Complete! -Celebrate Our Earth with An Amazing Kids! Giveaway!

Time's up! Congratulations to our winners, Ryan Traynor and Haley Bumbarner, age 11. Thanks to all who entered, and special thanks to our sponsors, National Geographic Kids and American Girl!

Calling all kids! Do you love the Earth and want to see it be even greener and cleaner? Join Amazing Kids! and tell your friends all of the cool things we’re doing to raise awareness on how to take care of our planet in a fun, practical way! Check out these awesome sites for kids! Learn about saving our planet through games, articles and blogs from leading kids’ organizations!

Learn all about kids who are getting involved in helping the environment grow and succeed at National Geographic Kids’ Green Scene blog -- http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/greenscene/

Play Recycle Roundup and Creek Cleanup for some good, green fun, or learn how to Start a Garden! or host a Camp Out! With National Geographic Kids’ fun tips! Also, get your mind moving with this kid-friendly article: Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap? .

Join Lanie, American Girl of the Year, for fun games that get you thinking about our planet, here!

Last, but certainly not least, Amazing Kids! is hosting a Love Our Earth Giveaway for the next week or so! Below are our partners, who have donated the awesome prizes!

American Girl has generously donated a Lanie Doll and Book Combo, value of $95.00!

National Geographic Kids has generously donated 2 subscriptions of their awesome-tastic magazine for kids! If you haven’t checked it out, yet, ask your parents to check it out, here!

Grand Prize Package: Boy

Grand Prize Package: Girl

Here’s how the Giveaway works:

Who Can Enter: Kids up to age 18

What: 2 Grand Prize Packages (1 Boy Package – includes a 1 year (10 issues) National Geographic Kids Magazine Subscription and 1 Super Soaker and 1 Girl Package – includes a 1 year (10 issues) National Geographic Kids Magazine Subscription and 1 Lanie Doll and Book)

TIME'S UP! (Deadline: May 30^th. All complete entries will be entered into a random drawing and two winners (one boy and one girl) will drawn at random and announced via this blog in early June.)

Important: If you’re under 13, please include your parent’s contact email and a sentence that says they give you permission to enter to the contest.

Send your:

Name (first and last!)

Gender (Boy or Girl)

Age

And the Answer to this Question:

In the NEW issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine, May: Kids Doing Good! (http://www.amazing-kids.org), what job does Dr. Ellen Letvin have (as described in our interview title)?

Send your entry to: info@amazing-kids.org to enter; if you’re under 13, please include your parent’s contact email and a sentence that says they give you permission to enter to the contest.

Time's Up! :) Congratulations to our winners!

13 Year old Amazing Kid! Jordan Romero Climbing Mt. Everest!

WOW!!! Check out 13-year-old Amazing Kid! Jordan Romero as he attempts to become the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest!

Jordan was our Amazing Kid! of the Month way back in December of 2006 (http://www.amazing-kids.org/akom12-06.html), when he was just 10 years old!

All this time, he has kept his sights on his dream: scaling the top of all 7 of the world's highest summits! Now that Jordan has scaled the other 6 highest peaks, he is now on his way with his amazing parents and support team to the top of Mt. Everest!

All of us at Amazing Kids! wish Jordan a safe and amazing adventure up to the top of Everest! We are proud of you, Jordan and we're rooting for you! Go, Jordan!

Check out Jordan's blog with updates here: http://www.jordanromero.com/about

Check out Jordan's amazing photo stream on Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamjordanoneverest

What do you think about Jordan's attempt to scale Mt. Everest? Let us know! Leave a comment below. Thanks! :-)

NEW! Amazing Kids! Online Magazine April, 2010 Issue, Live!

Is there a more wonderful way to welcome spring than by celebrating the great outdoors in our new April "Great Outdoors Adventure!" issue? Visit the issue here to find out! You'll find great articles written by kids just like you in our fiction, poetry, and non-fiction sections, as well as great tips for budding writers, interviews with amazing mentors, recipes, jokes, and more! Explore the great outdoors virtually and be sure to pass the good news on to your friends!

We welcome feedback, fiction short stories, poetry, non-fiction, jokes, recipes, artwork, and photography from kids 18 and under; please email your writing/art with your name, age, and state/country to: editor@amazing-kids.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Amazing Kids! Special Announcement! Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Searching for an Amazing Kid and Family!

