KIDS FIRST! News

Following up on the success of The Mother Company’s first DVD release, Ruby’s Studio: The Feelings Show, is another exciting addition to their line-up: Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show, featuring a lovable live-action host, art projects, animation, puppet shows, and original songs. With the voice of Mel Brooks and The Happy Song by Elizabeth Mitchell.

Though the overall intent of Ruby’s Studio is to help kids navigate the difficulties of childhood, taking its viewers on a journey of emotional literacy - kids think it’s fun! According to KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Cheyenne Nguyen, Ruby’s Studio shows short clips about friendship so it’s easy for younger kids to understand. This preschool, early childhood content even appealed to our own 13-year-old KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Brianna Hope Beaton, who says the activities are fun and the life lessons invaluable. She rates the DVD for ages 3-7, but word has it, even Brianna was glued to the screen!

Tune into the KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions episode from December 18, 2012 and hear our KIDS FIRST! reporters interview Abbie Schiller, CEO/Founder of The Mother Company, creator of the Ruby’s Studio series. Click here to go directly to this episode.

“Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show” is available on DVD or instant download now on The Mother Company’s website!

Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show
Reviewed by Brianna Hope Beaton
Click here to see Brianna’s full video review!

This award winning show is a must have for every child and will definitely help with their childhood. In Ruby’s Studio, Ruby tells you everything there is to know about friendship. She tells you how to make friends, keep friends, how to treat your friends and cover real life situations on how to relate to them. She also tells stories that show you what to do if you and your friend have a disagreement. Most importantly, Ruby covers the golden rule; treat others the way you want to be treated.

I like Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show because of the real life scenes, the activities and the songs which teach you valuable lessons. It seems as though the kids on the show are giving real honest answers, not fake at all.  I like that it’s interactive with the kids on the show and the fun they are having with the different activities.

One craft activity I like is the making of a friendship tree. You can place the names of your friends on it with what you think they enjoy or like. I like that this is a show that is very kid friendly. It’s fun with bright colors, upbeat songs, and interesting stories. It provides great tips and gives you a recap of everything.

Kids 3 to 7 well definitely love this show because it is interactive with its viewers, making you feel like you are included. Kids will also like it if they are seeking help for their relationships with their own friends.

I give Ruby’s Studio 5 out of 5 stars. It gives great lessons, it’s interactive and has real life examples of problems that kids may face with their friends. There is not one thing that I dislike about this show. I believe it is a great program. For parents, this show is educational in every way and you will love it with helping to raise your child. Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show is available now on DVD.

Ruby’s Studio: The Friendship Show
Reviewed by Cheyenne Nguyen
Click here to see Cheyenne’s full video review!

This is a great movie for kids to learn the Golden Rule. Ruby’s Studio has many different shows. This particular one is about Friendship. This movie shows children how to make friends, understand to their friends and how to talk to them. The movie shows real kids feelings and has a lot of colorful displays, arts and crafts to keep children’s attention. It also repeats the messages several times so younger children can remember what the messages of the movie are all about. We need to hear how other kids are feeling so we can understand better. We should try to talk to our friends and see why they are feeling the sadness or not want to play.

My favorite character is Ruby. She is pretty and speaks slowly and make sure that all the children understand the message. The movie is full of fun arts and crafts.

The lesson in this movie is “The Golden Rule”; you treat others like you want to be treated. I rank this movie 5 out of 5 stars. This movie’s age range is 3 -5.

As you are planning your Holiday giving, we would really appreciate it if you would consider a tax deductible contribution to KIDS FIRST!

We took a hit this year in revenue and, for the first time every, we are reaching out to our network of friends, colleagues, and friends of friends to ask for a little something to help support our very viable Film Critics program.

Our goal is to raise $30K in the next 90 days and we have one donor who will match the first $10K we raise.

Click here to visit our fundraising page. It’s easy. You can use any major credit card.

Every donation counts. Whether you donate $5 or $5000, it will make a difference. Every dollar goes to support our media literacy programs.

So please - tweet it, FB it, email it! According to our social media expert, our network reaches 450,000 people so if we can get everyone to do something, we shouldn’t have difficulty reaching our goal.

