Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

This is great. You can now download PBS Kids Videos on a new iPad app that gives you free, streaming access to more than 1,000 videos from top PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! shows. What a great way to blend education and fun where kids develop their reading skills, learn about science and other subjects through their favorite characters from these shows. 

As a true app fan, I can’t tell you how exciting this is and, of course, like all of their content, the PBS KIDS Video FREE, designed with kids in mind, and supports curricuular goals. Whether your kid is below grade level in these areas, or exceling, this is wonderful and fun content to help them work on these skills, particularly over the summer. Don’t go to school, go to your iPad.

For more information, go to the App Store on iPad or at http://to.pbs.org/pbskidsvideoipad.   More information about PBS KIDS mobile apps is available on PBSKIDS.org/mobile.

Our 13-year-old youth Film Critic. Raven Devanney definitely resonated with this film which opens this weekend. Here’s what she has to say: “Something Borrowed is a brilliant laugh-out-loud comedy. I guarantee you’ll laugh so hard your sides will hurt!

I am in love with this movie! It is so hilarious I almost fell out of my set at the theater! The visual aspects of this film are great because of the crisp images and the dialogue is so funny. My favorite character is Ethan because he is so blunt and straight forward. There  is no hiding his emotions and I laugh at almost every thing he says and does!

Something that is so clever about this movie is that it is very emotional, so you can go from cracking up to crying in one scene.

The only thing that really bothers me about this film is the ending. I do not think Dex and Claire should be together in the end, I mean, I know they wait for 6 years but it just doesn’t sit right with me and I feel bad for how Claire and Darcy’s relationship ended up.

This movie is for ages 13 and up because teens and adults will love it for the hilarious adult humor and it is pretty inappropriate for children under 13.

So if you’re 13 and up hurry to the nearest theater on May 6th! Don’t wait! I give Something Borrowed 2 thumbs up!

Credit: Raven Devanney, age 13, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

The Colorado Film Society, the non-profit organization that produces the Boulder International Film Festival, will conduct its “World Cinema Day” program for students age 13 and above on Friday, April 29, 2011, a no-school day due to teacher in-service meetings.

This World Cinema Day program will be held at the Boulder Public Library Auditorium at 9th & Canyon from 1 to 3 p.m. and will feature a program of six short films screened previously at the Boulder International Film Festival:

There is no cost for students to attend, though seating will be available on a “first come/first served” basis. CFS staff will be present at the screening.

The program is appropriate for ages 13 and older. It is NOT appropriate for younger students.

The Colorado Film Society is a non-profit organization that produces the Boulder International Film Festival. The CFS is dedicated to building a cohesive film community in Boulder through educational outreach to area students and providing educational forums and networking opportunities to filmmakers and industry professionals in Boulder.

“World Cinema Days” are presented by the Colorado Film Society/Boulder International Film Festival, and are made possible through support from The Community Foundation, Xcel Energy and the Colorado Council on the Arts.

Please call 303 449-2283 or email [email protected] for more information.

This unique collection of six best-selling cultural stories is narrated by celebrities such as B.D. Wong and Ming-Na Wen.
The title tale, Tikki Tikki Tembo, is based on the classic picture book by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent. What’s in a name? A great deal according to the Chinese of long ago who honored their first son with the grand, long name Tikki Tikki Tembo. But such names can cause a lot of trouble, as the younger brother and his mother discover when the eldest falls down a well! Additional stories include:
• The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks – Based on the book written by Katherine Paterson and illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. A compassionate couple risks their lives to save a pair of Mandarin ducks. Narrated by B.D. Wong.
• Grandfather’s Journey- Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather’s life in the United States and Japan, Allen Say poignantly recounts his family’s journey to America. The feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries are sensitively expressed. Narrated by B.D. Wong, with music by Ernest V. Troost.
• The Stonecutter  -Based on the book by Gerald McDermott, based on a Japanese folktale, tells the story of a lowly stonecutter named Tasaku who longs for wealth and power. The soundtrack features a Japanese koto.
•  Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China – This award-winning version of the Red Riding Hood story features Lon Po Po, who pretends to be the grandmother of three little girls left at home.
• Sam and the Lucky Money – This animated story is based on the book by Karen Chinn, this story. It’s Chinese New Year in Chinatown, and Sam meets a stranger who helps him make the perfect decision on how to spend his lucky money. Narrated by Ming-Na Wen.

Visit http://www.newkideo.com/ to learn more about Scholastic Storybook Treasures

We wanted to remind you that this Saturday, April 23rd, my friend Barbara Storper’s company Foodplay Productions will be presenting a free performance of FOODPLAY for kids and families at 2pm at the Whole Foods Market in Santa Fe (corner of St. Francis Drive and Cordova Street). Their motto: Turning Kids on to Healthy Habits!
 
Please see invite here: http://www.foodplay.com/downloads/pdf/WholeFoodsFlyer.pdf
 
Note: Seats are extremely limited, please get to the show early!   
Hope to see you there!

Shalom Sesame, a twelve-part DVD series offering North American children and families an introduction to Jewish life and culture, won a Hugo Television Award Certificate of Merit: Children’s Program for the episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!”  This marks the first Hugo Television Award for Shalom Sesame, which is co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and Channel HOP!, the leading children’s channel in Israel.

The winning Shalom Sesame episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!” finds the zany blue monster Grover and his friend Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven, Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast) on a visit to Israel and it is almost time to celebrate Passover—only there is no horseradish to be found. Grover and Anneliese, along with Avigail, a beloved Muppet friend from Rechov Sumsum, put their heads together to track down the missing horseradish, exhibiting teamwork and problem solving skills, all while learning about the traditions of Passover. The Shalom Sesame series is designed to introduce Jewish culture and traditions, as well as the diversity of Israeli life, to American children and their families, through storylines drawn from Jewish traditions. The series also celebrates introducing Jewish values and concepts and introduces viewers to the Hebrew language.

The Hugo Television Awards were founded 47 years ago to acknowledge those who keep the television medium vibrant and shape its future. The Hugo TV Awards are presented annually in Chicago by the Chicago International Film Festival.

Shalom Sesame is available on DVD from SISU Home Entertainment, to order visit http://www.sisuent.com/.

“It’s Passover, Grover!” can also be seen on PBS (check local listings). For more information, including materials for parents and educators, please visit http://www.shalomsesame.org/. For clips from the series, visit the Shalom Sesame YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/shalomsesame.