cultures and coun- messages that can help meet many of the tries [19, 20]. These are: current challenges. Sesame Street has pro- Al Manahel; Co- produced in Jordan in ven around the world that children can learn 1988. It aired in more than 15 Arab coun- various academic and social lessons from tries and presented classical Arabic reading television shows [10]. Sesame workshop’s and writing skills. as international productions help to improve Share’ Simsim; Co- produced in Pales- early childhood education quality and ac- tine in 1998, was the first educational chil- cess and to expand the use of information dren’s program specifically developed for and communication technologies for educa- Palestinian children and addressed self tional purposes. pride, respect and understanding along with Sesame Workshop, which first made Se- basic education. same Street and partners with local produc- ; Co- produced In tion companies in each country to make beginning in 1999. The program is extended international Sesame productions [18]. As its broadcast to 22 Arab countries in 2003 such, these projects contribute to the millen- on MBC and highlights girl’s education and nium development goal of achieving univer- health and nutrition, and offers a broad pre sal primary education for all initiative to – school curriculum [19, 20].

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Hikayat Simsim; Co- produced in Jor- same workshop model, the Hikayat Simsim dan since 2002, designed to support the project goes one step further toward enga- educational sector to educate and entertain ging local stakeholders to work together to- Jordanian children in primary schools; ages ward the development and sustainability of from 4 to 7 years old, through multimedia, high quality children’s media that contribu- including television, outreach distribution tes to Jordanian early childhood education. and training workshops. Hikayat Simsim following Sesame Works- hop methodology has two unique and com- 4. The significance of Hikayat Simsim in plementary aspects [19, 20]:- Jordan educational objectives and model • The television series. There are currently a very limited number • The educational outreach initiative and of television programs created for young training. Jordanian children that target specific deve- The statement of the educational objec- lopmental and educational needs in a qua- tives is divided into five sections. These are: lity manner [19]. Hikayat Simsim is a (1) Cognitive Skills, Language Arts, Mathe- national Jordanian Educational Multimedia matics, Science and Environment, (2) He- project co-produced by Jordan Pioneers for alth, Hygiene, Nutrition and Safety, (3) Multimedia in Jordan and Sesame Works- Child, Family, Community, and Group Re- hop in New York. The project aims to create lations, (4) Respect, Understanding, Tole- a new generation of Jordanian children rance and Diversity, (5) Culture, heritage, proud of themselves and their country, their and Art. This document forms an articula- own culture, respectful of other cultures, tion of skills that Hikayat Simsim television and empowered to embark on both formal and outreach initiative encourage children and informal educational endeavours. Hika- to gain. It serves as the Educational Frame- yat Simsim exposes children to the values work for the Hikayat Simsim project. Ac- and problems of their environment and cording to Hikayat Simsim/ Sesame Street using its entertaining Muppet characters, Fi- methodology Model, Figure2, many of gure1, 4 helps children gain positive social these topics and areas are directly to goals relation skills. In addition, to the professio- set by Jordan’s education reform and nal cross- fertilization inherent in the se- knowledge economy project (ERFKE).

Figure 1. General diagram of Sesame Street methodology model and the Muppet characters.

896 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

In the section about Culture, heritage, and orge in Madaba. Art the statement emphasizes how to instill in • Information about Jordan to encourage children a pride in their country, heritage and children to appreciate and enjoy the for- traditions. The statement encourages children mal and informal arts of Jordan including to be proud citizens, and to participate in the music, dance, folk dance, folk songs, and common culture that is shared by all Jorda- theatre. nian people irrespective of religion and class. • Appreciating of Jordanian Art: Encourage The statement also introduces:- children to appreciate and enjoy the for- • Archaeological sites and monuments of mal and informal arts of Jordan (e.g., historical significance in Jordan (such as songs, music, dance, play, theatre, classi- the Citadel and Roman Theatre in cal and modern music, musical instru- Amman, The Hadrian’s Arch and colum- ments, visual arts, etc.) ned street in Jerash, The Siq and the An- • Children to local arts and crafts that have cient city of Petra, Ajlun Castel in Ajlun, always existed in Jordan (e.g. rug-ma- Shawbak Castle in Shawbak, The mosaic king, sand-bottles, glass-work, embroi- at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Ge- dery, pottery, mosaic, etc.).

Figure2. Hikayat Simsim/ Sesame Street methodology Model.