Our motto for this campaign is, “Smart Kids Make Smart Consumers.”
It’s not just about media, it’s really about making kids conscientious consumers.

With great gross-out that kids thoroughly enjoy, “Smash Your Food” won First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Apps for Healthy Kids” contest. The iPad application from Octave Media International, LLC, can be downloaded from iTunes. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Brianna Beaton (age 12) shares why making a mess with food is so educational - and what other advantages it offers to parents.

Smash Your Food
App reviewed by Brianna Beaton

“Smash Your Food” is an educational app that teaches you about healthy food habits. I really don’t know how much sugar, salt and oil there is in the everyday foods we eat, but “Smash Your Food” teaches you.

This app displays a particular food and then you guess how much sugar, salt and oil there is in it. After you guess how much it has, then you can SMASH it. It then tells you the actual amount. It is so real with the videos and sound effects (squishing, popping).

It is definitely an eye-opener as you will learn what not to eat, and it helps with your nutrition. “Smash Your Food” is a fun way for kids to learn about foods, such as sweets that add to your calorie consumption. It has about 40 foods that you can SMASH, from doughnuts, junk food and soda to entire full meals. It is high-definition Video – and real food is used.

I’m not sure if it tells you your daily allotted dose, but I would like to see that.

This app is good for ages about four to teens. Adults will also enjoy it because they may not know how much [of the nutritional elements] is in a food. It has different levels and sends parents e-mails on how well their child is doing with the app.

I really enjoy this app and get to learn at the same time. I give this app 5 out of 5 stars

Photo: “Smash Your Food” (top), Brianna Beaton (bottom)

Are you concerned about what your kids are watching on TV, in the movies, on videogames or even phone or iPad apps? Did you know that the average American child will spend more time watching TV and playing videogames than he or she will spend in school?

At KIDS FIRST!, we work with adults and kids all over the country to increase awareness and help them become more media savvy. One way we do this is through our Juror Training Course and Junior Film Critic Clubs. Adults are trained to evaluate media for KIDS FIRST! and to work with a group of kids to do the same. KDIS FIRST! rates and reviews DVDs, feature films, audio CDs, videogames and apps.

Sound fun? Then we have just the class for you to become a KIDS FIRST! juror - interactive, live, two-session webinars or a recorded version that lets you do the training on your own time. Becoming a juror has always been easy - but it just got even easier! If you are one of the first 20 people to sign up for training, we will waive our standard $10 administrative fee. Plus, everyone who completes a registration form will automatically be enrolled in this month’s KIDS FIRST! sweepstakes to win cool, new DVDs.

In order to get the free training, you must sign up by March 15 and complete the course by May 31.

There’s NO TIME COMMITMENT required of you as a KIDS FIRST! juror and you get to keep all of the products we send you to evaluate! You can build up your personal media library or donate these products to your school, community center or any children’s organization you choose. You will be offered opportunities once or twice a month to evaluate a children’s product, and you pick as many or as few as appeal to you.

As an official KIDS FIRST! juror, you can start your own Junior Film Critics Club and become part of a nationwide nucleus of more than 200 adults and 3,000 kids that make up the KIDS FIRST! volunteer evaluators. Jurors help children learn to view media critically, express their opinions verbally or in written form and assist other families in their media viewing decisions. 

For more information about the KIDS FIRST! jury, or for dates of our upcoming live webinars, visit us online.

Disney/Pixar’s spring release of Mars Needs Moms had space authorities from NASA involved in its production! Looking to get insights into NASA’s role in the movie, KIDS FIRST! arranged for KF film critic Sam Connan to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Sam got a chance to explore some of what the movie’s young hero Milo goes through while learning what lies behind NASA’s interest in working with filmmakers.

Sam Connan at Kennedy Space Center

Hi. I’m Sam Connan, reporting from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for KIDS FIRST!. The Kennedy Space Center is a wonderful way to spend the day if you want to get away from the amusement parks and get some science into your visit to Florida. I went there on business, but ended up having a wonderful time.

