It’s that time of year again… back to school!  While the fun of summer may be drawing to a close, the excitement of a new school year lies just ahead.

A new academic year brings new teachers, new friends, and new knowledge with which to view the world.  In the spirit of positive change, we thought we’d share some facts we came across in an effort to inspire new ways of going green this year:

• 240 pounds of waste are generated per student each year
• 18,760 pounds of lunch waste is created per year by one elementary school
• 69 percent of kids who live less than a mile from school who do not walk there regularly
• 60,000 gallons of gasoline would be saved each day if 6 percent of those who drive less than a mile would walk instead

So, what can you and your family do to reduce your footprint this year?  Here are a few simple steps that will make this fall just a little greener:

• Pedal power.  If you live within a reasonable distance from your school, consider having your kids ride their bike.  Here’s a great resource to help keep them comfortable and safe along the way: Kidshealth.org 

• Turn that brown bag green. As you can see, the waste from a lunch can really add up.  So why not ditch the brown bag and go green?  Consider a PVC-free insulated lunch bag made from recycle juice boxes, or opt for the traditional lunch box – as long as it’s not made from vinyl (shown to contain lead).  While you’re at it, you can also cut back on waste by substituting those disposable sandwich baggies with a reusable Wrap-n-Mat. 

• If it’s not broken, don’t replace it.  If you can, try to resist the urge to rush out to all the back-to-school sales and reload on school supplies.  If possible, reuse last year’s supplies – it’s easier on the wallet and the environment!

If it’s obsolete, don’t trash it.

That old computer that’s collecting dust in your closet may be taking up valuable space, but that doesn’t mean it’s destined for the landfill.  If you’re upgrading this fall, take a look into recycling your hardware through an eCycling service listed with the EPA.  And should that computer be somewhat functional, consider giving it a new life with either RetroBox or FreeGeek, who build computers out of salvaged parts.

While going green is a great way to start off the year, there’s no reason to stop there!  Keep checking back with KidZui newsletter for further features on maintaining a green lifestyle all year round.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, HealthySchoolLunches.org, wasteonline.org.uk, americabikes.org, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

• Kids who don’t read four or more age-appropriate books over the summer are more likely to fall victim to the “Summer Slide,” the common loss of skills due to being out of school over the summer.

• Low income students experience an average summer learning loss in reading achievement of over two months, a greater loss than that of their higher income peers.

• The primary reason kids say they don’t read for fun more often is that they have trouble finding books they like.

“All kids need opportunities over the summer to practice what they’ve learned during the school year,” said Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the National Center for Summer Learning. “Programs that encourage kids to read age-appropriate books that interest them are a great way to keep kids learning over the summer.”

“Summer reading is a perfect, low-cost activity that helps keep students’ learning skills strong,” said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “The Scholastic Summer Challenge gives kids a chance to read what they want to read, connect with other readers in a safe online community, and help children in need.”

What is the Scholastic Summer Challenge for Kids?

This summer, kids ages eight and up can log on to www.scholastic.com/summer to read for fun, play games and help children in need. Here’s how: once they accept the Challenge, they take a fun quiz that sorts them into one of four color teams, joining other kids from across the country and the world to record their minutes spent reading, earn points for their team, play games and chat about books. All summer long kids will be learning about critical issues kids face in the areas of early childhood development, literacy, physical activity, nutrition and emergency preparedness and response, which are at the core of Save the Children’s work in the U.S. At the end of the summer, Scholastic will make a financial contribution to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs on behalf of all the participating readers and the winning Summer Challenge team will vote on which issue Save the Children works on receives an extra donation!

“We are thrilled that this program not only gets kids reading but also educates them about some of the challenges faced by other kids across the country,” said Mark Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director of Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. “Today one in six kids lives in poverty.

With the Summer Challenge, Scholastic is taking an important leadership role in uniting the next generation and instilling a greater sense of responsibility to one another.” At the Scholastic Summer Challenge, kids can also: • Take fun quizzes and multiply their points • Unlock new games and earn even more points

• Apply their points to the Scholastic Book Fairs’ “Read for the World Record!”

