KIDS FIRST! News

Great news for game producers! KIDS FIRST! now accepts Nintendo Wii games for review. To celebrate this new venture, KIDS FIRST! is offering discounted submissions for any Wii titles submitted by between now and September 1, 2009. Anyone submitting Wii titles will receive a member’s rate even if they are a non-member.

Already this summer KIDS FIRST! jurors have been getting interactive with visual media as they review games for the Nintendo Wii. This move has been a great hit with both adult and child jurors. Each title provides many hours and days of entertainment as the kids and grownups grab their Wii remotes and get off the couch to learn how to become a band leader in “Major Minor’s Majestic March;” how to climb trees quickly in “Go Play Lumberjacks;” how to do tricks on the trampoline in “Go Play Circus Star;” and how to get their groove on in “Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves” and so much more.

The Wii craze is taking the nation. Sales last Christmas for this family gaming system sky-rocketed, despite the troubled economy. Schools have Wii gaming competitions for fundraisers and libraries gather groups for some relaxing play time. With the ever-growing popularity of the games, we at KIDS FIRST! feel it’s important to support the family-friendly media kids interact with. To see some of the KIDS FIRST! jurors in action, check out our “Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves” review.

To learn more about submitting a title for KIDS FIRST! review, check out our website at http://www.kidsfirst.org/submit-a-title/.

To learn more about becoming a KIDS FIRST! juror or to sign up for our online training classes go to our website http://www.kidsfirst.org/become-a-juror/

The “PAMOJA MTAANI” (“Together in the Hood”), Behavior Change Video Game, created by Warner Bros, won the Global Business Coalition’s Business Excellence Award.

As a key component of the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation, this open world five player LAN-Based PC game educates youth in Kenya.

The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria honored Warner Bros. Entertainment with the Core Competence Business Excellence Award for the video game “Pamoja Mtaani” (“Together in the Hood”) at the GBC Business Excellence Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C on June 24, 2009. “Pamoja Mtaani”, Swahili for “Together in the Hood”, is an open world, five player LAN-based PC video game created by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in collaboration with technical experts within the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and noted serious games developer, Virtual Heroes, Inc.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, in partnership with PEPFAR, applied its core competence to develop an action-based videogame pilot that is delivering targeted HIV prevention messages to East African youths. The videogame combines traditional gameplay with messages aimed at changing behavior, focusing on key behaviors that can reduce HIV infections among youth. The game development is part of The Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation, a  public-private collaboration among PEPFAR and businesses with critical core competencies such as messaging, new technologies and market research.

The “Pamoja Mtaani” videogame can be played at select youth venues in Nairobi, which are an integral component of this new initiative to revolutionize HIV prevention. The game, intended to engage youth through fun interaction, is designed to help influence HIV risk perceptions, attitudes and behaviors among young people in Nairobi.

Mary Ann Hall’s Music for Children. Emily and her friends take you on a live action and animated adventure searching for the music in everything on Earth. Through rhythm and rhyme, imaginary play, reading music and dance, your children will learn without even knowing it!

Mary Ann Hall’s Music For Children has produced this, the first DVD in the Earth Boogie series. They took the music education and imaginary play from their classes and made a mystical, magical, musical adventure for children to learn from and enjoy at home. Music For Children has taught over 35,000 children and is considered one of the top early childhood music education programs out there. Combining the rich music plans from the classes with Emily’s Broadway performing experience, Mary Ann, Emily and Bill have created a show combining all their different talents. This show is one to watch over and over again!

To purchase the DVD/CD you can go to Orchestore.com or Amazon.com for “The Music of the Mountains.”

Find out more about Music for Children at http://www.musicforchildren.net

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The Signing Safari DVD program was developed by Sharon Said, a certified Child Sign Language Specialist, owner of Parenting Empowerment, and mother of three. Inspired by
the fact that learning sign language at an early age leads to improved family communication, Sharon researched and created a sign language program that is entertaining to learn, easy to implement, and will help reduce the numerous stresses of early childhood. Through her parent training workshops and interactive sign and play classes, Sharon teaches parents how to use American Sign Language to increase communication with their hearing babies, toddlers, and preschoolers lessening the typical stresses of early childhood.

Find more about Signing Safari at http://www.signingsafari.com

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Lightning Media is a leading distributor of commercially driven films and programs. They selectively target and acquire rights for theatrical distribution, DVD, television, cable, internet, VOD, PPV, electronic sell-thru and emerging digital platforms in the United States and other markets. Lightning Media is now engaged in multi-platform distributionpartnerships with Anchor Bay Entertainment and Lions Gate Entertainment.

Find more on Lightning Media at http://www.lightning-ent.com

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Master Communications, Inc.

WGBH Educational Foundation is a trusted source for educational media and kids-focused programming, providing millions of teachers and parents with resources, tools, and programs that augment classroom curricula; entertain and engage kids in the home; and inspire them to learn and explore the world around them.

Find more on Master Communications at http://www.master-comm.com

Brittany Curran stars in the KIDS FIRST! title, Legally Blondes, which airs on ABC Family on August 2nd, 8pm.

Check out her new web-site if you want to take a peek! http://www.brittanycurran.com/Brittany_Curran/Welcome.html