There’s a guided tour that you can take, and I highly recommend it. You get to see the real mission control for the Apollo mission, and a real Saturn Five rocket, as well as the launch pad itself. I personally didn’t get to see the launch pad because they were fueling up the shuttle Atlantis for the last flight in the manned space flight program. To find the guided tour, just go through the main building and go right. There’s usually a long line in front of a big tour bus.

Now I know that some young, aspiring astronauts are really bummed out because that’s the last manned rocket launch, but it isn’t. I talked to someone in the Exploration Space exhibit (an exhibit about the past and future of space exploration), and he assured me that NASA is going to initiate a new manned space program and they hope to have people on Mars by 2030. To find Exploration Space, just go straight past the main building to the picnic benches and then go to your left and there’s a big sign.

There is a shuttle launch simulator, which is very cool. They kind of scare you in the “Mission Briefing,” saying that it’s like you’re in a tin can that can be squished at any moment, and that the rocket’s going to tip forwards, and that it feels like an elephant is sitting on you because of the G-force, etc., but it’s not that bad. It’s actually fun. However, you do go directly vertical, so if you do have any of the conditions that they mention in the warnings, you’ll want to pay attention to that. To find the shuttle launch simulator, just look for a big building with a bunch of ramps on the side next to a life-sized space shuttle.

NASA will sometimes get involved with movies. Now I know what you’re thinking: “What could the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have to do with making movies?” Well, they can do one of two things: First, if someone is making a space movie and wants to work on the space center, or second, the people making the movie just want to be as realistic as possible, so they’ll ask NASA some questions about whatever it is they need to know about. NASA worked on the recent Disney/Pixar film “Mars Needs Moms,” and I expect that they did the second thing — helped to make the movie as realistic as possible.

There is also the Rocket Garden, a large courtyard with about twenty rockets and capsules. To find it, just go in the main entrance and go all the way to the left; it’s hard to miss.

As a completing factor of your Space Center experience, you’ll want to check out the I-Max theater, where there are two informational movies continuously playing every day.

All in all, I loved my experience at the Kennedy Space Center, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have an informational but fun time.

Photo: KIDS FIRST! film critic Sam Connan turns astronaut at Kennedy Space Center.

Last Chance to Sign up for the LA and NY Boot Camps

Are You a Winner? These DVDs Want to be Yours

Enter our July sweepstakes chance to win a free copy of one of the following fantastic KIDS FIRST! titles: Veggie Tales; Sweetpea Beauty, Goodnight Moon, To Save a Life, The 13 Ghosts of Schooby-Doo, Sesame Street: 20 Years and Still Counting and Jackie Chan’s The Spy Next Door (with one special copy autographed by Jackie Chan).

Congratulations to our May winners: Chris, Melissa, Sheila, Christina, Gilda, Shana, Cindy, Leslie, Michelle, Nancy, MaryGrace, Charice, Peter, Cathy, Marilyn, Denise, Eddy, Elizabeth, Erica, Christina, Dania, Bonnie, James , Valerie and Pat.

 

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - A KIDS FIRST! DVD Review

Celebrate Father’s Day in Santa Fe, New Mexico by watching “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” at Warehouse 21 at 1 p.m.This is one of many exciting activities. Read more about the Father’s Day Fiesta on the Reel Fathers website.

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is a film our family of KIDS FIRST! jurors unanimously voted to keep in our own personal DVD library. It was too good to watch just one time. The ancient gods meet the modern world as Zeus accuses a young demi-god of stealing his lightning bolt. Never knowing he was part god, Poseidon’s son, Percy, is suddenly thrust into another world where he has exceptional powers, and must enter the depths of Hades to prevent a war among the gods. This film was particularly appealing because it clues a viewer in to the inner workings of Greek mythology, yet ties the mythology into the modern world.

Not only is the story and imagery captivating, but it also promotes a strong sense of family bonds in a very realistic way. Percy feels like his father abandoned him, and we see the relationship develop between father and son as the plot-line develops and Percy discovers that his father never abandoned him. Although gods couldn’t be with their children after birth, the father was always in Percy’s mind, helping him when he needed help. There is a poignant scene near the end where father and son come face-to-face and have a realistic confrontation.