• Appreciating Art from Different Cultures: 1. Television: distributed educational enter- Encourage children to enjoy art from all tainment content through television over the world. daily on air to all Jordanian children, pa- rents & families. 4.1. Hikayat Simsim Community Impact 2. Public Survives Announcements (PSAs): Hikayat Simsim has produced four seasons Each of the PSAs targets a particular until now. However, the main community message linked to the series but relevant impact is obvious and can be summarized to issues of parent – child interaction. as follows:- JTV has aired the PSAs during adult vie-

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wing times in order to reach the largest danian children resulting with educatio- possible audience. nal framework serving Ministry of Edu- 3. Educational Children’s Kits: Hikayat cation curriculum and other partners. Simsim has extended its influence to more than 80,000 children throughout 5. Hikayat simsim cultural heritage ma- Jordan in the distribution of the terial: analysis and assessment children’s kits. 4. Full size Live Muppet shows (Walk 5.1. TV Episodes Assessment around): More than 200 Muppet educa- Children in Jordan spend a considerable tional shows were conducted throughout portion of their time watching television. It Jordan reaching children, with a mini- is one of the major forms of recreation be- mum of 300 children, and their parents, cause it is easity available, low cost, and can Figure 3. be done within the home environs. There is 5. Educating 1200 Teachers: Teachers currently a very limited number of televi- have been educated in the proper use of sion programs created for young Jordanian the educational material covering key to- children that target specific developmental pics. and educational needs in a quality manner 6. Training 2100 Parents: Hikayat Simsim [19]. has impacted the development of com- This part of the paper is based on an munities through the Parent Training analysis of Seasons One to four of Hikayat Workshops conducted throughout Jor- Simsim, which together includes 104 episo- dan. des. Each 25-minute episode contains ave- 7. Capacity Building: Training workshops rage 8-10 segments of two to three minutes for script writers, puppeteers, directors, each. Each segment and show has a specific children‘s program directors, live action educational goal, which relates back to the directors. Regionally, there is a gap in statement of the educational objectives /cu- the field of early childhood education rriculum of the show that is based on needs scriptwriters Hikayat Simsim has dedi- defined by Jordanian educators, parents, go- cated resources to creating a new gene- vernment officials, and even children them- ration of specialist writers in the field, selves [21]. through continuous capacity building More than half of these segments usually writing workshops. show the main Muppet characters, Tonton 8. Formative and Summative Research: and Juljul playing together in a way that Several critical topics have been resear- promotes one of the lessons of the show. For ched according to the needs of the Jor- example, Juljul frequently plays on his

Figure 3. Hikayat Simsim reaching the Jordanian children through the live show Muppet “the Walk around”

898 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment... computer, whereas Tonton plays outside or servation issues, but rather show people asks questions of Juljul and along with their using archaeological sites in respectful human friends show children how to eat he- ways. althily, to exercise, be kind to each other, to • Musical segments deal with traditional be involved cultural events, heritage, art, Jordanian music, dance, and instruments. and take care of the environment Figure 4. For example, the “Traditional Dress,” The rest of the segments do not feature “Bani Hamida,” “Banana Leaves” seg- Tonton or Juljul or other regular charac- ments. Arts-focused segments show ar- ters. Some are cartoon stories of objects, tists and craftspeople in modern Jordan Figure 5, animals or people from Jordan doing activities such as basket weaving, and other parts of the world. Others are embroidery, or painting. “live action” sequences of children and fa- • Food segments show the process of ma- milies from various areas of Jordan Figure king traditional Jordanian foods, such as 5, explaining parts of their daily lives, their olive oil or tabouleh, and “Homos,” “Sim- culture and their favourite places, how sim Song,” “Mankoosheh” segments. their families celebrate holidays such as • Celebration segments deal with important Ramadan and Christmas, or giving a tour holidays, such as Ramadan, or other cele- of their hometown. brations, including birthdays and wed- We counted the number of episodes that dings, For example, “Ramadan” segment. contain any segment related to cultural he- • General heritage episodes clearly take ritage, and then analyzed and categorized place in Jordan and show scenes of daily each cultural heritage segment. Each seg- life in various Jordanian towns and cities, ment was first categorized as Jordanian or but do not fit into any specific category. International, and then broken down into For example, “Rawditi Song” and “Me- types of cultural heritage, including Ar- mory Trunk 1” segments. chaeology, General, Celebrations, Music, All of these episodes make reference to Food, and Arts. It is of importance to briefly how cultural heritage manifests itself in cu- define the categories of Jordanian and Inter- rrent everyday life in Jordan, but do not di- national cultural heritage segments on Hi- rectly discuss history or conservation of kayat Simsim before going on to analyze these traditions. International heritage seg- results. Among the Jordanian segments, ments is non-Jordanian cultural themes of these categorized as:- any type, as Hikayat Simsim features some • “Archaeology” segments take place at segments from China, Russia, Kenya, and historical sites in Jordan, such as Petra, other countries as for example, the “Aztec Jerash, or Salt showing Jordanian children Geometric Forms,” “The Emperor and the who live near these sites Figure 5, and Kite,” “Taiko Drums, Mom and Kid,” and whose families work in the tourism in- “Wooden Cradle” segments. These seg- dustry or enjoy spending time at these ar- ments are often not produced in Jordan. chaeological sites and monuments. For They are taken from the Sesame Street glo- example, the Live action segments bal library that allows all Sesame produc- “Sounds in Petra”; “Adnan in Petra”; tions to share and borrow segments from “Colored Sand in Jerash.” These seg- each other to present different cultures and ments come closest to directly promoting themes. archaeology and culturally important ar- However, there is overlap between cate- chaeological sites. However, they do not gories in some segments. For instance, food directly talk about conservation and pre- is featured in Ramadan segments, so these

