Miscellaneous Mentionables

valmg | May 02, 2009 | 1 comment

I frequently receive email from companies asking me to share news or discounts with my readers. Each week I’ll gather the best requests and share them with you here.

WUBBZY IS NOW ON FACEBOOK

I wanted to fill you in on the next latest and greatest thing from the world of Wubbzy…a new Wubbzy Facebook fan page!! The page is brand new, and contains all Wubbzy related news, information, and links! Fans of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! will have a lot to look forward to in terms of exciting new content, and as always, we will stay in through Facebook and e-mail with our latest Wubbzy news!

SID THE SCIENCE KID

CELEBRATE MOM’S SPECIAL DAY AND LEARN ABOUT HOW THE BODY WORKS WITH FIVE NEW “SID THE SCIENCE KID” EPISODES PREMIERING MAY 4 – 10 ON PBS KIDS®
Did you ever wonder why your stomach growls when you’re hungry, why your face can hurt when you laugh, or how your brain and muscles interact? Five new SID THE SCIENCE KID episodes will explore these and other intriguing topics pertaining to how the body works – all presented in a fun, engaging half-hour format created to inspire preschoolers’ natural
curiosity. Starting Monday, May 4, the episodes will premiere over a one-week period on the popular PBS KIDS preschool destination, an educational, hosted two-hour morning television block. (Please check local listings.) An interactive site at www.pbskids.org/sid extends the series’ fun and learning.
“Special Mom Day Meal,” a celebration of Sid’s appreciation for his mother, will air May 4 and again on May 10, Mother’s Day (check local listings). In this episode, as Sid helps prepare a French toast breakfast for mom, his stomach starts gurgling – and he wonders why and how it makes that noise.
When Sid and his friends investigate at school, they discover many fascinating facts about what happens to your food once you’ve eaten it. Filled with science-themed activities kids and parents can do at home together, “Special Mom Day Meal” also promotes healthy eating and teamwork.
Beginning on Monday May 4th, kids can visit Sid’s website at www.pbskids.org/sid to download printable Mother’s Day cards to personalize for mom. They can also explore the show’s weekly theme
about the body by playing its newest game, “Muscle Memory,” where kids learn all about muscles while helping Sid and his Dad move their bodies. Other online Sid activities launching May 4th include a free ringtone for mom of the show’s popular “I Love My Mom” song available for a short time at http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/mothersday.html and the launch of the Sid the Science Kid Soundtrack Volume 1, available at www.amazon.com

NEARBY NOW

Nearby Now is a new free online service providing shoppers an innovative way to save time and money shopping.
Need a dress or accessories to attend a wedding but unsure if your favorite clothing shop carries the style or size you need? NearbyNow will tell you which retailers have this item near you, place a hold on a specific product you’re curious about – and even find out which items are on sale. NearbyNow saves you time you’d normally spending searching multiple sites for a specific item; then it saves you money by locating the items you want, and indicating where they are on sale. In addition, you’ll receive directions to the local stores where these items are currently available (and the name of a helpful clerk), as well as the opportunity to feel and even try on the items before purchasing.
* Nearby Now is your trusted “scout” service: Instead of you doing all the searching– either online or in-store, you go to the site, input what you’re looking for, and it goes out and does the heavy lifting, finding the exact item you request and all the nearby stores that have it right now. It even lets you know if it’s on sale! Then you have the choice of deciding when and where you want to go pick it up.
* Instant gratification: NearbyNow is the best thing since the Internet, but even better in terms of getting what you want right away. You can find items in seconds, reserve them at your favorite close-by store and go pick them up immediately if you want. Instead of ordering things online, and then having to send them back (often at your expense if it’s not the right size, style or color), you can make sure the item is just when you want when you go to pick it up at the store location.

THE GOLDEN RIBBY AWARDS - WONDERWORLDTV.COM

WonderWorld Entertainment LLC, creator of the award-winning children’s television series “Ribert & Robert’s WonderWorld,” has announced a call for nominees for the first worldwide talent contest for kids – The Golden Ribby Awards.
The Golden Ribby Awards are a quarterly opportunity for talented kids across the country to showcase their gifts in music, comedy, dance, art, science, sports and more. With help from their parents, kids are invited to make a video or take a digital picture highlighting their talents and upload it at WonderWorld TV.com. A full list of categories can be found at WonderWorldTV.com.
Finalists are eligible to receive prizes from 11 categories to win a Golden Ribby Mini and a $100 gift card, a Silver Ribby Mini and a $50 gift card or a Bronze Ribby Mini and a $25 gift card. Winners from each quarter will advance on to the voting of the annual grand prize. The grand prize will be awarded late in 2009 and the recipient will receive $10,000.
“I started our company with the mission of inspiring children and encouraging their talents and creativity. The Golden Ribby Awards are an opportunity for children to showcase their unique talents,” said Mike DeVitto, Founder of WonderWorld Entertainment. “We’re excited to begin our search for the most talented kids on the planet!”
For contest rules and more information on the 2009 Golden Ribby Awards please visit WonderWorldTV.com.
WonderWorldTV.com not only hosts the Golden Ribby Awards, but it also marks WonderWorld Entertainment’s transformation into a multimedia company. Episodes of “Ribert & Robert’s WonderWorld” will continue to air on television stations around the world, while also becoming available for viewing on WonderWorldTV.com. Additionally, original educational content being created by WonderWorld Entertainment, in a short video format featuring experts from a wide variety of areas, will be available for viewing on the site.

