ZOOM, Series I; 501

WGBH TV, Boston. Major funding for Zoom is provided by a grant from General Foods Corporation and by public television stations. Additional support is provided by unrestricted general program grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Ford Foundation. Come on and zoom, there's room for all We're gonna sing and dance and have our ball Everybody's having fun, everybody's number one Everybody's writing the show So why don't you zoom, zoom, zoom-a-zoom Come on and zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom

I'm Chris. I'm Jennifer. I'm Ron. I'm Acadio. I'm Karen. I'm LaBelle. I'm Nell. Who are you? What do you do? How are you? Let's hear from you We need you Won't you zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom Come on and zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom I'm gonna give it a try We're gonna reach for the sky You can help us survive did you notice the new words at the beginning of our theme song well they're based in a letter

sent in by susan maxwell of union town pennsylvania she wrote dear zoom here's a new verse to your opening song. Come on, let's sing and have a ball. There's going to be a lot of fun for all. Everybody's having fun. Everybody's number one. Everybody's writing the show. Thanks for the new lyrics, Susan. If you want a copy of our new song, it's on a Zoom card. Write to Zoom, and we'll send you one. If Chris and Lavelle were one thing, what a lovely corral that would be. We have a new version of musical chairs. Louise Yates of East Orange, New Jersey, sent us the rules.

See if you can guess them while we play. Okay. There was a tiny, tiny little house, no bigger than four inches, and it was on this lily pad. it was in a huge pond okay and there was a boy who used to go to the pond every day and he used to swim in the pond and one day he was swimming among the lily pads and he bumped into this lily pad that had the house and no one before had ever seen this house and in this house these tiny tiny little people it was so small you could barely even see them however this boy had magical powers and so he could see these little people. And then all of a sudden... And then all of a sudden... And then all of a sudden... And then all of a sudden... Out of nowhere popped out a monster. And that monster always used to say two certain words.

And, and then. Take it off. This monster got really mad for looking at his playhouse with the play dolls in it. And he said, this is my playhouse, and nobody touches it. And then... You caught it. Who's more in it? Nice try, Mel. And the monster said, I don't want you touching this house again. And then... I went the other way. I went the other way. So did I. And then the monster died. Oh! Oh! All right. Everybody got to move out a little bit. Let's keep all crunched in. And so...

And so the monster died. And then came... And then the monster came, and he died, and then, and the little people, and the little And the little people grew up to be monsters. And then... Ow! There's one a girl! What are we gonna do tonight? Don't forget to straighten out the house. make the bids, and make a sale for tonight for supper. All right.

Oh, by the way, we don't have any lettuce, so you might have to go to a store and get some. All right. I'm going to see you later and come and get the stuff. My name is Tony Carpino. All right. I'll see you later. Yeah. See you later. I live with my older brother, Armando, and my older sister, Josephine, and my twin brother, Carmelo. What's the clock? All right. We're going to start things waiting for dinner. All right. All right. We're chill. We don't live with our parents at all. It's just us four kids. My dad was born in Italy. All my family was born there. My parents grew up there, lived there, and were married there. when i was around seven my mother died we all moved over to the united states my brother and i lived with my father but we had problems with them and moved to my brother's

and sister's house in italy the way we lived was totally different it was really scary coming to country for the first time I really miss my friends and family in Italy when we came over we didn't speak one word of English then I started learning English you know learn my first couple of words and things so it just got easy as time went on I mean there's a lot of things we miss from Italy we're still glad to be here I'm on the works at the stop and shop I'm on the ones to learn a lot he's always sort of teaching us things I'm on there's like a brother and a father to me right if I have a problem or something I treat him like a father like this yeah but most of the

time we'll go do things together I treat him like a brother you're gonna be as good as I am tell me that day I don't know all right I'm gonna go try him all right you can wrap All right, that's the last one. I'll do it. I'll see you later, okay? Okay, I'll stick it. Make sure you buy the stuff for the sale, all right? Okay, for tonight? Okay, see you later. All right, I'll see. Camille is my twin brother and us two have a lot of responsibilities around the house. usually we get this dinner started for my sister Josephine so me and Camilla have learned how to work together and to compromise so if we want to do

different things he won't go his way and I'll go my way we just try to talk it out which one's the best you can't open it with your hand you need a thing let me that. I won't open. There it goes. So what are we going to do tonight? Go play baseball? I don't know if we'll be able to fit more stuff in here. It looks good. Where I lived in Italy, it was a small town. Everybody knew each other and everybody helped each other. It was all one big family, if you needed something, you know, you would ask somebody else and they'd give it to you. People here don't know each other too much, like if you go a block away, you can know nobody. Maybe that's one of the reasons why our family over here is so close.

I don't know, maybe I'm supposed to put him like this, I don't know. My aunt and uncle and cousins live nearby. They came over from Italy, too. We had a lot of problems and a lot of difficulties at first. I think the only main thing they got us through was we had a lot of patience. We all have different chores.

