Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Earth Day Network announced that it has exceeded its one-million-tree goal for The Avatar Home Tree Initiative with the planting of 1,006,639 trees on six continents in 2010. The resulting reforestation, sustainable development and increase in environmental awareness will last far into the future. The project was made possible through the generous support of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and its Avatar Blu-ray & DVD. It was accomplished through the tireless work of 17 partner organizations. Over 31,000 individuals were directly involved in the massive planting effort.

“In creating this project, we wanted to make every tree count. That’s why we selected ecosystems around the globe where we believed trees were most crucial to protect, and partners we were confident would work the hardest to get strong healthy trees in the ground and nurture them to maturity. While our requirements were high, in the end, the results of this project surpassed our expectations,” said Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network President. “Planting trees fights global climate change and is the essence of service inspired by Earth Day. We want to thank our partner Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for making this meaningful project possible.”

“At the core of AVATAR lies an inspiring message of empowerment and self-discovery, said Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Our program to plant one million trees resulted in fans around the world fervently getting involved to promote a healthy, sustainable planet. That alone has made this initiative a huge success.”

Earth Day Network reports that the trees planted for the Initiative protect some of the world’s most bio-diverse and threatened forests; restore acres destroyed by fire, flood and wind; enable local and regional governments to rebuild communities devastated by disaster; engage tens of thousands of children and youth in learning about the environment; create career opportunities in the green economy; and provide hands-on service opportunities to volunteers of all ages.

In one of the most compelling projects, in Haiti, Trees for the Future worked with local citizens under the Avatar Home Tree Initiative to address urgent needs to reforest degraded hillsides, produce fruit and biodiesel fuel and establish intensive hillside farming practices. Over 500,000 trees have been planted in Haiti.

Within the U.S., the Avatar Home Tree Initiative supported city reforestation efforts in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles, shaping urban tree canopies that improve air quality, provide shade, cool the ground, save energy, attract birds and other wildlife, beautify landscapes, grow free fruit for residents and even increase homeowner property values.

Each of the million trees planted under the Avatar Home Tree Initiative has been added to Earth Day Network’s Billion Acts of Green® campaign, a global service project to log one billion sustainable actions in advance of the Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012. Additionally, the trees planted in this initiative have been pledged towards the Billion Trees Campaign, a worldwide tree planting initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The tree planting was also a part of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s parent company News Corporation’s Global Energy Initiative, a company-wide commitment to reduce impacts on climate and engage global audiences with environmental issues.

Trees were planted in 16 countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Are you aware of the new educational programs that PBS has been developing for children?

From the beginning, children’s media at PBS has been about helping children learn.  Today, that mission is more relevant than ever as a new generation of kids spends more time with media and new technologies make it possible for producers of children’s media to do more to propel learning.  Following a State of the Union address calling for Americans to “out-educate” and “out-innovate,” PBS KIDS announces on-air, online and mobile milestones showcasing its commitment to using media to prepare America’s youth for success in school and in life.

“Educational programming – particularly entertaining media properties focused on math, science and engineering – is needed now more than ever, with the President calling for a concerted focus on stepping up kids’ skills in these areas,” said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president, Children’s Media, PBS.

With its pervasive approach to sharing media, PBSKIDS.org dominates the kids online space, with over 10 million unique visitors in January.  PBSKIDS.org ranked as the top kids’ site for free videos streamed for September, October, November and December, according to comScore Video Metrix. Kids spent an average of 42.8 minutes watching free, educational videos on the site in December, which is nearly 10 minutes longer than the monthly average for kids’ sites, with 92 million free video streams for the month.