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Figure 4. Examples of the TV program, Jordanian studio Muppet cultural heritage segment. segments could be placed in either the achers to use for discussion in classrooms “Food” category or the “Celebrations” ca- appears as well, storybooks; to promote the tegory. In view of that:- series goals and to foster an appreciation for • We chose to put each segment in only one storytelling to help stimulate younger rea- category, to which it was deemed most re- ders’ interest. levant. “Jordanian” specifically, also in The Teacher’s guide books are resources this case is a loose term, as some foods for educators to elaborate on the series by and arts are regional and not only present leading children in a range of activities that in Jordan. promote respect and understanding of other • We chose to categorize anything that cultures. Meanwhile stickers featuring the takes place in Jordan as “Jordanian,” re- Jordanian Muppet characters and Videotape gardless of whether or not it is only in Jor- (DVD) were distributed to schools and day- dan or in other places as well. We did not care centres equipped with television and include more general regional or religious VCRS. categories in our analysis, as this paper is In addition there is production of Public focused more on Jordanian cultural heri- service announcement (PSAs); decades of tage. PSAs extend the series messages directly to parents and other adults have been aired du- 5.2. Outreach Material Assessment ring adult viewing times in order to reach Hikayat Simsim outreach initiative, produ- the largest possible audience. Lastly, the ced by Jordan pioneers and in conjunction outreach initiative extends its activities to with sesame workshop and the Jordanian reach children through the Full size Live ministry of education, includes the creation Muppet shows (Walk around) Figure 3. of materials for distribution throughout Jor- Accordingly, many educational mate- dan. These materials were distributed to rials concerning cultural heritage take place preschoolers and community centres and in the outreach material at historical sites in focus on the characters and educational Jordan, such as Petra or Jerash Figure 5, goals of the series. Hikayat Simsim also fa- showing Jordanian children who visit and cilitated teachers training workshop to pro- live near these sites, enjoy spending time at mote the usage of the outreach materials these archaeological sites. among children’s, educators and parents. These segments come closest to directly Among these materials are educational promoting historical and cultural heritage posters; featuring the series slogan (together traditions and important sites. However, living, playing, and sharing our stories, our they do not directly talk about conservation clean city) with a series of questions for te- and preservation issues, but rather show

900 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

Figure 5. Examples of the TV program, animation and Jordanian live action cultural heritage seg- ments. people using archaeological sites in respect- with a cultural heritage theme? This was ful ways. Episode 26 of Season 1, called “Happy Eid,” which covered various aspects of the 5.3. Discussion and Results celebration of the end of Ramadan, called By mobilizing media as a tool to expose Eid al-Fitr. children to the values and achievements of Over the first two seasons of the show, their own culture, Hikayat Simsim, builds the number dealing with Jordanian cultural pride in Jordanian culture and helps chil- heritage increased from 24 to 36 segments. dren gain positive social relation skills re- The highest number of segments dealt with quisite to appreciating the diverse world in Food and Arts, showing how Jordanian cul- which they live. Meanwhile Hikayat Sim- tural traditions manifest themselves in con- sim currently has dealt with many issues in temporary everyday life. For instance in the Jordanian cultural heritage as it exists today, Food category, one segment shows various but it does not directly discuss history or uses of chickpeas and how they are made how to promote awareness in order to pre- into hummus, falafel in animation style, and serve and conserve heritage. other traditional foods. In the Arts category, Based on an analysis of first two seasons one episode showed a grandmother in rural (52 episodes) of Hikayat Simsim, there Jordan teaching her granddaughter how to were 53 segments dealing with some type weave baskets out of dried banana leaves in of Jordanian heritage and 7 dealing with In- Live action segment style. ternational heritage. 65% of episodes in Se- In Archaeology, only 8 segments in all ason One and 73% of episodes in Season of the first two seasons, was the least com- Two contain at least one segment dealing mon among cultural heritage themes. Most with heritage or culture. However, in only of these segments did not talk about the one episode did all of the segments deal sites themselves, but used them as settings