Amazing Kids! is helping the producers of ABC’s Emmy award winning TV series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in their search for the next amazing family to be featured on their show!

The producers told Amazing Kids! they are looking for some...well, amazing kids who are doing amazing work to help others in their community or elsewhere, but whose families, for whatever reason, are in need of a new home.

According to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's producers: "We are in the process of finding families who are deserving and in need of a new home for our next season of the show, and we want to move that bus to some more inspirational families, nationwide!"

To be eligible, a family must own their own single family home or at least property on which a home can be built. Plus, they must be able to show producers how a makeover will make a huge difference in their lives. Nominations must include:

1) The names and ages of each member of the household

2) A description of the major challenges within the home

3) Explanation of why this family is deserving, or a positive role model in their community

4) If possible, photos of the family and their home

5) Contact information of the family

The deadline for family nominations is April 19, 2010. But don’t delay! Please send story submissions as soon as possible! The sooner they find some deserving families, the better! All nominations should be sent to: ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition@gmail.com.

Please do not send nominations directly to Amazing Kids! Thank you! :-)

For more information on how to apply please visit the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition website at:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index?pn=apply

Get Wild! National Wildlife Week – March 15-21, 2010

Ah...Spring is in the air, and what better time of the year to enjoy the great outdoors than now? Amazing Kids! welcomes you to celebrate Spring by checking out these noteworthy events/articles!

Meet Aitan, young, budding environmentalist, and Amazing Kid! Of the Month! Not only has he helped many other children around the world realize how important it is to save the environment, but he’s created a movement to do it! Read all about amazing Aitan.

National Wildlife Week – March 15-21 – is fast approaching! If you and your parents want to “Be Out There” with the National Wildlife Foundation this upcoming week, there are some great, family friendly activities for kids of all ages on: http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Events/National-Wildlife-Week/At-Play.aspx. Check it out!

New Great Outdoors Adventure! April Issue, coming soon! This April, be prepared to rollick down rapids with an amazing young kayaker, learn about the ways nature is both cool and wacky, and visit rocky slopes to barren oceans! Keep your eyes peeled...

American Girl Giveaway for Kids! Another exciting event is soon to take place here at Amazing Kids! – our Lanie Doll and Book giveaway, sponsored by American Girl! Check out the American Girl of the Year’s Site at: http://www.americangirl.com/fun/goty/2010Lanie/, then check back often for the giveaway of an official Lanie Doll and book for kids on our site (and an interview with the author of Lanie, Jane Kurtz!).

Have a great spring! Go do something amazing! :)

ENDED: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Giveaway! Kids, Enter Today!

Thank you for everyone who participated in our book giveaway. The giveaway is now over, as we have selected our 5 winners. Congratulations to our winners! Stay tuned for another fun book giveaway, starting soon!

If you’re in the mood to add a classic Children’s Book to your stock of reads, then enter the Amazing Kids! Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Giveaway, today! Simon & Schuster has generously donated 5 copies of this classic title as the sponsors of this giveaway. The first 5 kids or teens (up to age 18) to send us an email and answer the question correctly, will receive a copy of the book! Send the information, below to: info@amazing-kids.org to enter; if you’re under 13, please include your parent’s contact email and a sentence that says they give you permission to enter to the contest.

NEW! March Issue Online

Dear Amazing Kids!,

Come visit our 35th issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine, our “Games, Gadgets, and Gizmos” issue, at http://www.amazing-kids.org/! Special thanks to our amazing staff of volunteers who worked hard to put this issue together: Braxton, Sean, Natalie and the rest of our Staff Writers and Editors! We are pleased to announce a new youth staff member: Brad, co-columnist for our newest column: Sci-Tech Kids!, a column dedicated to bringing you bits of info. on science and technology for kids! Sci-Tech Kids! debuts in this issue; if you would like to contribute as a writer to this column, please send an email to: editor@amazing-kids.org

Welcome into the world of gadgets, gizmos, and games: a universe where the strength of technology, advancing information, and fun, interesting games have changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. Every time you turn on a light, plug in the toaster, or ride in a car, train, or airplane, you are enjoying all of the great, fun uses technology brings. Some masterminds have invented or will invent incredible technology in the past, present, and future; some of these masterminds are kids, just like you! Be sure to catch our exclusive interview with Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, himself! Then read all about a kid who invented something amazing in an article by Natalie, age 13!