PBS KIDS also celebrates success in the kids’ mobile apps category. PBS KIDS launched seven mobile apps in 2010, raising the bar for the category by producing top-of-the line apps that are both fun and educational. Apps like SUPER WHY! consistently ranked #1 in the App store and a U.S. Department of Education-funded research report showed that PBS KIDS mobile apps can lead to substantial learning gains. The MARTHA SPEAKS DOG PARTY app was shown to increase literacy skills up to 31 percent among kids ages 3 to 7.
“Mobile apps were one of the most important developments in children’s media for 2010 and we found that they can have real potential for helping kids learn,” continued Rotenberg. “In 2011, we will continue to experiment and test the educational impact of the combination of our content across multiple platforms, seeking new opportunities to engage and teach our nation’s children.”

For 2011, PBS KIDS has planned a pipeline of new apps, web original series, and transmedia projects in new frontiers such as augmented reality and in-video gaming. Research will continue to inform how PBS KIDS develops content and later this year new studies, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, will explore how the combination of content across new technologies can impact learning.

PBS KIDS and The Jim Henson Company today announced the release of the DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress App on the App Store, its newest educational game for the iPhone and iPod touch.  Based on the hit TV series DINOSAUR TRAIN, one of the top ten shows for kids ages 2 to 5, DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress guides preschool-age children through three prehistoric eras while promoting science and math skills through various exciting games.  DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress joins PBS KIDS’ suite of high-quality, innovative and educational apps, including SUPER WHY! and MARTHA SPEAKS Dog Party.

According to a recent Joan Ganz Cooney Center study, high quality, developmentally appropriate and engaging apps can have significant educational benefits for children, especially as more and more kids become familiar with mobile devices.  “This is our eighth PBS KIDS app for iOS devices, and each one combines entertainment to keep kids engaged with the educational value parents expect from us,” said Jason Seiken, senior vice president, Interactive, Product Development, and Innovation, PBS.

The DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress App is available from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

PBS also recently launched PBS for iPad, a free iPad® app for adults that features more than 300 videos, including full-length episodes, segments and previews, with new content updated daily.

About the DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress App

Based on the TV series Dinosaur Train featuring Buddy, an adorable preschool age Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive Pteranodon family, DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress challenges players to find, sort and match dinosaur eggs and then reunite dinosaur families while progressing through three different time periods. Players will discover real flora and fauna from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. Along the way, there will be learning moments as the app reveals mystery dinosaur hatchlings, real dinosaur facts and an adorable Dinosaur Baby Book.  The app is available on the App Store (http://to.pbs.org/dinoeggs) for the iPhone and iPod touch. For more information about PBS KIDS apps, visit PBSKIDS.org/mobile.

A DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress demo video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvuSvMyqtLE and images can be found on PBS PressRoom.

Dr. Toy (Stevanne Auerbach, PhD) is a long time board member of KIDS FIRST! Her annual report features information about 100 wonderful new toys and other products from large and small companies. The products selected meet Dr. Toy’s high standards for design, durability, price, quality, safety, and value. 

We often hear about products that fall apart after minimal use, a frustrating and expensive experience. In addition, products that do not meet safety standards can be dangerous. Dr. Toy endeavors to select products that are structurally safe and sound. But while focusing on those aspects of a product, let’s not forget that “play is children’s work” and should be respected and understood by all adults. We should be thinking: What products or “tools for play” can we obtain to provide wholesome experiences for children and provide plenty of positive play interactions? 

Dr. Toy spends a great deal of time reviewing many products created by myriad manufacturers and designers to make sure her selections are safe and lasting, valuable and fun. And certainly durable products, properly designed, and developmentally correct are always worth the money. For great tips on choosing children’s products, go to Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products – 2010

A short interview with Dr. Toy.