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Figure 5. Examples of the Jordanian Hikayat Simsim reaching children through the distribution of educational materials related cultural heritage in their class rooms and home across Jordan. to show everyday life in Jordan. For exam- of the other two seasons 3and 4 (52 episo- ple, one Live action segment “Adnan in des) of Hikayat Simsim, there were only 14 Petra”, shows a boy riding with his father, segments dealing with some type of Jorda- who drives a tourist carriage in the Siq/ can- nian heritage. yon of the world heritage site of Petra for a Analytically, in Season 3 only two Stu- living, Figure 6. dio segments; Folklore bands celebration, Another shows in animation cartoon showing and the human cha- “Sounds in Petra” A bat living in a cave in racters with children’s learning all together Petra. Neither discusses Petra’s ancient Na- the traditional Jordanian Dabbke dance Fi- bataean origins, nor shows how the site was gure 7, and Fayrouz (Awad) covering heri- discovered and excavated. Though, while tage and culture/ dance and music, in these episodes teach children to understand addition to three live action segments (Eas- and appreciate some aspects of cultural he- ter, Country life, and Mosaic showing the ritage, they do not directly address the issue children’s experience in Madaba Mosaic as a critical one in Jordan. The highest num- School in Jordan , Figure 8, covering cul- ber of segments dealt with cultural heritage, tural heritage and art -cultural practices, in showing how a Jordanian child’s themsel- addition to one animation segment ,Talking ves in contemporary everyday life. Vase, covering cultural heritage practices On the other hand, based on an analysis Figure 4.

902 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

Figure 6. Live action segment “Adnan in Petra”, showing the children’s the significance of the world heritage site of Petra.

Figure 7. Live action segment “Mosaic”, showing the children’s experience in Madaba Mosaic School in Jordan.

In Season 4 only five Studio segments Cabbage of Snuffertiti” and “ and (The Poet Juljul, The Broken string, The explore and Egyptian Pyramid”. Similar to Musician, Art is a great talent, Good citizen) Hikayat Simsim, there are episodes featu- covering culture and musical instruments, ring holidays and visits to American and in- meanwhile three live action segments only; ternational cultural sites. In one episode, Taboun, showing the children experience , a large yellow bird Muppet, sings with their grandmother in making the tra- “Feliz Navidad,” or “Merry Christmas” in ditional bread “Taboun” in the villages in Spanish, highlighting aspects of Hispanic Jordan, Figure 8, the Fisher man and Soap American culture such as “Christmas Eve House, covering cultural and art -cultural on Sesame Street”. In one TV special, Big practices and Appreciating Artists. Bird visits China, “,” in- In comparison with the original Ameri- troducing children to archaeological sites can Sesame Street, which has aired for over such as the Great Wall. In another episode, 40 years, there are some cases precedent for “”, he visits Japan, sho- archaeology and cultural heritage on the wing children the famous temples of Kyoto show. One episode explains the profession and the skyscrapers of Tokyo. of archaeology and several feature Indiana Although these episodes teach children Jones parodies. For example “The Golden to understand and appreciate various as-

Proceedings of the First International Conference on Best 903 Practices in World Heritage: Archaeology 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

Figure 7 Studio segment “Folklore bands celebration”, showing the Muppets and the human charac- ters with children’s learning all together the traditional Jordanian Dabbke dance.

