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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

Starting October 25, PBS KIDS will offer a spooktacular lineup of Halloween-themed episodes, including new episodes of ARTHUR, FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN and MARTHA SPEAKS, plus classic favorites from WORDGIRL, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, CURIOUS GEORGE, SUPER WHY!, SID THE SCIENCE KID and more. Neil Gaiman, author of creepy novels “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book,” makes a special appearance on ARTHUR and encourages Sue Ellen to write a graphic novel, while the gangs at MARTHA SPEAKS and FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN learn that friends can help you face your fears.

On PBSKIDS.org – PBSKIDS.org web properties are also offering special Halloween content. The Freezer Burn group is back with an all new Halloween music video on FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB. And on WILSON & DITCH DIGGING AMERICA, the gopher brothers visit Sleepy Hollow and have an encounter with the Headless Horseman.

On PBS KIDS – Following is a listing of the episodes airing the week of October 25 (Check local listings for air dates and times). 

CURIOUS GEORGE – “Creatures of the Night” – George thought it was odd that all the food was gone from the bird feeder in a single night.  Who or what is eating it all?  Could the small animal tracks be a clue?  Determined to solve the mystery George stays up all night and finds a baby possum who has lost his family.  The two set off on a night journey to find the possum’s home and meet some other nocturnal animals (and some very tired “day animals”!) on the way.  And because their night shadows strike a scary resemblance to the legendary Lake Creature of Lake Wannasink Lake – whose tale Mr. Quint is broadcasting to the entire town on this same night – the furry twosome cause quite a stir.

DINOSAUR TRAIN –”Night Train” – Dad, Buddy and Tiny take a special ride on the Dinosaur Train at night, learning about animals that are active after dark, culminating at the Big Pond for a nature walk under the full moon.    

MARTHA SPEAKS – “Scaredy Cat” – To escape a storm, the kids and dogs retreat into the Boxwood’s house. TD, Alice, and Helen decide to tell spooky stories to pass the time. But as spooky things start happening in the house, they wonder if their stories might be a little too real. 

SUPER WHY! – “The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Halloween” – It’s Halloween in Storybrook Village and Pig is so frightened, he won’t go Trick or Treating with his friends! The Super Readers pay a storybook visit to Little Ghost, who’s a bit of a scaredy cat himself, to teach him there’s more to Halloween than meets the eye!

SID THE SCIENCE KID – “My Mushy Banana” – Sid wants to know why his beloved yellow banana has turned brown and mushy.  After exploring how fruits and vegetables slowly change, including a Halloween pumpkin that decays, Sid learns that it’s natural for his banana to ripen and turn brown and mushy

WORDWORLD – “A Kooky Spooky Halloween / Sheep’s Halloween Costume” – A Kooky Spooky Halloween – The WordFriends get their share of scares the night before Halloween, when Pig sleepwalks and everyone thinks he’s a ghost!

Sheep’s Halloween Costume – It’s Halloween – Sheep’s favorite day of the year.  Sheep likes nothing more than to dress up, so she always goes out of her way to make herself a special costume.  But what will she do when her WordFriends need pieces of her costume for their own costumes?

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG – “Boo” – It’s Scary Movie night on Birdwell Island.  Does anything scare Jetta and Mac?  Not much, except maybe for the Ghost Dog of Birdwell Island.

BARNEY & FRIENDS™ – “Guess Who? / Sweet Treats” – Guess Who? – BJ™ and Baby Bop™ decide to get Halloween celebrations underway with a costume party.  But when it comes to picking costumes, Riff™ just can’t decide!  That night, as the festivities get underway, Riff makes a grand entrance proudly wearing a costume that suits him perfectly!

Sweet Treats – Barney and his friends go trick-or-treating in the park.  One of Barney’s friends discovers all his candy is gone…he has a hole in his bag!  BJ shares his candy and everyone learns how nice it is to share with friends!

