A special invitation, for you and your child

Would you like to be able to read Sesame Street books with your child when you are far away from home? Or have your child’s grandparents or other loved ones read with your child from afar? The furry friends from Sesame Street have teamed up with Nokia Research Center to help children connect with their long distance loved ones.

Story Visit is a website where children and long-distance loved ones can read story books together. Story Visit combines video conferencing and connected story books: when a grown-up turns the page, the child’s page turns along with it. If the child points to something on his screen, the grown-up can see that on her screen too. Now families can read stories together even when they can't be in the same place.

Story Visit is part of a research project to support children's learning and family connections. The website is still under development, and we would love to have your help testing it! You'll be able to use Story Visit FREE for one month, in exchange for providing us with your feedback to help us make it better. The process is simple – all you need is:

• At least one child between the ages of two and five
• A commitment to having your child use Story Visit with a remote friend or relative
      as often as you would like over a period of four weeks
• Both parties need to have a computer with internet connection and webcam

As part of our research we'll be recording usage data like how often families read each book and the amount of time families spend in each reading session. We will never share any personal information with anyone or record the voices or images of anyone who uses the system. You can read more in our privacy policy.

If you accept our invitation to use the Story Visit system and participate in our research, you will need to fill out a brief questionnaire before beginning. At the end of the one month period you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your family’s experiences with the system. 

We hope you will join us in helping connect children with their long-distance loved ones.

 Sesame Workshop | One Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY 10023 | 212-875-6867

Nokia Research Center | 955 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304 | 650-496-4400