Figure 8 Live action segment “Taboun”, showing the children experience with their grandmother in making the traditional bread “Taboun” in the village in Jordan. pects of cultural heritage and historical review of heritage curricula, television sites, they do not directly address the issues shows, and games internationally. These ma- of awareness for preservation and conser- terials exist mostly in schools and museums. vation. Similar to Hikayat Simsim, Ameri- In addition to these sites about apprecia- can Sesame Street mostly uses tion of history, there are more multimedia archaeological sites for settings to teach les- tools more directly encouraging students to sons or tell stories, but does not discuss the become archaeologists and learn about pre- history or the importance role of the ar- serving cultural heritage, especially ruins. chaeologist in the excavation of the ar- For instance, the US National Parks Service chaeological sites themselves. (NPS) has a website for children about ar- chaeology, how to become an archaeologist, 6. Recommendations and even how to start your own dig [22]. After assessing cultural heritage themes on The Archaeological Institute of America pu- Hikayat Simsim we decided to look for new blishes a magazine for kids, called Dig, to ways to address heritage, archaeology, and promote youth interest in the field [23]. preservation. To figure out how to better pro- There are many interactive archaeology mote awareness and preservation of cultural games online for kids, such as the British heritage among Jordanian youth using mul- Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) “Dig timedia tools, we have compiled a literature Deeper,” which asks about ancient cultural

904 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment... heritage history [24]. PBS also has a game Jordan or with the Muppets learning called, “Be an Archaeologist,” where chil- about the profession of archaeology and dren have to fit together the pieces of a pot why it is important. from a dig site [25]. Using characters that children already 7. Summary and concluding remarks know and learn from, Hikayat Simsim, ac- It is essential for Jordan to encourage its future cording to Jordanian particularity, can fo- generations to improve awareness in order to llow the examples of the Public preserve its cultural heritage resources. By in- Broadcasting Service and the Archaeology troducing young children to a variety of sour- Institute of America’s curricula for teachers. ces and resources, including activities and Sesame Street in the US has also included making learning about cultural heritage sites brief discussions of archaeology, and many and artifacts enjoyable, by using reconstruc- episodes incorporating holidays from va- tion images and conduct events on historic rious cultures present in the US. Hikayat sites, we can help them to develop their res- Simsim, however, can offer infinite possi- ponsibility to this critical matter in Jordan. bilities as a platform for young children in Children’s edutainment in Jordan can better Jordan to explore heritage and archaeologi- utilize the powerful multimedia of television, cal themes with the Muppet characters that outreach initiative, and a computer game to already entertain and educate them. Based inspire young children’s to learn more about on what Hikayat Simsim has already done antiquities and cultural heritage. to teach children about heritage and on Hikayat Simsim, however, is a perfect other international models of cultural heri- multimedia tool to introduce young children tage education, there is a need:- to different aspects and themes of cultural • To continue addressing new and critical heritage and archaeology. Hikayat Simsim topics of cultural heritage resources. has a proven track record of using its enter- • To suggest new ways to promote cultural taining Muppet characters to teach children heritage appreciation among Jordanian a variety of lessons, and it is a valuable tool young children in the future using Hikayat for teaching children about archaeology and Simsim and other multimedia resources. cultural heritage as well. However, now the As an example, Hikayat Simsim outreach typical approach and treatment to introduce material could be the basis for many for children to local arts, traditional crafts games to allow children to experience, for that have always existed in their environ- example, the Nabataean and Umayyad ment (e.g., sand-bottles, glass-work, pot- cultures. tery, mosaic etc.), is not sufficient to • To seek in upcoming season new content understand and share with them the dangers to teach children more about cultural he- facing our Cultural Heritage. There are ritage, archaeology and conservation is- many international examples of using tech- sues in Jordan. nology and television to promote children • To include more studio segments with the interest in archaeology and cultural heritage Muppets concerning archaeology and that could be applied in Jordan and the Ara- cultural heritage conservation. bic region. • To include more visits in the studio and Based on an analysis of 104 episodes of live action segments by Jordanian chil- Hikayat Simsim season 1-4, the Hikayat dren to these archaeological sites and mo- Simsim project represents a high-quality numents. model of children’s educational/entertain- • To feature segments showing children in ment multi-media and serves as the pilot for