’Tis the season to buy, buy, buy—and not just to keep the staggering economy afloat. No, it’s also an opportunity to fulfill your children’s wildest dreams (if only for half an hour) by selecting the perfect toy to celebrate whatever holiday it is you’re celebrating this month. For guidance on this journey, we turn to Berkeley’s own Dr. Toy, otherwise known as Stevanne Auerbach, director of the San Francisco–based Institute for Childhood Resources. Since 1995, the toy doc has been posting product ratings on the Institute’s website (Wacky Wiggling Doodle Desk, Dairy Queen Blizzard Maker, and Cleanupper the Dump Truck, for example, all get a hearty thumbs-up). She’s written three books on toys, founded the now-defunct San Francisco International Toy Museum in 1986, and, as a young U.S. department of education staffer in the late 1960s, approved the first grant for Sesame Street. Dr. Toy also has a Ph.D. in child development and, more importantly, a warehouse full of toys in Berkeley. I caught up with her recently for her take on vital playroom issues. Per usual, this is hard-hitting stuff. You have been warned.

Paul Kilduff: My daughter’s really into Barbies. Are you anti-Barbie due to it’s creating an unattainable standard for girls?

Stevanne Auerbach: No, I’m not anti-anything. The only thing I’m really anti, Paul, is violent toys. I’m very staunch against toy guns, violent video games. I think it’s a huge waste of money and resources and skills to create mindless video games that are only about shooting and destroying and killing. Kids need adventures, mountain climbing, and exploration of the sea, and I’d like to see the video game companies develop more educational, fun, interesting products.

PK: Not Mafia wars then, I guess.

SA: Yeah, that’s one of my pet peeves in the industry.

PK: Grand Theft Auto, you don’t have that.

SA: No, no, no, no.

PK: I remember I actually enjoyed playing around with toy guns.

SA: When you and I were growing up, things were different. With TV and with the Internet and the infusion of games that are video, I think there has been an overkill. There really needs to be more cooperation instead of destruction.

PK: You see this at the day care centers. Little boys, there’s no toy guns, but they manage to make a gun out of whatever. You know, a stick.

SA: They create it out of their own imagination. If they create one out of Lego or make it themselves, it’s different. It’s part of their play. But I don’t think parents have to go out and buy a gun to prove something.

PK: So if your kid is making an Uzi out of Legos . . .

SA: If they’re making it, that’s part of their natural play patterns. That’s very different.

PK: My daughter really enjoys playing Monopoly. Now, Monopoly is teaching you what? To become this capitalist pig, right? I mean, hey, let’s drive everybody else out of business. Is that necessarily a good thing for a kid to be learning how to do?

SA: Well, Monopoly is a fun game.

PK: Should there be a less greedy version of Monopoly developed? Social Democracy Monopoly? I’ll give half of my money to pay for social services?

SA: There are great innovations in products that could be improved and you might develop a Berkeley version. It would be unique to this area.

PK: That’s a good idea.

SA: They have Monopoly for different regions, not just the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

PK: Monopoly for Berkeleyites who want to share the wealth.

SA: Berkeleyopoly.

PK: Berkeleyopoly, yes exactly.

SA: And it would be green.

PK: And since Bill Gates wants everybody to give their fortunes away, he might fund it, huh?
SA: Exactly. And it could be very creative fun—and your daughter could be involved in helping to design it.

PK: We keep referencing Berkeley here. This is kind of a Berkeleyish thought. A lot of these toys that you’re recommending are made in Third World countries, where a lot of kids don’t have any toys whatsoever.

SA: I have actually chastised companies for that, including Mattel. I feel that if they have kids working in factories, those kids should have a doll as well as their pay. I don’t want to see young children working in situations that are not healthy and good. Kids in this country don’t work at factories so that is an issue that is of some concern.

PK: And have you voiced this concern to toy makers?

SA: Yes, I actually worked for three years on the code of ethics for the toy industry. There wasn’t any and there was a lot of stealing going on and copying and so on. A lot of improvements have been made over the last few years on standards in factories and safety in toys.

PK: Are they actually providing toys now for the kids working in factories?

SA: Some are, and they’ve told me that they are trying to make conditions better. I proposed even in this country that we have toy lending libraries. There are children in Berkeley who don’t have toys. There are children in Oakland who don’t have toys. It is not necessarily the problem overseas. We have a lot of poverty in our community. So for the past five years, I’ve been in discussion with people in Oakland. There may be a space available that could be converted to a toy museum, a large place for kids to come and actually play with thousands of Legos and construction toys and dolls of all kinds and transportation toys and all kinds of art supplies and things like that. So I’m hopeful.

