I smell cookies?

Cookies...don't they make everyone smile? The smell of them baking, the joy of dunking them in milk, and of course, eating them with the master spokesmonster, Cookie Monster...who could ask for anything more? Luckily, we at KLRN had the opportunity to provide this type of event for children and families who really do deserve a "special" night.

Earlier this week, we held the first of several events at the Warrior and Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston. Families were able to make an average Wednesday an extraordinary one where everyone was able to step away from their own reality to paint and personalize an apron, play games and of course munch on freshly baked cookies with Cookie Monster himself. In essence, kids were able to be kids and parents were able to be kids...again.

It sounds so cliche to say that "it's the little things that make the biggest difference" but for these families who are coping with the stress of having a parent, spouse or loved one wounded and/or hospitalized, every bit of help matters. We already look forward to our next visit...

Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Colossal Tour

Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Colossal Tour was on-hand to entertain and delight families throughout San Antonio on October 16th thru the 18th. Hundreds of kids took pictures with Clifford the Big Red Dog at various Burger King Locations. KLRN, Clifford, and Burger King joined forces with the San Antonio Police Department to provide fingerprinting for children to establish their identity. Also in attendance was a balloon maker who made every animal balloon you could think of. It was such a pleasure seeing children from all over San Antonio excited and amazed at meeting Clifford.

KLRN Kids & the Biscuit Brothers Jamboree

On Saturday, September 12, The Biscuit Brothers participated in the KLRN Kids Club Members-Only Event, Biscuit Brothers Jamboree, at Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne, TX. We had over 200 KLRN members come to this fabulous event.

The Biscuit Brothers’ four-piece band did a total of three on-stage performances for about a half-hour each. During these performances, The Biscuit Brothers involved the audience in all aspects of their performances, encouraging children, their parents and other attendees to dance, sing, and make suggestions for animals and animal sounds to be used in the songs.

Additionally, The Biscuit Brothers educated children in between the stage shows in the “instrument petting zoo.” There they were able to show the kids how each of the different instruments is played and the sound that each makes.

Kids and their parents enjoyed wagon rides through the ranch during the event. The rides were entertaining, as well as educational, since the ranch has a collection of unusual animals including Longhorn cattle, Emus, llamas, Red Stag and Chinese Deer, bison, reindeer, rams, and donkeys.

Burger King, a sponsor, donated the use of their moon bounce.

KLRN members had activity tables and were given a cowboy hat, bandana, and goodie bag.

All in all, many parents and child caregivers stated to staff that the event was fun and exciting for the children, and it was something their kids would remember for a long time to come.

Contributed by Lisa Marie Gibson. To learn more about KLRN Kids, visit klrn.org/kids.

Ruff n Stuff | KLRN KIDS Go Back to School

Families zoomed into the San Antonio Children’s Museum on Saturday, August 8, attending the Passport Back to School event. Over 1,100 people entered the doors and ventured to the Tooth Booth, the kid-powered elevator, and the H-E-B Kids’ Market, making new friends and having fun along the way! As children were engaged in play, they were learning! Any time is learning time and what a perfect location for children and their families to play together. It was amazing to see children pushing along their shopping baskets choosing their purchases and it was just as fun watching the parents observing and engaged too. Children stood in the middle of a large bubble in the Bubble exhibit, they dug for treasures and manned a front end loader. A special treat was the Fetch lab where they made catapults and released cotton balls; Ruff Ruffman, from the PBS KIDS GO! show, Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, made special appearances too.

Community partners shared important program information with parents and caregivers; they learned more about parenting programs, home-visiting programs, the important role they play as the child’s first and most important teacher, and about resources that are available for them in their communities! Children walked away with school supplies, backpacks, books, and smiles. We’re really excited that the event was such a hit and we look forward to the next time where we can help kick-off a new school year!

Blogger: Maricella Borroel

Great photo opportunity...

What a great treat for your child...a picture with his/her best TV friend! I found this link recently and think that it is such a wonderful way to bring a smile to your child's face. You can add Elmo, SuperWhy, Curious George or even Sid the Science Kid (just to name a few) to your favorite photo. The process is very easy and the end result is one for the scrapbooks. Just upload your photo, choose your character and voila, you are done! The best part? It is free! Enjoy.

P.S. This is not for kids only. If you've always wanted your own photo with Super Grover, please, help yourself.

Healthy Habits for Life - making an impact one family at a time!

KLRN recently received funding from the Baptist Health Foundation to implement and study the impact of the HEALTHY HABITS FOR LIFE curriculum, developed by Sesame Workshop to reach 200 children. The program is conducted in two separate phases. Each phase studying 100 youth, their families and caregivers.

The HEALTHY HABITS FOR LIFE project will teach children: 1) how to make healthy food choices, and 2) how to be physically active so that they can begin to establish healthy habits for the rest of their lives. The project also includes several other components which include training, modeling, strategizing and engaging the youth as they learn all techniques and practices for their well being.

As we are reaching our final post assessment phase, to show our appreciation for the time and amazing energy given to this study. We gave the children, parents and the caregivers a very Healthy dinner! A special guest flew in from New York to attend this dinner and meet the participants. None other than COOKIE MONSTER !!

We had a spectacular evening and I truly believe that we have made a difference, not only in the children... but the parents, siblings and the caregivers. We look forward to beginning Phase II and seeing where this study will lead us in the future.

Until then...remember to eat your colors!

Submitted by:
Marissa Tejeda Ximenes
Special Projects Manager, KLRN
Healthy Habits for Life

Learn more about KLRN educational resources at klrn.org.