CAILLOU – “After Dark!” – Things get a little scary today. Caillou and his new neighbors, Jason and Jeffery, are playing hide and go seek in the backyard, until dusk brings out the shadows. A flashlight and Mommy help chase the shadows away. That evening, Caillou can’t fall asleep when he hears scary “scratchy monster” noises and thinks there’s a monster in his room. Daddy shows him that a tree branch brushing against the window is making the noises and the only monster in Caillou’s room is Gilbert. Later, a bad dream about a scary monster leads to a restless night for Caillou. Mommy and Daddy help him learn to fall asleep safely in his own bed.  And, finally, when Caillou sleeps over at Leo’s house for the first time, he has fun until it’s time to go to sleep. A phone call to Mommy reminds Caillou that Teddy was looking forward to spending the night. Together they rest easily.

ARTHUR – “Falafelosophy / Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny” – Falafelosophy – At the urging of guest-star author Neil Gaiman (“Coraline,” “The Graveyard Book”) Sue Ellen tries her hand at writing and illustrating a graphic novel.  When Sue Ellen needs inspiration and encouragement, she turns to Neil – who pops up in unexpected places! – and to the philosophy lessons of her local falafel vendor!

Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny – When the local comic book store changes ownership, the new darker and scarier comics are right up Fern’s alley.  But Arthur can’t seem to stomach them and now he’s worried.  Is it wrong to be afraid?  Maybe his friends will be more supportive than he realizes.

FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN – “Ruffman Manor is Haunted!” – Ruff has just learned that he’s set to inherit Ruffman Manor from his ancestor Maximilian Ruffman. The only problem… Ruffman Manor is said to be HAUNTED! Ruff sends all six FETCHers out to check out the manor and find out if it’s safe for him to move in.

WORDGIRL –“Tobey’s Tricks and Treats” – After losing the costume contest at school, Tobey sets his Robots on a candy-stealing spree and vows to ruin Halloween.  Becky and Violet (in her WordGirl costume) plot to save the holiday… and the city.

CYBERCHASE – “The Halloween Howl” – The annual “Halloween Howl” bash in Castleblanca promises to be spooktacular…until Hacker takes over the Mayor’s Castle and brings its seven stone gargoyles to life. Obeying Hacker’s every command, the gargoyles capture the Mayor and imprison him in the dungeon.  To gain control of the creepy creatures, the CyberSquad must figure out how to use division to evenly split up bunches of garlic and rock candy.  But can they do it in time to rescue the Mayor and save The Halloween Howl?

As a natural, on–going part of our work as parents, teachers, early childhood specialists, and others involved with children at home or elsewhere, Dr. Toy observes children at play. With her own eyes she sees what works…and what doesn’t hold up under tough testing – the normal barrage of active, inquisitive, and resourceful babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children. This guide is offered to complement your observations and to help you in selecting the right products to enhance play and learning.

We make buying decisions based on lasting play value and product applicability to children’s active, creative, and educational experiences. We can depend on the durability and versatility of such items as blocks, construction toys, games, puppets, and transportation toys. They stimulate the imagination, engage the player, have value, and hold up over time. We want to apply these standards to all the choices we make. We often hear consumers describe their experience of making a purchase, but shortly after giving little Sally or Sammy the product it falls apart – a frustrating and expensive process. Products that do not meet safety standards can be dangerous and can cause harm to children. We want to avoid these problems and always strive for excellence. Dr. Toy spends a great deal of time reviewing a large quantity of products created by myriad manufacturers and designers. She makes sure her selections match the criteria for excellence.

Certainly age grading, name recognition, company dependability, versatility of design, and place of purchase are factors to obtain the right product. Another aspect is a warranty. Rising costs for products require us to be wise consumers and to get extra lasting value. Certainly durable products, properly designed, and developmentally correct are worth the money. Children’s positive reactions are worth the extra effort. Dr. Toy utilizes a complicated set of objective and subjective criteria to evaluate toys and other products. Some questions she asks are:

·         Is this product worth the price?
·         Does it have lasting play value?
·         Is it appropriate?
·         Is it fun?
·         Does it meet safety standards?

Dr. Toy is pleased to have the opportunity to share her years of play and toy experiences with consumers to assist them in the selection process. This timely report features information about l00 wonderful new toys and products from large and small companies. The toys and products selected meet her high standards for design, durability, price, quality, safety, and value.

