A great deal of my classroom philosophy comes from Captain Kangaroo.
He believed that:
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Children learn most easily when information and knowledge become a source of delight.
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Play is the work of children. It’s very serious stuff. And if it’s structured properly in a
developmental program, children can blossom.
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Parents are the ultimate role models for children. Every word, movement and action has an effect.
No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent.
If you were a child in the 50's, 60's, 70's and even early 80's, you probably watched Captain Kangaroo. "Captain Kangaroo" reached epic proportions in our lives. We were new to the medium of TV and what it could do, and it seems impossible to use words to describe how wonderful the Captain and the show were. I watched it every morning. When the first notes of his trademark theme song came on, you saw the door to his world and all the small windows on that door that he opened at random to give you a peek beyond into the Captain's place. Then, the door itself was opened and the camera took us inside. It was a thrill that never got old for me. The Captain read stories to us: Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Stone Soup, Curious George and on and on.
Mr. GreenJeans came by with a different animal every show and those animals were a source of wonder and laughter to me. They didn't stick to a script, but had their own mind and did their own thing. Instead of cutting to something else, we saw the animal either misbehave or sit on Mr. GreenJeans' head or jump over the Captain or be chased around the set by Mr. GreenJeans while the Captain laughed. It was a natural and easy going place.
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Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit were there in those early days. Mr. Moose constantly tricked the Captain, who fell for his jokes every time and usually had a batch of ping pong balls fall on him. Bunny Rabbit never said a word but managed to get his point across with perfect accuracy. Grandfather Clock was always there to complement the ensemble and later Dennis appeared, a neighborhood boy who was a handful. Magic Drawing Board was a source of mystery to me when I was very young; how could a drawing emerge when no one was standing there drawing it?
The BananaMan was strange, weird and wonderful. Each time he showed up, the Captain's place became surreal. We were introduced to someone who stored the most amazing stuff in his pockets! And there was the juggler who frantically balanced plates on poles was another semi-regular. The Captain and his troupe would put on silent skits: My first introduction to pantomime and how effective something can be without words. As a whole, the Captain's place was where I wanted to live and each day the Captain gave me and millions of other kids just what we wanted.
The legacy of Captain Kangaroo cannot be measured in time, but by love of the many children he has touched, with his honesty and self-sacrificing humor. There are not enough words that can express the heartfelt appreciation to this Gentle Giant of the airwaves. He saw the world for what is was and tried to make it better by developing a program designed to reach the hearts of children, as well as their minds.
Rest in peace Captain. Know that your touch was not in vain, for you changed the World, more than you can imagine....
Captain Kangaroo's autograph
Click on this picture to see a video about Captain Kangaroo.