Preschoolers Are Clicking Away

USA Today reviewed two PBS Kids interactive websites yesterday. These sites (PBS Play! and PBS Kids Island) are both designed to help todays preschoolers learn alongside some of their best friends: Curious George, SuperWhy and of course Elmo (just to name a few). Read the article.

You can access PBS Play! and PBS Kids Island through the new KLRN Kids Website--just click on the "games" tab at the top.

Below is a preview of PBS Play! for you. Enjoy.

Happy Friday!

Exciting news from PBS Showcase

This week PBS is holding their annual meeting, PBS Showcase, in Baltimore, Maryland. PBS executives and producers have announced some exciting changes to the schedule coming down the pipeline. One such announcement is the addition of a new animated children’s series, “THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT!” which will premiere in Fall 2010. Martin Short will voice the Cat in the Hat and the series will feature his two helpers, Thing One and Thing Two. Children will follow 6-year-old Sally and Nick as the cat leads them through amazing discoveries of natural science. Program outreach will also feature an important element to all PBS Kids series—an interactive website with learning tools for children and resources for their parents. To read more about this new series, click on the following link: http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20090511_pbskidscatinthehat.html.

Andrea.

Energy, Creativity, and Markers... Reading Rainbow!

During this year's Reading Rainbow contest, we were very lucky to read stories with characters like alligators, poodles in Paris, rainbow fruit, and the missing letter "m." Writers entertained us with stories about stamps who travel the world, a dog and cat who become friends, and a king who gives his daughter the world in her hands. This year we had an absolutely amazing response to our 15th Annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest as we read 265 entries! Stories poured in from Bandera, Boerne, Bulverde, Cibolo, Converse, Devine, Elmendorf, Fair Oaks Ranch, Floresville, Gonzales, Harper, Helotes, Kirby, La Vernia, Lacosti, Leakey, Live Oak, Lytle, Mountain Home, New Braunfels, Pipe Creek, San Antonio, Schertz, Seguin, Somerset, Tarpley, and Universal City! Whew, that was a handful.

Over 450 people joined Mr. Steve and Miffy at our celebration on May 3rd in KLRN's Tobin Studio. The children arrived with smiles plastered on their faces and with amazing energy and excitement! Singing along, clapping, and grinning from ear to ear, children were involved in Mr. Steve's performance. One lucky second grader even strummed on Mr. Steve's guitar! Madison, KLRN's past national winner from 2001, joined us. She even read her winning entry with the families!

During the awards presentation, stunned and excited parents and winners popped up from the crowd when the entries appeared on the screen. Congratulations to all of the children who submitted a story and congratulations to the winners too! First place winners received a laptop donated by Mr. and Mrs. Vollmer, second place winners received a Leap Frog gift pack, and third place winners received a Reading Rainbow gift pack. Thank you to H-E-B and the Gladys Dalkovitz Fund for the generous support! Thank you to everyone who supported the contest and event. Thank you to Miffy for sharing warm hugs with the children too!

Check out our page on klrn.org/readingrainbow.

Looking forward to next year!

Become a fan of Earth

So, I'll admit it. I'm a big fan of our Earth...and I know that I am not alone. I am at the pinnacle of my happiness when I am outside, and I believe that my 3-year old is the same way. The fresh air, green grass and never ending exploration is enough to fuel my fire. That said, you can probably imagine just how much I love Earth Day.

I want to encourage all parents to remember to teach our young ones (and not-so-young ones) to be kind to our planet...on Earth Day and beyond.

Here are some links to help you start the conversation:
Fun Earth Day projects for your kids: http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/earthday.html
Your kids can post their favorite Earth Day idea: http://pbskids.org/speakout/earth/
Of course, Earth Day programming:
(0-6 yrs) http://pbskids.org/video/
(7-12yrs) http://pbskids.org/go/video/

What ideas have you and your kids come up with?

A brand new site for KLRN KIDS!

Hey KLRN KIDS (and parents!)

Come 'n' play! We've been working on a brand new website for KLRN KIDS it's now ready for you to explore!

• Watch live video from the PBS Kids GO! video player. Watch whenever you want!


• Check out the featured reading list from the San Antonio Public Library.


• Celebrate your birthday with KLRN KIDS!

And while you're there, flip through the calendar for two great events coming up in May just for KLRN KIDS club members.

Once you've had a chance to explore the site, drop us a note at kids@klrn.org and tell us what you think.

A huge thanks to a few big kids --Louis, Rick and Jacob at Blonde Creative-- for their help in building this fun new home for KLRN KIDS!

Star Light, Star Bright, Moon Pies are our delight!

Last night, KLRN and the San Antonio Astronomical Association (SAAA) teamed up for a “Sky Party” at McAllister Park. While a few wispy clouds hung around, they were no match for the high-powered telescopes set up by the members of the SAAA. Ellen and I (along with three invaluable volunteers) set up a KLRN table and provided Moon Pies, water and juice for the crowd of all ages. We also took the opportunity to promote the show, “400 Years of the Telescope,” which airs Friday, April 10 at 10 PM.

Highlights of the viewing included seeing detailed craters on the moon, Saturn and its moon and Orion. Of particular interest was the relatively fast flyover of the International Space Station.

A huge thanks to the San Antonio Astronomical Society for the guided tour of the night sky. Weather permitting; they are out at McAllister every Wednesday night.

Just published: KLRN Kids News

I just published a special edition of the KLRN Kids E-Newsletter. It highlights a prime time Sesame Street special: Coming Home: Military Families Cope With Change airing next Wednesday, April 1 at 8 PM.
If you have kids, they might be interested in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators contest. They could win a DELL laptop!

Have a great weekend.