Dr. Toy reminds parents and teachers, “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.”

Following are examples of award-winning toys and products and the companies that make them grouped in selected categories of “smart” play. You can find more products by assigned codes that designate types of products.

Active Play – Carrera (Police Chase), GeoPalz (Kids Pedometer), Hallmark Cards (Interactive Story Book/Buddy), Hap-Pal Music (Learning in Two Languages), Int’l Playthings (Shop’n Cart), Maranda Enterprises (Rollors), Monkey Business (E-Z Bat) ,MGA (Cozy Shopping Cart), Music Together (Family Favorites® 2), North American Bear, (Pet Doctor), One World Futbol Project (e World Futbol), Patch Products (3D Sneaky Singin’ Sea Creatures), Rubbabu (2Skoolbus), Tangle Creations (Hairy Tangle Jr), Tot Talk (Let’s Play Soccer Placemat).

Construction Play – Big Voorah Productions (Staccabees), Bloco Toys (Velociraptor & Pterosaur), Innovation First Labs (HEXBUG Nano Habitat Set), K’NEX (Light-Up Ferris Wheel), LEGO Systems (Minotaurus), WABA Fun (Superstructs Custom Kit), Yoshiritsu Co (LaQ Imaginal Hamacron). 

Creativity & Art — Center Enterprises (Paint & Clay Texture Rollers), Cra-Z-Art (Electra Doodle), Creativity for Kids (Create Your Own 3 Bitty Books), Eye Think (Strobotop LightPhase Animator), Fundamentally Kids® (My Wrap®), Giddy Up! (Fuzzoodles Fluffy Friends), Goldberger Co. (Zip-ity Princess), Hallmark Cards (Interactive Story Book/Buddy), Jade’s ToyBox (Moody Foodie Mini Box), Spin Master (Moon Dough Barnyard),VELCRO KIDS® (Royal Princess Castle Playset), Wikki Stix (Wikki Stix for Rainy Day), Wooky Entertainment (Block Crayon). 

Creativity & Music – Abligio Books (Best Multiplication Songs EVER!), ATP Electronics (Sesame Street Video USB), Exploramania® (Exploracise® Gymathtics), Hap-Pal Music (Learning in Two Languages), Juno Company (Day the Music Stopped), Little Pim (Spanish Deluxe Gift Set), Look Out World (New York Adventure Kit), Maestro Classics (Tortoise and the Hare CD), Music Together (Family Favorites® 2), PBS Home Video (Dinosaurs in the Snow), Rock ‘N Learn (Phonics Vol. 1 & 2), Smithsonian Folkways (Sunny Day), TMT Global (Teach Me Tiger Value Pac), Whistlefritz (Cha, Cha, Cha). 

Technology –ATP Electronics (Sesame Street Video USB), Cepia (ZhuZhu Pet Wild Bunch), Chicco (Magic Window Talking Farm), Eye Think (Strobotop Light Phase Animator), Ganz (Webkinz Jr.), GoLearn Toys (TimeBuddy), Hallmark Cards (Interactive Story Book/Buddy), Inspiration Software (Kidspiration 3), Learning Journey (ABC Melody Maker), Publications Int’l (Record a Story), WowWee (Paper Jamz). 