• Watch awesome celebrity shout-out videos including: The Naked Brothers Band, Lil’ Mama and Keke Palmer from True Jackson, VP on Nickelodeon

• See exclusive content about favorite authors and books

• Chat about favorite books like The 39 Clues and Harry Potter

• Post book reviews on the Summer Challenge review blog

• Enter sweepstakes for the chance to win prizes In addition, kids can enter to for a chance to win sweepstakes for books from Scholastic, a free annual membership to Kidzui, the Internet for kids, and free bonus points from SmartyCard, redeemable for real rewards.

         Saying goodbye to summer camps, afternoons at the pool, sports in the neighborhood, timeouts and starting a new school year can be exciting, nerve racking, and expensive. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be expensive, with a few tips and tricks used by the most experienced of school goers we all can save on back to school shopping.

1. Make a list of what each child needs

         Many schools will provide parents with lists of what the child needs for the school year. The list can be a great place to start but don’t forget about clothing, shoes, and other things they need for school that wont be included on the list. Even if the school doesn’t provide you with a list just write out what the child will need for the first few months of school.

2. Inventory what you have

         Everyone made due last year and it’s a matter of finding what you have and assessing its condition. Much of the school equipment may be under a bed long forgotten about, but the effort of finding it is well worth it. Go through the list writing what they have, its condition, and if your child would use it next year.

3. Categorize by needs and wants

         Some items on the list will be “must haves”, others will be “wants”, and a few will be “wants real bad”. Go threw the list item by item and determine if it needs to be purchased now. Making a detailed list can be a pain, but is well worth it in terms of savings and shopping ease.

4. Do your research

         Keep an eye out for ads from your local retailers. The ads are available in newspapers, online, and in the front of the store. Collect the ads and go through them looking for your “must haves” and “wants real bad”.

5. Shop everywhere

         Searching online and in dollar stores will let you get more for your money. Great deals can be found on Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and even through Google searches. Be careful, Walmart.com may have significantly lower prices than Walmart stores and the local stores wont price match the website. Amazon.com also features used items and you can buy for much cheaper. Dollar stores may have a bad reputation, but give them a try, you’ll be surprised that they have similar quality items for much cheaper.

6. Shop at the right times

         Many states have a sales tax holiday on school supplies for a small period of time. You can see if your state has a tax holiday at: taxadmin.org (http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html)

7. Stick to the list!

         Resist going off your list or buying more than a few months worth. Stores are designed to make you purchase more than you planned, you will be temped and the aisle is not the place to make buying decisions. Don’t try to buy for the whole year, but if you do, keep the extra in a safe place where it wont get ruined, lost, or misused.

8. Don’t open it!

         Don’t let your kids rip the tags off their new cloths or open up all the new packages of school supplies before school starts. Keep the receipts together and return anything that won’t get used. This also gives you more time to find better deals, or you just may find out the school provides some materials.

9. Minimize daily spending

         Lunches, transportation, and other daily expenditures can really add up fast. Figure out what it costs you to make a box lunch and see if its better to go with the school provided lunches. Carpooling or having your kids take the bus to school can also save a lot of money in gas.

10. Do-it-yourself

         Taking the time to make or update things at home will save you money and bring life back to old items. You can print their favorite things on iron-on, sticker, or plain paper and then put it on t-shirts, folders, lunch boxes, or anything. Intsructables.com has step-by-step guides to tons of do-it-yourself projects.

Objectives:

1. After watching the video, the audience should be intrigued enough by KidZui to visit KidZui.com to learn more.

2. After watching the video, the audience should be entertained enough to forward it to friends.

Tips/Guidelines:

1. Get your kid(s) involved! It’s always fun to get your kids to be creative.

2. Keep the video simple, fun, kid-appropriate, exciting, easy, cool, smart.

Contest Details & Rules*:

1. Video entries must be submitted via YouTube. 

2. Please keep the video under 45 seconds.

3. Any kids included in video must have consent of parent/guardian.

4. All submissions become property of KidZui.

5. Three winners will be selected.

6. All winners will be featured in upcoming ZuiNews, KidZui Blog, KidZui Facebook,Twitter, KidZui.com and the KidZui Browser.

7. Entries must be submitted by midnight July 31st, 2009.

How To Submit Your Entry (video):

1. Go to YouTube and upload your video

2. Email us at contact@kidzui.com with the following important information:

• Name
• Parents email address
• Embedded link (From your YouTube page)
• URL (From your YouTube page)
• The title of your video

Good luck and we look forward to your videos!!

