Giveaway: Are you a fashion Klutz? (Part 1 of 2)

Today’s guest post is by Stephanie Wong from Klutz. You may be familiar with certain Klutz books – I know I learned how to french braid my hair from a Klutz book. But, did you know that Klutz was started by three college friends?

John Cassidy, Darrell Lorentzen and B.C. Rimbeaux began by selling sidewalk juggling lessons along with a trio of no-bounce bean bags. Their dream was to create a book on juggling, and as John Cassidy, the English major in the group, said, “sell a bazillion in a couple of days, buy an island and retire.” Although there’s no Klutz island just yet, today Klutz is best known for its multi-sensory books that have made many dreams come true, from young magicians and budding gardeners to little scientists under 5 feet tall! We asked Stephanie to share with us what’s new this season at Klutz and what we can expect to see from Klutz at this year’s Toy Fair. This is the first post of a Klutz two-post series.

With Fashion Week in New York in full swing, fashion is definitely on our minds. Fashion Origami takes fashion design to a whole new dimension. Take the timeless craft of origami and infuse it with fun, funky folds for unique fashions. Watch the video to see how you can turn a flat piece of paper into a folded shoe.

As if that weren’t enough, we’ve made a giant pair of pink leopard print Fashion Origami shoes that are decorated with sequins and a huge bow to display at International Toy Fair at the Javits Center this year. These shoes are AMAZING! If you are attending International Toy Fair, visit the Klutz booth (#2437) and get your picture taken in the shoes.

If you want to stay on top of all the Klutz news, be sure to fan Klutz on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY: Would you like to be one of three people to receive Fashion Origami? In the comments’ section below, tell us about your favorite shoes and be sure to leave your email address. We will randomly pick and announce the winners on Wednesday, February 19th at noon ET.

(Must be 18 or over to enter. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. View official rules here.)
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Previously On Our Minds:

* 5 Questions with Rachel VanDeVoorde, Manager of The Scholastic Store (SoHo)
* Books are media too
* Who decides what kids should read?

Clifford closes NASDAQ with a BIG heart

I “Woof” you is all Clifford wants to say! It’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday and it just so happens to be one of Clifford’s favorite holidays! Clifford loves Valentine’s Day because he has an extra BIG heart. In fact, today Clifford called over all of his friends to join him at NASDAQ for the closing bell. But, if you couldn’t make it, Clifford wanted to make sure that you still got to experience his big moment on Wall Street. Take a look for yourself!

Remember, you can become a fan of Clifford’s BE BIG Facebook fan page and join the community that shares Clifford’s Big Ideas!
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Previously On Our Minds:

* Clifford’s wondering if you have a BIG Idea
* Clifford BE BIG gets even bigger!
* 5 Questions with Amabel Fulgencio – iPhone apps

Olympic fever!

The 2010 Winter Olympics start tonight in Vancouver and Scholastic Kid Reporter Daniel Wetter will be there covering the excitement. He’ll be blogging over on the Kids Press Corps blog for the next couple of weeks. Daniel kicks it all off with the lead story on the Kids Press homepage.

Another cool Olympic companion you won’t want to miss is over on our Teachers site. The Science of the Olympic Winter Games is a collection of short videos from NBC that explore scientific concepts like velocity, momentum and kinetic energy, all through winter sports. Check it out and share it with the kids in your life. What better way to make science even cooler (or colder)?

Happy Olympics, everyone!

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Previously On Our Minds:

* Scholastic News at the Olympics Media Summit
* Super Bowl – A Time for Reading

Hunger Games Book 3 Cover Revealed!

Hang onto your cheesy bread, because we’ve got major news today. Directly from Hunger Games Headquarters here at Scholastic (HGHQ for short), I hereby present to you the cover of the third book in the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy:

Obviously, I had to know more. So I asked the one and only David Levithan (VP Editorial Director, Scholastic) if he could share some top-secret things with me. The answer?I am not, under any circumstances, allowed to divulge the contents of the third Hunger Games book. Nada. Nothing. Not a peep. I can, however, share with you five things that will not be appearing in the new book:

#SnowDay Giveaway for The Snow Day

To say we got a light “dusting” of snow today would not do justice to the fact that “Blizzard” is currently a trending topic on Twitter.