Language/Learning/Math & Reading Readiness — Brainy Baby (Natura Nativa Learning), MediaBright Spots Games (Feelings in the Wild-Bingo), Bright Starts (Activi-Tree), Creativity for Kids (Create Own 3 Bitty Books), Discovery Toys (Story Stacker), Fun & Function (Guess What I Feel?), GoLearn Toys (TimeBuddy), Grasshopper Kits (Grasshopper Preschool Prep Kit), HABA (Domino Zippy Scooters), Hap-Pal Music (Learning in Two Languages), Playmates Toys, Inc. (Hearts for Hearts Girls), Jade’s ToyBox (Moody Foodie Mini Box), Learning Journey (ABC Melody Maker), Learning Resources (Gingerbread Shape Sorter), Little Pim (Spanish Deluxe Gift Set), North American Bear (Pet Doctor), Paradigm Devices (Word Wheels), PBS Home Video (Dinosaurs in the Snow), Pearson (Stay-on-Track Packs), Plushy Feely (Kimochis-Toys w/Feelings Inside®), Publications Intl (Record a Story), Rock ‘N Learn (Phonics Vol. 1 & 2), Rubbabu (2Skoolbus), Sandvik Innovations (Jump into Numbers), Schoenhut Piano (Dog Piano), Smart Play (Easy Translator), Teach My Toddler(Teach My Preschooler) Tier Toys (Animal Stackers Barn Yard) Tot Talk(Let’s Play Soccer Placemat)Twisterz Toys (Alphabet Matcher),  Whistlefritz (Cha, Cha, Cha) Wild Republic (Audubon Birds – Babies). 

Puzzles & Logical Thinking Games – b. dazzle (Dragonflies Scramble Squares®), Idea Storm Products (Yamodo! Good to Go! Themes), Wonder Chess (WonderElla), Griddly Games (Chronicles of the Mind), Purrfect Games & Puzzles (Architectural Collection), Patch Products (3D Sneaky Singin’ Sea Creatures), Gorgeous Products (Boikido Geometric Stacking Puzzle). 

Social & Dramatic Play –ALEX (Talk of the Farm), Cepia (ZhuZhu Pet Wild Bunch), Corolle Dolls (Lou), Dandelion (Organic Toddler Doll), Discovery Toys (Story Stacker), Dream Big Toy Co (Go! Go! Sports Girls), Gamewright (Sounds Like a Plan), Goldberger Co. (Zip-ity Princess), Hallmark Cards (Interactive Story Book/Buddy), Playmates Toys, Inc. (Hearts for Hearts Girls), Int’l Playthings (Shop’n Cart), Jade’s ToyBox (Moody Foodie Mini Box), LEGO Systems (Minotaurus), Little Pim (Spanish Deluxe Gift Set), North American Bear (Pet Doctor), Plushy Feely (Kimochis-Toys w/Feelings Inside®), Rubbabu (2Skoolbus), Safari (Fairy Fantasy Tea Set), Tier Toys (Animal Stackers Barn Yard), Velcro Kids® (Royal Princess Castle Playset), Wild Republic (Audubon Birds – Babies), WowToyz (Deluxe Classic Train Set). 

Socially Responsible Products – Gestalt Institute of New Orleans (T’was the Night Before the Storm), Brainy Baby (Natura Nativa Learning Media), Bright Spots Games (Feelings in the Wild-Bingo), Corolle Dolls (Lou), Dandelion (Organic Toddler Doll), Dream Big Toy (Go! Go! Sports Girls), Free Spirit Pub. (Going Blue), Gorgeous Products (Boikido Geometric Stacking Puzzle), HABA (Domino Zippy Scooters), Playmates Toys, Inc. (Hearts for Hearts Girls), Jade’s ToyBox (Moody Foodie Mini Box), Kabongo (GoGo Kabongo), North American Bear (Pet Doctor), One World Futbol Project (One World Futbol), Plushy Feely (Kimochis-Toys w/Feelings Inside®), Publications Intl (Record a Story), Rubbabu (2Skoolbus), Stickey Cup (Stickey Cup), Tier Toys (Animal Stackers Barn Yard).

Ten Best Toys – ALEX (Talk of the Farm), Bloco Toys (Velociraptor & Pterosaur), Bright Starts (Activi-Tree), Discovery Toys (Story Stacker), Goldberger Co. (Zip-ity Princess), MGA (Cozy Shopping Cart), Monkey Business (E-Z Bat), Rubbabu (2Skoolbus), Schoenhut Piano (Dog Piano), WowToyz (Deluxe Classic Train Set). 

For a complete list of Dr. Toy’s 2010 Best 100 Children’s Products, go to http://www.drtoy.com/awards/2010-100-Best-Childrens-Products-Awards.php

Girl Scouts of the USA, along with the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, and The Creative Coalition, believe every child deserves to live in an environment that fosters confidence and character. We recognize that as children’s media use continues to increase, all youth would benefit from experiencing healthy and positive messages about girls and women.

