So, Segal and dental educator and actress Lori Grosseibl visit schools and daycare centers anywhere within a 60 mile radius of the city. Recent venues have been as diverse as urban South Philly and suburban Jarrettown. Targeting two to seven year-olds, the show gets across some dental health basics. To get that across the show starts with a cowardly dragon who needs reassurance that the kids in the audience are his friends. To get that across, Zebo, a puppet, and Grosseibl check out what Zebo s mom packed him for lunch.
Pretzels get the thumbs up while fruit leather fails the test.
At the end of each performance every child gets a bag containing a toothbrush, a coloring book, dental emergency information for parents and a refrigerator magnet. At about a dollar a piece some 35,000 will be distributed at puppet shows alone over the next year. And the kids eat it up. Fortunately, though, the puppet show is one treat guaranteed to be good for their teeth. New JWR contributor Naomi Geschwind is a writer based in Philadelphia.