*No purchase necessary to enter to win. Many will enter, but only a few will win. Entrants must be a parent or legal guardian of a child 3 to 12 years of age at the time of entry, and a resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia aged 18 or older. Submit your video to contact@kidzui.com between 8 o’clock in the morning May 27th, 2009 and 11 o’clock at night July 31st, 2009 (the “Contest Period”) to enter a random drawing from all eligible entries received during the Contest Period. Sponsor will award one KidZui 1-year membership (approximate retail value $49.95). Prizes will be rewarded in the name of a parent or legal guardian only. By submitting, you hereby grants to KidZui a non-exclusive, royalty-free and worldwide license to use your name, voice, picture, likeness and any other combination of any of these on the KidZui Sites or on advertising and promotional materials in connection with the KidZui services. 

*NOTE/ Permission: By sending us the video you are giving KidZui permission to the following: Any video material you send becomes the property of KidZui. Therefore you grant us permission to use your video on KidZui websites and KidZui browser. So, please no copyright material. Kid safe and kid friendly videos only!

Sponsor: KidZui, 2448 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 105 San Diego, CA 92106. © KidZui 2009

  Each week a different theme is selected, and I search and find all the best stuff on that subject. ZuiPicks kicked off with Funniest Videos, a compilation of the highest rated and “funniest” videos in KidZui.  Since then, ZuiPicks has run the gamut from Mythical Creatures, through Cooking Fun, to all things Dance.  Picking each week’s theme is fairly easy.  Sometimes it ties to something in pop-culture, like the Jonas Brothers 3D movie opening.  Sometimes ZuiPicks is based on a holiday.  A sporting event like the Super Bowl could be a week’s theme, or even a season.  Or sometimes we simply pick something we think will be interesting and fun for kids to explore!  One popular ZP was Virtual Communities. This was a selection of both trendy children’s sites like WebKinz or PopTropica, and also many lesser known but equally entertaining sites.  All were based on “Virtual Worlds” where characters are created and can interact safely with others.  The video portion of this was especially interesting.   It included many impressive homemade “music videos” by children and tweens themselves, setting their own characters’ actions to popular music. 

Since ZuiPick’s beginning, we have had over twenty different themes.  Before I discuss a little bit about those, I would like to share a personal experience about my favorite topic to date, Pirates.  The Pirate theme was especially fun for me, as I have learned the hard way how tough it is to find appropriate pirate content.  A few years ago, I was working as a nanny.  Emmet, the five year old under my care, was completely obsessed with all things pirate.  Emmet was specifically into Captain Jack Sparrow and the whole Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, even though he was still too young to watch the movie.  Whenever he would be given computer time, all Emmet would want to do was search YouTube for pirate videos.  This meant, of course, that I would have to sit right next to him and make sure he only saw what was appropriate for a kindergartner.  Even then it was difficult, and the whole time I sat there terrified that any seemingly innocent video could turn inappropriate, and poor Emmet could be scarred for life.  Pirates are notorious for using curse words and having bad behavior.  Manners?  No way!  And Captain Jack had some pretty scary enemies.  That Davy Jones with the squid face would give even me nightmares!  Sword fight after sword fight after sword fight… I was worried about the effect all that violence would have on Emmett, who already liked to stage his own battles with empty paper towel rolls.  So when given the opportunity to create a Pirates ZuiPicks, I knew exactly what I wanted it to be.  I would fill it with Black Beard, Red Beard, and even blue Beard.  Scurvy Dogs, Scallywags, peg-legs and parrots.  And of course, Captain Jack Sparrow himself.  All of the fun of pirates without the objectable material.  I thought of Emmet and other pirate-obsessed children like himself.  Now they could search websites about maps marked with an “X” and finding buried treasure.  They could watch silly pirates singing silly songs, and of course, look at picture after picture of the Black Pearl and its crew freely and safely.  I thought of other nannies, as well as babysitters, mothers, fathers, and grandparents, and thought of freeing them from being Personal Pirate-YouTube Filters, and this made me very, very proud to be a part of KidZui.