“Watch What You Watch” hopes to build awareness about the need to pay attention not to just what kids watch, but how they watch it. Now more than ever, tools such as media literacy, public education and career exploration can be invaluable to young people. “Watch What You Watch” offers a clearinghouse of resources and tools that girls, parents, communities, and the media industry can use to help young people encounter and use media content that inspires, empowers, and engages.

Girl Scouts Promoting Healthy Media Images

Girl Scouts is the premier leadership organization for girls and a leading authority on their healthy growth and development. As the leading voice for girls, we are committed to addressing the issues important to girls, such as self-esteem and body image. Positive media messages could foster higher self-esteem and a positive body image for girls, while highlighting healthy relationships and strong role models. To improve girls’ lives, Girl Scouts is raising awareness about the importance of promoting positive messages about girls and women.

“Watch What You Watch” also connects you to research, programs, and policies Girl Scouts is developing to elevate the importance of healthy media images. Our innovative research sheds light on the impact media can have on girls’ body images, relationships, and overall health. The soon to be released program, It’s Your Story- Tell It!, will create opportunities for girls to improve their self confidence and media literacy skills. The Girl Scout Advocacy Network offers a forum to take action on this topic.

Disney Online, part of the Disney Interactive Media Group, today debuts a second season of “The Possibility Shop” (www.Family.com/PossibilityShop), an original web series produced by The Jim Henson Company.  The site, which can be accessed through Disney Family.com, will be updated every two to three weeks with content designed to inspire the imagination of the entire family through creative projects, activities and games.  The Clorox Company returns as the exclusive sponsor for all 20 webisodes in season two of “The Possibility Shop.” 

Building on the success of its first season, season two of “The Possibility Shop” features creator and host Courtney Watkins engaging directly with moms as they discover their own “how to, can do” attitude on projects that will surprise, intrigue and delight their families and themselves. The second season will run through August 2011 with webisodes focusing on finding whimsy in the every day, as well as fun, out-of-the-box ideas for celebrating holidays, the change of seasons, and more.  New to season two, each webisode will also feature one of Courtney Watkins’ ‘Bright Ideas,’ a quick and easy family activity related to that webisode’s content that will also feature products from The Clorox Company. 

“We are excited to debut a second season of ‘The Possibility Shop’ with the goal of reaching  and engaging an even broader audience of moms, building on the success of the first season,” said Emily Smith, vice president, Disney Online Mom and Family Portfolio.  “Moms specifically, will benefit from the useful and creative advice the show offers for finding fun in their everyday lives.”

“We’re known for fostering imagination at The Jim Henson Company and Courtney Watkins’ irreverence, whimsy and ability to inspire creativity make her a perfect partner in bringing ‘The Possibility Shop’ to DisneyFamily.com,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company, the licensor for all merchandising and licensing for the property.

“Whether it’s designing and building a haunted house, offering instructions for a make-your-own board game, jump starting a conversation or finding ways to carry the spirit of the holidays throughout the entire year, season two of ‘The Possibility Shop’ is going to energize parents and kids alike to pursue the infinite possibilities for every day creative adventures,” stated Courtney Watkins.

Season two kicks off with Courtney stepping outside the shop and into the real world as she visits a real family experiencing a creative conundrum.  Courtney assists the family with fantastic ideas on how to refuel the imagination and spark creative adventures.  Future episodes from both inside The Possibility Shop and out in the world will highlight creative ideas for themes and holidays such as Halloween, Winter Wonderland, Father’s Day and Summer Fun!

About Courtney Watkins – Teacher, author, artist, mom, TV personality and creative guru, Courtney Watkins is at the center of “The Possibility Shop.” Courtney faces creative challenges, introduces new ideas, demonstrates how-to-techniques, seeks answers to befuddling questions and all the while unearths the “Aha!” moments hidden in a child’s every day.  Revealing creative ideas for art, games, conversations, experiments, inventions, decorations and explorations, Courtney energizes viewers to pursue limitless fun, on-your-own, at-home activities.