NEW CRAYOLA PLAY SAND MAKES SUMMER MORE COLORFUL

Everything’s always better with a little color… and who better to add a splash of color to kids’ lives than the modern day masters of the color spectrum, Crayola! This season, they’re here to stimulate kids’ imaginations and brighten up their sandboxes with their new colored Play Sand! Let the long, sunny outdoor days begin!
Crayola’s new soft and ultra-high quality Play Sand transforms an ordinary sandbox into a colorful bed of creativity, in fun and playful hues. And thanks to 20-pound “mom-friendly” bags featuring an easy-to-carry handle, getting the colored play sand to the sandbox is a snap. The sand is great for summer time art projects to add a blast of color but don’t worry the vibrant colors won’t leave any stains on the hands.
Early childhood development experts agree that sand play is one of the most important and beneficial activities for children to engage in to develop a wide variety of motor, spatial and social skills. “Sand play is open-ended and allows children the freedom to build and strengthen development of their small and large muscle motor skills, eye-hand coordination, mathematical, vocabulary and socialization skills,” said Cheri Sterman, director of child development, Crayola. “Now, the benefits of sand play are taken to a new dimension with the addition of color. It’s creative learning driven solely by imagination and no batteries nor game pod’s needed.”
So this summer, open the doors to your child’s imagination and make playtime more colorful with Crayola Play Sand. Available in pink, purple, blue and green for $6.47 at select WalMart stores nationwide.

HOMEGOODS MOTHER’S DAY VALUE EVENT

HomeGoods is getting ready to celebrate Mother’s Day with a weekend long in-store event nationwide! With deals beyond the traditional 20-60% off, shoppers can find the prefect gift for mom, at the perfect price.
Starting Thursday, April 30th, HomeGoods will have perfect gifts for Mother’s Day at incredible savings including:
· Monogrammed Stationary and Jeweled Frames for for $3.99 - $4.99 (reduced from $8)
· Tea Gift sets and Jam and Breakfast sets for $2.99 – $24.99 (reduced from $39)
· Assorted Statuaries for $7.99 - $19.99 (reduced from $20)
· Spa Accessories for 3.99 - 12.99 (reduced from $24)
HomeGoods is an off priced retailer, not discount which means they offer designer and brand name merchandise that is current season at prices 20-60% off department and specialty retailer.
Shoppers can take advantage of the Mother’s Day event through the weekend, but because HomeGoods brings new merchandise into its stores so often, many times in small quantities, regulars and novices alike should know to get there early before the best deals are gone.
A store locator can be found at www.homegoods.com.

KIDZUI

This week, April 27-May 3, is Internet Safety Week, a time when families start the conversation about how to stay safe online. But shouldn’t the conversation be about more than just safety? It is of course vital to keep kids safe online and there are lots of products out there that do that, but that’s only half the story. The Internet is not all bad. It can be an amazing source of fun, discovery and learning for kids. Families should also be discussing how kids can take advantage of the Internet’s myriad learning possibilities.
Here are a few examples:
* Eight year-old Ricky Andrews from Bettendorf, IA has ADHD, is deaf and is the recipient of bilateral cochlear implants. Because Ricky couldn’t receive the implant until he was almost 4, he missed out on critical speech-learning years. The Internet has opened up a new avenue for Ricky to learn through online games, and has provided an outlet to connect with his sister who is not hard of hearing.
* Timmy Lionberger, a 12-year-old boy from the small town North Plains near Portland, OR, has Asperger’s syndrome/autism. Pop-up ads and adult content on the Web confused and disturbed Timmy and prevented him from getting to the online destinations he wanted to visit, resulting in the need for constant adult supervision by his grandmother Jana Lionberger. Now he surfs alone and uses the Internet for homework and trivia and Jana loves the parental reports that give her an idea of what topics Timmy is interested in exploring.
* Melissa Volker of East Longmeadow, MA recently decided to home-school her six-year-old son. They use the Internet as a home-school tool to learn about first-grade topics like the solar system, dinosaurs and telling time. Melissa’s son now independently surfs the Web has begun to type search words himself.
* Jennifer Spencer is an elementary school teacher at Gilpin Manor Elementary in Elkton, MD. Most of her 8 or 9-year-old students are homeless or in foster care and were unmotivated to learn until Jennifer added the Internet into her curriculum. Since then, students use of the library’s computers has increased dramatically, and Jennifer has seen vast improvements in the students’ technology know-how and desire to learn, and has seen quiet, reserved students become more social.
The children mentioned above use a service called KidZui to access the Internet. It is the Internet designed specifically for kids, giving them access to more than 1.8 million parent and teacher approved Web sites, YouTube videos, games and photos. Parents like the service because it offers so much more than a monitoring device: KidZui provides a safe and fun environment in which kids are rewarded for exploring the good things on the Internet and learning, with no chance of their stumbling across inappropriate content or chatting with strangers.

ROSIE KNOWS

If Mom still doesn’t know how to Google, SKYPE, Mapquest or find cheap flights online, give her a RosieKnows.com subscription for Mothers Day. With over 200 lessons and growing, Rosie’s new ‘school’ offers online tutorials in using the Internet to save money, save time, be entertained and stay informed. Each lesson consists of screenshots of the website being covered plus easy-to-follow voiceovers and demonstrations.
Mom can learn everything from basic Internet skills – like how to set up an email account – to how to cut costs at Coupon Clippers, find the lowest gas prices at GasBuddy, order movies from Netflix, research medical questions on Mayo Clinic or Medline, make free or low-cost long-distance calls with SKYPE, and even stay connected with friends and family on Facebook. And she can choose the lessons she wants in any order.
$19.95 plus shipping and handling for a premium enrollment package with a custom vinyl binder and preprinted index tabs to store lessons; basic enrollment is free at www.RosieKnows.com.