If we do everything we're supposed to do, we always stay together. if ron and jennifer were one thing what a lovely ronifer that would be welcome to zoom news and weather presenting important issues from around the country straight from you today our reporters have news from new jersey illinois and new york Take it away, reporters. Thank you, Chris. In Tonawanda, New York, Stacy Ray and Lisa Aloisio are upset. They say, quote, we have a problem. It's our parents. Our moms will let us go back and beat boys up. Our fathers won't.

We are tomboys and really don't like our fathers holding us back from fighting boys. We are frustrated, unquote. Ron? Thank you, Elle. And in Libertyville, Illinois, Peter Phillips reports, I wrote to the President of the United States. All he wrote back was, Dear Peter, the President enjoys hearing from you. He didn't even answer any of my questions. None. I don't think it's fair. Just because I'm a kid, it doesn't mean I don't know anything. Karen? Thank you, Ron. Well, Ward Geyer in Paramus, New Jersey, has a very good question for all kids. He asks, quote, how old would you like to be and why? Unquote. Back to you, Chris. Thank you, Karen. Ward, we have some answers to those very questions, don't we, Accardio? Indeed we do, Chris. Today's weather is whether you would like to be a child or an adult. Here are what Zoom viewers around the country had to say.

Child or adult? I don't know. I guess I'd rather be an adult because you've got so much more privileges because if you're a kid, you get people bossing you around. If you're an adult, you get to do the bossing around. An adult? Because I think an adult, you'd be more sophisticated and you'd know more what you'd still be learning in life. I'd rather be an adult because I would like to be a professional baseball player. I'd rather be an adult because you can help yourself. If you're a child, you need somebody to help you. Well, I don't know. A child because you get more fun, like riding a bike or skateboarding. I'd rather be a child because, I don't know, there's so many more responsibilities when you're an adult and everything. You get to be so free when you're a kid. So far, I'd rather be a child, because I'm having fun at it. And that's today's Zoom news and weather.

What's happening in your town? Send your letter to Zoom, Box 350, Boston, Mass., 02134. This is a poem written by me, and it's called Adolescence. Have I come to adolescence? After all, I'm 12. I have a crush on every boy I meet, almost. Have I come to adolescence? I argue with my mother almost once a day. I have a couple pimples, but they're not there anymore. Have I come to adolescence? I worry about clothes. I have a crush on every boy I meet, almost. Have I come to adolescence? Have I? My name is Theodore Devil. I've been doing some good deeds lately,

and frankly, I'm kind of discouraged with myself. May I help you across the street, madame? Oh, you little devil. Right this way. Thanks a lot, devil. It was my pleasure. Did you hear that Marge lost 10 pounds last week? Yeah, and she gained it all back this week. She still looks pretty crummy and hot, man. Yeah, I know. I saw Marge at the pool, and she sunk. Hand over that lollipop, kid. Taking candy from a baby, you ought to be ashamed. Aw, take the crummy lollipop. What kind of devil are you going around doing good deeds? Here you go, kid. There, there, there, there. There, there, there, there. There, there. Did you see that? I've been doing so many good deeds lately. I don't know what's happening to me. I'm losing all my devillinity. I'm just no bad anymore. Oh, my horn fell off. Oh, and there goes my other one.

It's so embarrassing. I'm falling apart at the seams. I look like a devil, but I don't act like it. Looks like I'm all washed up. If Nell and Karen were one thing, what a lovely Nellerin that would be. Diane Cheeses of Balder, New York, wrote us a letter, and this is what it says. Dear Zoom, this problem might happen to other boys and girls. Recently, my mother got remarried, and we moved to Long Island from Flatbush, Brooklyn. How do you think it feels to move to a strange neighborhood and get a new family all at once? I didn't know how putting two families together would work out.

I was a bit scared. I had never known my father and had never had a brother. Would we fight? Would my new stepfather yell at me? Then there was a new school, and new friends, and even new aunts, uncles, and cousins. Would we all like the same things to do, or even eat? Yes, I was worried. But I found out it can all work out if you try hard. We all get along, although we have all had to make many changes. I've discovered that I like family living. My mom doesn't work anymore. I get along with my new brother within reason, and having a new dad is nice. I'm even learning how to live in the country with the squirrels and the birds. How would other boys and girls feel? I think it would be hard. I mean, you're so used to living one way and then all of a sudden you have to change. Yeah, I don't know. My parents are divorced. And, like, my father lives up on the Cape and my mother lives here. And I live with my mother. And, I don't know, it's all, it's different. You know, like, staying with each other, I mean, different people. Yeah, it's, um, like, um, my mother divorced my father.