And while I may have loved Pirates for personal reasons, every ZuiPick has been quite interesting to create.  Even I have become more knowledgeable and interested in many different topics we have featured.  We know that not all children are going to like the same subject, but we hope to show them different subjects that they may not have known they had an interest in before.  We also hope that all of them find a favorite ZuiPicks at some point. 

A few more examples of what we have featured include the exciting and adventure-filled Famous Heroes and Villains!  There were also the educational Space Exploration and Extreme Weather ZuiPicks.  Don’t forget the icky, and slimy Yucky Science!  For the animal lovers out there, we have featured sea life in Under the Sea as well as the dangerous and wild Safari Animals.  Best of all, each weekly theme adds more and more to discover in KidZui itself. 

After the featured theme is changed for the week, we do not delete the old content.  Instead, it is placed into an existing or new category created for it.  The “Funniest Videos” ZP mentioned?  We now have a Funniest Videos category.  Into Miley Cyrus?  All Miley’s websites, pictures, and videos from our most popular ZuiPicks yet can be found in multiple categories.  These include the Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, and even New TV & Cartoon categories.  Another favorite of mine is all about our canine friends.  Every bit of content from our cute and cuddly Man’s Best Friend can now be found in our Dogs category. 

After learning about our past and present ZuiPicks, you may be wondering what we have coming up.  Unfortunately, I cannot tell you.  Part of what makes ZP so exciting is that you won’t know what it is going to feature until it changes!  If you would like, you and your children could try and guess what we might come up with, and log in to KZ every Tuesday to see what’s new. 

Ultimately, ZuiPicks is an interesting and exciting addition to everything you love about KidZui.  I hope your children enjoy it as much as I enjoy putting it together.  And if any of you have had an experience like I did with Emmett and the pirates, please let us know what the subject in question was. Feel free to leave us comments on what you might want to see featured.  Looking forward to reading your ideas!

Rebecca is KidZui’s Office Manager.

Hello Again,

Gaming Editor Sean here back to tell you more about the KidZui Gaming categories.  Last time I covered five categories; Games, Arcade Games, Action Games, Puzzle games, and Sports Games.   This time I’m going to tell you about the other eight gaming categories your kids might be accessing while enjoying KidZui.

Sports Games:  This category consists of sports games that range from traditional football, baseball and soccer games to the more contemporary games about surfing, skateboarding, and BMX biking.  Your children will also find some sports games featuring their favorite characters such as Scooby Doo Big Air and Bugs Bunny and Cecil in Mad Dash.  Whatever your children’s sports interests are, they should be able to find a game in this category to help them explore it.

Educational Games:  This category consists of games that are designed to help kids learn.  There are geographical games such as Geography United States of America, in which kids must find all the states on the map.  There are math games such as Math Mountain, in which your kids race up the side of mountain by answering equations.  Your kids will also find games like Type and Pop and Alphabet Jungle that can help their spelling and vocabulary.  These games and more all serve to give your kids a fun experience while still learning.

Games for Girls:  Most games seemed to be made with boys in mind and that is why we created the Games for Girls category.  In this category your daughters will find games that may appeal to their interests a bit more.  There are cooking games such as Minnie’s Dinner Party, dress up games like Horseland Dress Up, and even management games like Perfect Hair, in which your daughter runs a hair salon.  They’ll even find games with some of their favorite characters like Princess Jasmine and the Bratz.  While your daughters will most likely enjoy games from all of the KidZui gaming categories, Games for Girls should provide them with some more traditionally themed girl entertainment.

Dress Up Games:  Here your kids will find games where they can dress up superheroes like Batman Dress Up or their favorite celebrity like Hannah Montana Rock Star Dress Fashion Challenge.  They’ll also find some more traditional dress up games such as Elegant Wedding Dress Up or Pets in the City.  All of these games give your kids a fun way to show their style.

Cooking Games: These games provide a fun experience while showing your kids a bit about the kitchen.  They’ll be able to cook with their favorite characters such as in Disney’s Frenzy Kitchen.  They’ll also be able to cook in a magical forest in Forest Cooking.  They can even learn a little about running a pizza parlor by playing Pizza Pronto.