PK: I think there’s a mind-set that every kid needs to have their own version of every last toy. Really, it would be far better if we had a vast network of toy lending libraries.

SA: Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. You don’t have to purchase everything and not every family can buy everything so if a kid learns to play chess, they’re going to do better in school. They’re going to figure out strategies. They’re going to be thinking. These are very beneficial skills.

PK: If you put a Slinky on an escalator, and it’s slipping down to the next step, would it just go on and on forever?

SA: Oh yes. It would continue to go as long as there was another place. In fact, the first demonstration for Slinky—which helped to sell it—was putting it on an ironing board in a slanting position in the window of the department store, and they sold out all the products.

Scholastic Media and HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the nation, announced today the winners of its second annual “BE BIG in Your Community Contest,” a signature component of the ongoing Clifford The Big Red Dog® BE BIG!™ campaign sponsored by American Family Insurance. 

Sixteen-year-old Tucson student Jennifer O’Neal’s BIG idea to create a hospital classroom for young cancer patients at Diamond Children’s at University Medical Center – has been awarded the $25,000 grand prize grant from the BE BIG Fund.  The Arizona student will see her idea come to life with the support of Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona, an affiliate of the HandsOn Network. 

The national contest invited participants to submit a BIG idea that demonstrates Clifford’s Big Ideas (Share, Help Others, Be Kind, Be Responsible, Play Fair, Be a Good Friend, Believe in Yourself, Have Respect, Work Together and Be Truthful) for a chance to win a community grant to be used toward implementing the winning proposals. Since its inception, the contest has brought in over 1,500 entries from over 40,000 children, parents, teachers and community leaders ranging in age from 2 to 70. 

O’Neal was inspired to apply for a BE BIG grant after her sister was hospitalized at the University Medical Center in Tucson in 2009. During her sister’s stay, O’Neal learned that children face substantial challenges keeping up with their school work while being treated, and falling behind in school is one of many young patients’ chief concerns. With help from two members of Girl Scout Troop 484, Sharon Fass and Lauren Evans, O’Neal developed the idea to create a study room to help reduce young patients’ stress.

“Jennifer and her team drew from personal inspiration to develop a BIG idea that will meet the needs of their community for years to come,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. “Clifford’s BIG Ideas are inspiring people of all ages to embrace civic engagement; Scholastic is delighted that so many children and families are committing to improve the lives of others in innovative ways, while taking pride in service to their communities.”

“The BE BIG program continues to inspire and help equip children and families to adopt a tradition of service” said Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder, HandsOn Network.  “We are extremely pleased to partner with Scholastic Media in providing a way for a new generation, exemplified by Jennifer and the other award-winners, to make its mark on the world and realize its power to make a difference.”

“Every great idea has a starting point,” said Lisa Bacus, vice president of marketing for American Family Insurance. “These incredible ideas started in the hearts and minds of people of all ages and from various walks of life. American Family Insurance is proud to help provide the framework for these ideas to become reality in improving the lives of others.”

Ten additional contest entries have been selected as First Place prize winners; each will be awarded a $2,500 community grant.  Nineteen Second Place prize winning ideas – one from each of American Family Insurance’s 19-state business territory also will receive grants totaling $25,000. The ten First Place prize winners are below.

·         Will Lourcey, age 7, and his team from Fort Worth, Texas will work with Volunteer Center of Texas to organize local area little league baseball players against hunger in the “Hits Against Hunger” project.

·         Erika Ferguson, age 17, of Northfield, New Jersey will work with United Way of Atlantic County’s Volunteer Center on her BIG Idea for the “ACRM Farm Project” to grow and harvest food for the poor.