The cinematography is so crisp, smooth and detailed that some of the evil characters were almost too scary for young viewers. Hades, in his god-form, is particularly scary, and the snakes that surrounded Medusa’s head seem incredibly lifelike. While this might make the film inappropriate for younger viewers, these aspects are part of what made the film such a success with the teen and tween audience.

The adventurous story shows how a common, somewhat dorky boy, can find something special within himself. It took his dyslexic and ADHD tendencies, and turned them into powerful weapons against the enemy. It’s a good message for viewers, seeing how things that can be perceived as negative attributes can be really be used as strengths. Viewers who watch this film might become inspired to learn more about Greek mythology.

KIDS FIRST! Child Jurors who watched it were recalling stories they knew from childhood even as the credits rolled. They began discussing what it would be like, and how they would act, if they were the young heroes in the film. A 17-year-old girl viewing the film was excited about the reminder of the stories she loved in her youth. The 10- and 13-year-old boys loved the sword fighting and special effects.

A 16-year-old boy summed it up: The visuals were stunning, and the music was fit for the story. I loved the models and animation with the monsters like the Hydra. It actually looked realistic. The only thing I didn’t like about this movie is that the story was extremely predictable (a point the younger children disagreed with). I was able to call out what was going to happen dozens of minutes before it happened, such as needing the 4th pearl to bring his mother and his friends back (the other kids did notice this, also, but it added to the drama for them and made them feel smart). I was also able to predict who would stay in Hades. This movie is great for a wide spectrum of age groups; probably between 7-16. Adults would like it, too.  Overall I think this movie was pretty good. I’d give it an  8/10.

Join the KIDS FIRST! Facebook Page

KIDS FIRST! has a Facebook Fan page where you can share information about children’s media. To participate, go to the KIDS FIRST! Facebook Page and click on “Like.”

Raven Tales Comes to the Smithsonian Channel in July

If you’re ready for a good story, then turn on your television in July of 2010 to catch the KIDS FIRST! Palmer Vision Award-winning title, “Raven Tales,” on The Smithsonian Channel. The animated series,  geared for 5 to 12-year-olds, is drawn from Native American folklore. Chris Keintz, co-author and executive producer of the series is a master of the art of narrative, the technique to telling stories.

The series tells the tales of Raven, the mythical legend supposedly responsible for the creation of the world. The stories highlight the wild and funny adventures of Raven, the most powerful, and one might add, trickiest troublemaker of First Nations Folklore. He is joined by his steadfast brother, Eagle, and the mysterious Frog. The trickster myths of the Northwest Coast form the backbone to “Raven Tales,” the first animated film to be done by an all Canadian aboriginal team.

Chris Kientz (Cherokee) is an American/Canadian animator, television producer and director. His goal of keeping the tales authentic has opened the door to a resurgence of interest in Native American legends. The characters in “Raven Tales” look like those found in Northwest Coast wood carvings, and the stories echo from antiquity. The music is hauntingly beautiful.

Keintz’s work has appeared at the Smithsonian Institution as well as animation festivals worldwide. Currently he continues this work on behalf of the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University where he is the Director of Technology Innovation. He currently serves on the New Mexico Governor’s Council on Film and Media Industries to advise on digital media and tax incentives for media production and post production. He is also a consultant on animation for the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University. In addition he is a senior consultant for National Geographic Media Arts.

Look for “Raven Tales” on The Smithsonian Channel in July, and check out the “Raven Tales” website for more details on the series.

Are You a Winner? These DVDs Want to be Yours

Enter our June sweepstakes for a chance to win a free copy of one of the following fantastic KIDS FIRST! titles: Barney or Thomas On-The-Go-Pack, Jim Henson’s Dog City: The Movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Hidden Treasures of Wompkee World Plus a Wompkee Finger Puppet and Jackie Chan’s The Spy Next Door.

Congratulations to our May winners: Chris, Melissa, Sheila, Christina, Gilda, Shana, Cindy, Leslie, Michelle, Nancy, MaryGrace, Charice, Peter, Cathy, Marilyn, Denise, Eddy, Elizabeth, Erica, Christina, Dania, Bonnie, James , Valerie and Pat.

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