KIDS FIRST! News

CANVAS, the narrative psa directed by Arlene Bogna, will be screening at two upcoming indie film festivals which celebrate independent films and women filmmakers.Indie Spirit Film Festival The Indie Spirit Film Festival is an annual event for filmmakersand film lovers alike, with a superb program of feature films, shorts, docs, animation and many other films from around the world.SCREENING : Saturday, April 26, 2008The Independent Film Society of Colorado, Colorado Springs, COShow Me Something RealA film festival honoring single mothers and women filmmakers,the Show Me Something Real Film Festival is designed to inspireand empower other women to be creative and expressive in theirlives and for everyone to recognize the voices of women filmmakers.Proceeds from the screening will benefit the National Partnershipfor Women and Families.SCREENING : Monday, March 24, 2008 – 7:00 PMRegal Arbor Cinema @ 9828 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX 78759

The KIDS FIRST! Award winner for screenplays is hitting the Beverly Hills Film Festival on Sunday April 13 then run in the finals in his old stomping ground the Deep South in the Charleston International Film Festival the first weekend in May. Screenplay writer Christopher Canole tells more about his film here.

The Cyberchase gang takes young viewers out to play with their new math and sports initiative, premiering this month on PBS KIDS GO!Multi-Faceted Project Features New Episodes, A New Web Game And Outreach Events.“For Real” Segments Include Appearance By New York Mets Pitcher John MaineWhen’s the last time you looked at a baseball diamond…and saw a geometric pattern? Watched a replay…and realized how that play was diagrammed? Or checked out the score…and considered the math inherent to a game? Sports are rich with opportunities to use numbers, spot patterns, and develop strategies, and kids love sports. With this exciting connection in mind, CYBERCHASE’s new initiative challenges kids to get active with math!CYBERCHASE’s Math & Sports, a multi-faceted project that will engage children on air, online and on the playing field in communities nationwide, kicks off April 7 on PBS KIDS GO!sm (check local listings). The Math & Sports initiative features five shows, including four new episodes, as well as an interactive Web game that gives kids the chance to challenge Hacker in the “CyberOlympics” at pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase.“Sports are a perfect way to show kids that math is a useful tool to develop winning strategies,” says Sandra Sheppard, Thirteen/WNET New York’s director of Children’s and Educational Programming. “This new initiative aims to show kids how athletics incorporate math in ways they might not realize, while also reinforcing the power of teamwork in problem-solving. These concepts are as applicable on the field as they are in the classroom.”CYBERCHASE For Real, a live-action segment found at the end of each animated episode, will include Harry learning from the New York Mets’ pitcher John Maine how he uses math in every game. Harry will also try to figure out the best order for him and his teammates to swim in a relay race to increase their chances of winning.“Sports are very popular with kids and rich in opportunities to engage them in math concepts such as problem solving, geometry and data-analysis,” says executive producer Frances Nankin. “One of our goals with Math & Sports is to empower kids who might otherwise want to sit on the sidelines, and encourage them to get out there and participate, just to try out the concepts. They’re fun and easy to grasp, and guaranteed to make everyone want to play!”To engage children while reinforcing and extending the messages of the broadcasts, CYBERCHASE Math & Sports is supported with free educational materials, including a digital activity toolkit that combines a DVD containing the five episodes and short segments and a CD-Rom containing hands-on activities. A CYBERCHASE comic book and poster are also available. These resources will be available to educational and community partners through the series’ companion Web site and Outreach Portal.Parents and teachers can find tips for ways to combine math with sports, plus activities at pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase. For Math & Sports, an all-new interactive game will encourage players to try out math skills from the episodes and experience the results on a virtual playing field.

We hope you already know about the new Raggs public TV series…and its magical stories, music and educational underpinning, BUT did you know that Raggs is now available in widescreen? Since standard def is still the most common, they’ll continue to deliver episodes in SD, but starting on March 31, with episode 141, Raggs will be delivered in both formats.“Raggs” stars five colorful canines and their wisecracking pet cat, Dumpster, who hang together in their own cool clubhouse.Each program is based on one main theme that promotes social and academic readiness while also addressing specific preschool curriculum topics:• Emergent literacy• Visual arts• Science and discovery• Mathematics• Social studies• Movement, music and danceMore information on Raggs can be found at http://www.raggs.com.