Proceedings of the First International Conference on Best 905 Practices in World Heritage: Archaeology 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment... additional series that can help to foster un- wing children in Jordan or the Muppets le- derstanding and mutual and Cultural Heri- arning about the profession of archaeology tage respect. Addressing a wide range of and why it is important. This would fit well educational objectives, the Hikayat Simsim with existing segments about a little girl project is a dynamic tool to present critical wanting to be a pilot (“I Can Fly,” in Epi- learning opportunities for young children sode 7, Season 2 and Episode 12, Season 2, and can serve as a case study of how multi- Hikayat Simsim, DVD, 2003), or the Mup- media can be used to foster educational cul- pet Tonton wanting to be a doctor (“Act I,” tural heritage and archaeology aims. in Episode 20, Season 1, “Professions,” in For that, Hikayat Simsim sustainability Episode 7, Season 2, Hikayat Simsim, is necessary to continue serving the educa- DVD, 2003). With Jordan’s wealth of ar- tional needs of primary Jordanian children, chaeological sites, Hikayat Simsim could parents and teachers. With its multiple also include more visits by Jordanian chil- media approach and educational objectives dren to these places, in addition to existing exploring a comprehensive approach to segments featuring Jerash or Petra, like the child development, the project can help Umayyad palaces and other world heritage educate a new generation of Jordanian chil- sites. Hikayat Simsim could also design a dren to be proud of themselves and their Hikayat Simsim- themed website or com- own culture, to be empowered to embark on puter game dealing with Jordanian cultural both formal and informal educational ende- heritage, similar to many museum websites. avors. In future season of the project, Hikayat Currently Hikayat Simsim has dealt with Simsim should intend to broaden its reach many cultural heritage issues in Jordan, but and national awareness about cultural heri- it does not actually teache lessons about ar- tage, engage with multiple sectors to help chaeology and conservation directly; It has deliver educational content, and continue to included some studio segments, cartoons or address critical topics in archaeology and live action segments at historical sites, such conservation, within the trusted and beloved as Petra and Jerash and also shown children context of sesame street that has quickly learning about traditional cooking, dancing, captured Jordanian viewers’ hearts, minds, arts, or farming in Jordan. Following prece- and imaginations. dents set by museums and television shows The creation of Cultural Heritage appli- with more developed curriculums dealing cations for outreach material in relation to with heritage and preservation, Hikayat cultural heritage digital edu-entertainment Simsim should seek in upcoming seasons to games, even VR systems is a learned pro- teach children more about cultural heritage, cess with its share of challenges. Hikayat archaeology and conservation issues in Jor- Simsim could also design a Hikayat Sim- dan. However, good citizenship concepts sim- themed website or computer game de- should be more emphasized in Hikayat aling with more about efficient use and Simsim to teach principles of social beha- management of cultural heritage. However, viour on the efficient use and management archaeological objects should start to be of cultural heritage. used in Hikayat Simsim also to teach prin- The TV show already features segments ciples of other social and physical sciences. explaining various professions, or showing Tonton and Juljul dream about what they References will do when they grow up. Therefore, Hi- [1] Bowman. B. T., Cultural Diversity and kayat Simsim could feature segments sho- Academic Achievement, (1994): Pu-

906 Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas en Patrimonio Mundial:Arqueología 892-908 ISBN: 978-84-695-6782-1 N. A. Haddad et al The “Hikayat Simsim” Multimedia Edutainment...

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Study of Hikayat Simsim in Jordan, proceeding of the First Conference on Childhood and the Family, Towards A Happy Childhood & Prosperous Fa- mily, The Hashemite University, Queen Rania Faculty for Childhood, 11-12/5/2005, Zarqa-Jordan. 103-117. [20] Haddad, N., & Haddad, kh. (2011). The Role of Early Childhood Multi- media Edutainment on Efficient Use and Management of Water: A Case Study of Hikayat Simsim in Jordan. The Sixth IWA Specialist Conference on Efficient Use and Management of Water, Efficient 2011 Conference, Dead Sea, Retrieved from http://www.efficient2011.com/ [21] Jordan Pioneers, “Statement of Educa- tional Objectives: Hikayat Simsim,” (commissioned by Jordan Pioneers and Sesame Workshop, 2009. Retrie- ved from http://www.jordanpioneers.com/#5 [22] National Parks Service, “NPS Ar- chaeology Program: Archaeology for Kids”. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/archeology/pu- blic/kids/index.htm [23] Dig: The Archaeology Magazine for Kids, Retrieved from http://www.digonsite.com/ [24] British Broadcasting Corporation, “Archaeology and History in Depth, Dig Deeper Quiz”. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeo- logy/excavations_techniques/launch_ gms_dig_deeper.shtml [25] Public Broadcasting Service, “NOVA Online: Search for Lost Cave People, Be an Archaeologist,” Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/la- venta/archaeologist.html

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