I still have a new stepfather. But at first, like, I couldn't call, I had to call him by his name, Pedro, which is Pedro, right? But now, like, um, I can talk, I can talk to him in a manner, yeah. Now, because he's been with us almost for years, I think. I think it'd be hard to call my new father, dad, because you think of your other father and say, well, maybe he would feel bad if I started calling him dad. Oh, yeah, that's the problem with my father. It's hard. he really he does he likes the guy yeah right but it's something that he can't really he'll say in front of me but deep down i can know that you know he really yeah i have to be with him more than sometimes my dad my real dad and canny would ask me um do you kiss him and i would say yeah you know he's my stepfather and stuff sort of get jealous because he's he knows that you're his kid except you're living with another guy he doesn't he doesn't want you to feel well he's her father she can call him daddy you know and everything else and feel that uh the kid isn't wanted by the other the real parent you know do you know my father married my father married again

and then you know he had a son so i got this 10-month-old brother it's really different it's hard to call him you call her you know mom or anything but every once in a while you know it just pops out mom no i would think like um my parents didn't divorce but i would think if they got divorced and they married again and they married someone and i was living with them who had a kid i think it'd be so hard to move on with a new kid and just suddenly live with a new kid you've never heard of i think that sometimes if you want you know if your brother was you were mad at your brother you'd think oh why this whole thing have to happen and it's a lot harder because if i had to have another sister another brother or you know i got my parents got divorced and stuff i think if i was mad at him oh this is so stupid and all this and why can't it just be like the old days you know why you know what i think the hottest thing of having a stepfather stepmother is giving them a card on christmas or a different day it's really hard like like like it's hard for me to write him oh i love you and everything but i i do it but when i do it i'll just split

i think the parents would be more nervous in the kids especially especially the guy who's new to the family. He'd want to really please them and be really nice. Yeah, he'd want to please the kids and he wouldn't want them to get a bad impression at the start, so then they wouldn't like him like them. You know what a nice guy at the beginning, and then he'd be scared to, you know, he got mad at the kid. He'd go, well, you did such and such, and then he'd say, man, should I spank this kid or not? Should I give him a good whack? Yeah, but then they might get really mad at them, But then afterwards, they think, why did I do this? Because they're really nervous that they might hate it. Do you know what I don't like is, like, you know, Javier, like, your mother comes up to you, don't do that, because, you know, even though I feel bad. Yeah, it means you step up. Yeah, well, how do you think I feel? And, you know, it's really bad because, like, when your mother and your stepfather has arguments or something, it'll make you feel bad. I say, oh, what's going to be coming?

You know, and you're the one who's the main purpose, because, you know, they don't want to tell you right off or nothing. i think it's a lot worse than the parents even though you may think it isn't i don't really know but i would think it would be a lot worse than parents because if say you get in a bad mood and then you'd say well this i'm really mad that all this happened and then the parents would say they'd feel so bad but they also we have a whole life i mean ahead of us everything yeah i know some of them don't if parents get into first i think one of the worst things they can do is have the kid decides who they want to live with because i think either way they're going to have hard feelings maybe it's good for some kids but i don't think you should do it when first of all when they're too young and second i'm not so sure you should do it because it hurts either parent either way i think it's such a hard decision on the kid i mean my mother my mother went um first thing she did was that we had a little discussion me and my sister my mother she said well kids i like um this man and um i'm planning to marry him but if you don't if you don't like them or anything, well, you know, I don't have to get married. And me and my

sister said, you know, you know, why should we spoil, you know, my mother's fun and her. Yeah, my mother's had enough troubles, too. So we said, it's all right, you know. I can imagine. Even though it'd be hard to get used to it, but. I can imagine. What's that girl name? Diane. Diane. She's walking down the street with a new brother or sister. Her brother or sister, they move with her, and she's walking down the street with this girl or this boy father and I said, who's that behind you? Who's that following? That's my new brother. He said, you got a new brother? How fast can he grow? Hey, you're the new kid in the block, aren't you?

Yeah. What's your name? My name's Chris. Oh, how do you do, Chris? I'm one. Huh? Oh, come on, I'll show you how. You stick out your heart and hand To every woman, kid, and man You shake it up and down With a how do you do On our sidewalk, on our street, everybody that you meet Well, you shake it up and down with a hi-do-you-do Hi-do-do-dee-do, hi-do-do-dee-do-dee-do How's your dad, how's your mama, how are you? I feel glad when you feel good, you cheer up the neighborhood Shaking hands with everybody How do you do-do-dee-doo When you're buzzing like a bee When you're standing like a tree Turn your branches to the wind

With how do you do-do-do-do-do When you're skating on the ice When you're thinking something nice Raise your eyebrows up and down How do you do-do-do-do How do you do-do-dee-do I feel glad when you feel good, you cheer up the neighborhood, shaking hands with everybody, how you do. Through the valley, through the forest, climbing up the mountain high, when you see the birds flying how do you do when you hear the train coming and it makes a rumbling noise

wave your arm and a great big wave shout how do you do How do you do-do-do-do? How do you do-do-do-do-do? How's your uncle, auntie, cousin? How are you? I feel glad when you feel good. You cheer up the neighborhood. Shaking hands with everybody. How do you do-do-do-do-do-do? If Ron and Jennifer were one thing, what a lovely Ronifer that would be. If Jennifer and Ocardio were one thing, what a lovely Gennadio that would be. If Ocardio and Nell were one thing, what a lovely Ocardinel that would be.

If Nell and Karen were one thing, What a lovely Nellerin that would be If Karen and Chris were one thing What a lovely Keras that would be If Chris and Lavelle were one thing What a lovely corral that would be We're gonna reach for the sky You can help us to fly Hey! Major funding for Zoom is provided by a grant from General Foods Corporation and by public

television stations. Additional support is provided by unrestricted general program grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Ford Foundation.