So, to honor this special snowy occassion, we decided we should make it fun and host a Twitter giveaway for none other than The Snow Day by Komako Sakai.

How to play #SnowDay:
1. Follow @Scholastic on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/Scholastic.

2. Tweet @Scholastic with the hashtag #SnowDay and tell us your favorite snow day activity.

3. We’ll enter you into the giveaway with each hashtag #SnowDay you tweet between 12 p.m. ET 2/10/2010 and 5 p.m. ET 2/10/2010.

4. We’ll select and announce 5 random winners on 2/10/2010, around 6 p.m. ET. Winners will win The Snow Day by Komako Sakai.

Be sure to follow @Scholastic on Twitter so we can Direct Message you if you’re one of the lucky winners!

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If you want more to read because you’re bored and stuck inside, check out the full legal rules here. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

Maya & Miguel & Michelle Obama

News from the White House! Scholastic Media’s beloved Maya & Miguel are teaming up with First Lady Michelle Obama for her brand new Let’s Move initiative to combat childhood obesity.

From the Scholastic Kids Press Corps to traditional media, everyone’s talking about Let’s Move today. As the First Lady explains, the childhood obesity rate has tripled over the past three decades, and an education campaign that offers realistic, simple ways for kids to get moving and get healthy is being welcomed with open arms.

Let’s Move is all about the little steps that can lead to big improvements in health and energy levels, and who better than the dynamic duo of Maya & Miguel to reach kids in communities across the country? “Take the Maya & Miguel Challenge” will be part of the extensive public service announcements that will encourage kids to incorporate more movement into their daily routines.

“This isn’t just about inches and pounds or how our kids look,” the First Lady said. “It’s about how our kids feel, and how they feel about themselves. It’s about the impact we’re seeing on every aspect of their lives.”

I’m looking forward to the full PSA campaign, will be launch in March on television, radio, print, web, and more; here’s a sneak peek at what the Maya & Miguel materials will look like:

Incorporating changes to health and diet isn’t always an easy task, and even those of us here at Scholastic are reminded of ways we can eat better and move more—we have internal initiatives like Live Well and Eat Well, which tags those cafeteria and coffee bar selections that are healthy, so we can make informed choices. Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative is a smart step that will speak to kids and their parents in a similar voice, and with teammates like Maya & Miguel, the message is sure to reach its intended audience: kids.

What do you all think about the First Lady’s Let’s Move program? Let us know in the comments!

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Previously On Our Minds:

* A Conversation with Chris Dede and Michael Geisen
* Clifford’s wondering if you have a BIG idea
* Reach Out and Read…and vote!

A conversation with Chris Dede and Michael Geisen

If you tuned in live to watch our Expert Talks webcast yesterday, you were treated to a fantastic conversation about how schools can make science more relevant and engaging for today’s students.

John Hockenberry, award-winning journalist and co-host of The Takeaway on WNYC and PRI, led a spirited discussion with Chris Dede, Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, and Michael Geisen, a middle school science teacher and 2008 National Teacher of the Year.

If you missed it, never fear! You can watch the replay right here on OOM:

We tweeted a few of our favorite nuggets too (or follow the #experttalks hashtag here):

Our next Expert Talk is March 17!
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Previously On Our Minds:

* A conversation with Milton Chen and Tony Wagner
* Expert Talks webcast: a national teacher of the year on teaching science
* Are teachers becoming more digital?