Holiday Games:  This category consists of all the holiday themed games.  There are Easter games such as Egg Match which requires kids to match different colored eggs.  There are Christmas games such as Holiday Tree Decoration and Santa’s Chimney Trouble, in which you must create a path for Santa to bring presents into the house.  Anytime your kids are feeling a holiday spirit they should be able to find a game to help them celebrate in this category.

Character Games:  This category consists of games you’ll find in all the other KidZui gaming categories that feature your kids’ favorite characters.  From the Bratz and My Little Pony, to GI Joe and Batman, your kids will be able to play a great game that brings them closer to their favorite characters.

Zuigames Jr:  This category is for the very young KidZui users.  Generally the games here are for the 3-5 year old gamers.  They’ll find everyone’s good buddy Spongebob Squarepants in Avalanche at Plankton’s Peak as well as Dora the Explorer in Space Adventure.  They’ll also find many games that are designed to enhance primary skills like Jigsaw Puzzle and Kangaroo Coloring.  All the games here will serve to provide a quality experience for kids who are just starting out in the world of gaming.

There you have an explanation of the other eight KidZui gaming categories.  We hope your kids are enjoying them all.   Thanks for reading!

Hi Folks.

My name is Sean and I’m Gaming Editor here at KidZui. This week I’d like to lend some clarity to some of the gaming categories your children may be accessing in KidZui and on our gaming portal, Zuigames.com.

If you’ve been following the KidZui blog you know that in the beginning of November, 2008 we launched Zuigames.com. This website is our answer to the risk that most gaming domains pose. Unfortunately the majority of gaming websites are laden with adult orientated content from violent games to inappropriate ads to unmonitored user comments. Seeing this fact and knowing that kids love games, we decided to collect the coolest and safest games the internet has to offer and put them on our own site, Zuigames.com. Of course this site is approved in KidZui and its games make up the content your children will find in the gaming categories.

The categories themselves were selected based off experience with other game websites and games in general. They are designed to be specific enough to allow kids to find what they are looking for while at the same time aiding parents in understanding what type of games their kids are playing. This week I’m going to give you a quick overview of five categories, Games, Arcade Games, Action Games, Puzzle Games, and Racing Games.

Games: This is a catch all category in KidZui that has a sampling of each of the other nine gaming categories. It’s a great place to start if your children are unsure of what they want to play or you would like to get an idea of the games we feature in KidZui.

Arcade Games: This category has a selection of fun games that can be played for 5 minutes or 5 hours. It includes simple games like Dino Drop, in which you match 3 of the same color eggs to clear a board. It also has games like Red Beard, in which you control a red bearded pirate as he jumps from platform to platform to collect all the gold.

Action Games: This category includes a selection of action and adventure games. Some of these games pit the player against an endless army of robots that they must destroy such as in Mechablaster. Some of them challenge your child’s investigative skills such as in Scooby Doo and the Attacks of the Ghost Pirates. And some of them are just plain fun action orientated romps such as Dogfight in which you control a World War 1 fighter Ace and Snowball Warrior, in which you fight off the bullies in an epic snowball fight.

Puzzle Games: This category includes a selection of puzzle orientated games. Here your children will find traditional puzzles like the 101 Dalmatians Jigsaw puzzle. They will find classics like Mahjong, Silly Solitaire, and Tetris as well as some new classics like Conundrum in which they will be challenged to raise all 25 blocks by clicking on different sections of a board. Puzzle games also include games like Charger Escape in which players much find certain objects to help a horse escape its pen. Finally they will find some fun games that require a little more thought and deft mouse work such as Scribble in which they must draw a path to guide the little characters safely through each level.

Racing Games: This category is actually pretty straight forward. Here your children will find standard racing games like Hyper Velocity Racer in which they drive an F1 racecar to victory. They’ll also find less traditional racing games like Frog Race in which they race a frog by selecting the power of its jumps and Scooby Doo’s 1000 Yard Graveyard Dash in which you help Scooby race away from an evil ghost.

So there you have a quick summary of what these five gaming categories are and some games they include. As Gaming Editor it is my pleasure to personally select the games your kids are playing in the KidZui Gaming Categories and I hope they are enjoying them as much I do. I’ll be back down the line to give you all some more insight into the rest of our gaming categories. Thanks for reading and enjoy KidZui.