·         Mackenzie Bearup, age 17, of Alpharetta, Georgia will work with HandsOn Atlanta to expand the reach of her “Shelter Libraries” book donation initiative.

·         Lindsay Hyde, age 28, and her team from Miami will work with HandsOn Miami to double the size of the “Strong Women, Strong Girls” volunteer mentor program in her community.

·         Leigh Pruden, age 17 of Houston will work with Volunteer Houston to keep a refugee education initiative thriving through a high school community service program.

·         Milan Patel, age 15, of Clearwater, Florida will work with HandsOn Tampa to expand the “Teen Music Hospice Program” that plays bedside music for patients in his community.

·         Jenny Chen, age 19, of North Potomac, Maryland will expand her “Connect Through Comics” mentor program into the Washington, D.C. community with DC Cares.

·         Sandy Warrick, age 55, and her kindergarten students in Albuquerque, New Mexico will work with generationOn to support the “Kids Babyfood Drive” initiative for a local food bank.

·         Shelley Sellwood-Davis, age 24, and her team from Lexington, Kentucky, will work with United Way of the Bluegrass Volunteer Center to expand the “Build-A-Bed” initiative to include 2000 volunteers in more communities.

·         Rohan Chandra, age 15, of Fremont, California will work with generationOn to start his “Earthquake Kits/Emergency Preparedness” project for seniors in his community.

Nearly 1,000 entries comprising more than 25,000 community members of all ages were submitted for the 2010 contest. This represented an 82 percent increase in the number of entries over 2009 and more than a 50 percent increase in community members.

The 11 top-winning BIG Ideas were selected by a panel of judges based on four criteria — feasibility, creativity, sustainability and impact.

The Clifford BE BIG campaign (scholastic.com/cliffordbebig) is a fully integrated cause marketing program that invites everyone to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford’s BIG Ideas can make the world a better place.  Its mission is to recognize and reward others for their BIG actions, to catalyze change in local communities, and to provide resources for everyone to share BIG ideas. The initiative is sponsored by American Family Insurance, an organization with a long tradition of community sponsorships and involvement, contributing to organizations that improve the quality of life for those in need, particularly children.  A complete list of finalists, and profiles about their BIG ideas, can be found at www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig.

Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life is a global literacy campaign launched as part of Scholastic’s 90th anniversary celebration that underscores the importance of reading to better prepare children who will need strong literacy skills to survive and succeed in the 21st century. Scholastic is asking EVERYONE, its partners, publishers, educators, business leaders, nonprofits, parents, caregivers and students — to work together to bring reading and deeper understanding to all children around the globe. The Reading Bill of Rights, the foundation of the campaign, includes eight “beliefs” that affirm every child’s right to read and what that means in the 21st century… from access to books and great stories to the ability to analyze, interpret and understand information in the digital age.

The Read Every Day initiative is comprised of several elements, including:

    * The Reading Bill of Rights the Bill of Rights is available on the website and will also be handed out at noted sites around the world on October 22, Scholastic’s official anniversary.
    * Reading Action Steps, ways we can all encourage and help kids read
    * Celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, Keke Palmer, and the NFL’s Justin Tick, will support Read Every Day through public service announcements, while noted kid’s illustrators, including David Shannon, Mark Teague, Norman Bridwell, and Barbara McClintock, have created special posters for the campaign
    * Scholastic has also created the social network site You Are What You Read (http://www.youarewhatyouread.com/), where people can post the five books that changed their lives and connect with others through shared “Bookprints,” and discover new books.  The site also features “Bookprints” of noted people such as Bill Gates, Eva Mendes, Tony Hawk, Jodi Picoult, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Malcolm Gladwell.  The site launches October 22. Taylor Swift will participate in a live webcast exclusively for schools to celebrate Read Every Day.  Read Now! with Taylor Swift will include an interview with the artist about how reading is part of her life and she will perform.  Hosted by Nick Cannon, the event will take place October 27, 2010.  Teachers can get more information and register at scholastic.com/readeveryday