New multimedia series by Patrick Carman coming in May

I love what Patrick Carman, author of the addictive hybrid book/video series Skeleton Creek, wrote in an opinion piece published today in Publisher’s Weekly:

“Pundits may cry over technology as the beginning of the end for books, but I see it as a new beginning. If technology gets kids excited about reading, a book can spread as virally as a cool app.” (emphasis added by me)

If you pick up one of Patrick’s books you’ll see what he means by “a new beginning.” You’ll see how technology and the Web can take a story and explode it beyond the pages of a book. You’ll see how books can easily fit into the lives of kids addicted to their digital devices. You’ll see books that can go viral.

He did it with Skeleton Creek — and we think he’ll do it again with his newest multimedia series Trackers, which we’re excited to announce will be released on May 11, 2010.

Take it away, Patrick:

Trackers is a book, video, and web experience that follows the cyber adventures of four tech-savvy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and hacker-like coding skills.

So, for the sake of the millions of reluctant readers out there, many of whom would probably tell you they’d rather watch a YouTube video than read a book, let’s hope Trackers goes viral!

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Previously On Our Minds:

* 2009: A breakout year for multi-platform publishing?
* The 39 Clues hooking boys
* Growing possibilities for “mixed-media” publishing

Clifford’s wondering if you have a BIG Idea

You’re just in time to catch a special message from our favorite Big Red Dog…Clifford!

Do you have an idea that could make your community a better place? Sure you do! We’ve all had BIG ideas but maybe didn’t know how to make them happen. Whether it’s creating afterschool programs or helping those in need, we’ve all had BIG ideas (or small ideas with BIG potential!) that could positively impact our communities. Clifford the Big Red Dog® encourages you to BE BIG and pursue your BIG idea with his help.

Scholastic wants to hear about your ideas and help make them happen with the BE BIG in Your Community Contest! The contest will award $75,000 in community grants to the BIG ideas that best demonstrate Clifford’s BIG Ideas—Share, Be Kind, Help Others, Be a Good Friend, Play Fair, Have Respect, Be Truthful, Believe in Yourself, Work Together, Be Responsible. Then, Scholastic and HandsOn Network will work with the winners to bring their ideas to life! Everyone is invited—parents, kids, teachers or community leaders—to submit their BIG ideas now through June 30, 2010. For contest entry forms and official rules visit http://www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig/contest

We mean it when we say anyone’s BIG Idea can win the grant! Did you know that last year’s BE BIG grand prize winner, 12-year-old Madelon Kerns from Parkersburg, West Virginia, won the contest for her BIG Idea to build a handicapped accessible playground in her neighborhood? Madelon’s idea was awarded a $25,000 community grant from the BE BIG Fund to help build this playground! What BIG Idea will get the grant next?

Need inspiration? Check out the BIG ideas that won in 2009 or take a look at Clifford’s BIG Ideas in the video below:

And if you’re not already a fan, don’t forget to join the BE BIG Community on Facebook!

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Previously On Our Minds:

* A BIG announcement
* Clifford BE BIG gets even bigger!
* How to make TV a positive force in the family

Super Bowl – A Time for Reading

Don’t worry, sports fans. I titled this post in jest…mostly. This Sunday is an exciting day for football, advertising and Who fans alike, but did you know that it’s also an opportunity to get your kids reading?

I’ve been at Scholastic long enough to learn that reluctant readers (often boys, but not always) will read things that they’re interested in, like sports scores, football stats and books about their heroes.

Here are a few suggestions of relevant reads:

• Our Miami Kid Reporter Kiera Fobb was at Dolphin Stadium for that wild and wacky event known as Super Bowl Media Day. Check out her story here.
• Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin (herself a veteran of Super Bowl Media Day) read Family Huddle by Eli and Peyton Manning. With her family. On video! Join the fun here.
• New York Kid Reporter Joe O’Connor reviewed another book by a pair of football brothers, Tiki and Ronde Barber. Check out his review of Go Long! here.

So take this moment to sneak in some literacy. And happy Super Bowl!

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Previously On Our Minds:

* Game Time!
* How Education is Like Football
* Mannings Joining Team Scholastic