Games have changed the world, too. Strategy games, like Chess, have been around for centuries and were used to build war skills, while more modern, family games, like Monopoly, have given families and kids all over the globe a great reason to spend time together and develop special money, thinking, and communication skills. In this issue, you can read our interview with Brian Goldner, the CEO of Hasbro, one of the largest toy-making companies in the world, by Sean, age 14!

Gizmos like pocket game systems may be all fun, yet gizmos have always had a very special place in warfare technology and keeping people safe. Some futuristic gizmos, like a dog collar that can tell you what your pooch is thinking, are amusing and inspiring. Other gizmos, like robotic surgical systems, can help save lives. Feel free to enjoy our interview with a retired CIA agent, by Natalie, age 13!

No matter which way you look at it, games, gadgets, and gizmos play an important role in our daily lives. Let’s embrace technology and use it for good, and perhaps even invent the future in technology, ourselves, someday!

Enjoy this issue, and have a marvelous March!

Sincerely,
Brittany
Student Editor-in-Chief
The Amazing Kids! Online Magazine – http://www.amazing-kids.org/

A Mouthwatering Bite: Amazing Kids! Online Magazine’s February Issue!

Thanks to the mastermind of our Jr. Asst. Editor, Natalie, our hard working team, and the help of many friends, the 34^th issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine is now LIVE!, and boy, is it a delicious treat! How so? There’s interviews with the author of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, an award-winning chef and restaurant owner, kitchen tips for kids who are beginner cooks, recipes, and much, much more! Be sure to jump in on the action before our Contests end in May, and keep your eyes peeled for a new contest and giveaway, coming very soon!

Also, Amazing Kids! is expanding, and if you’re a kid, teen, or adult with web developing experience and are interested in a volunteer staff position with Amazing Kids!, send your name and information to: info@amazing-kids.org; we look forward to hearing from you!

(Pic: Aaron Logan)

Bill Gates Offers Advice to Kids on Amazing Kids! website

Amazing Kids! has just issued a press release about our interview with Bill Gates for the January issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine.

We are honored to have the participation of Mr. Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a former "amazing kid" himself, in an "Amazing Mentors! Spotlight" interview for our January issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine.

Read our press release about it here: http://tinyurl.com/yl766wo

Read the Amazing Kids! interview with Bill Gates here: http://amazing-kids.org/c64. Be prepared to be inspired!

Thanks again for your support, Mr. Gates! :-)

Message from Amazing Kids! - Haiti Needs Our Help: Ways to Fund the Effort

Recently, there has been a tragic earthquake in Haiti resulting in much loss. Many countries are doing all they can to fund the relief effort. Here’s what you can do to help…

For adults:
Parents, USA Today has published a list of reliable charities donating to the relief fund at the link, below. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/01/how-to-help-victims-of-the-haiti-earthquake/1

For kids:
You are never too young to do good for others! A bake sale or fundraiser at your school is a great way to raise funds for this cause. Be sure to ask your parents for their permission and get the support of trusted adults, and have fun!

NEW Issue, Now Live: Books Galore, Jan. 2010 and Amazing Kids! Contests’ Deadlines Extended

The Amazing Kids! Online Magazine’s newest Issue, Books Galore, Jan. 2010, is now live! Enjoy our interviews, reviews, and stories and poems by kids like you at: http://www.amazing-kids.org/. Don’t forget to catch our super-special, sneak peek, exclusive interview with Bill Gates, Technology Mastermind and Billionaire!

The Amazing Kids! Contest Deadlines have been extended! Check them out at: http://www.amazing-kids.org/contests to enter today!

NEW December Issue in the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine is LIVE

There’s a whole slew of exciting new articles in our latest December, 2009 issue: Christmas South of the Equator! Did you know that kids south of the equator celebrate Christmas in the summer? Instead of donning snowsuits, they throw on a pair of flip flops and head to the beach to celebrate yuletide by the well…tide!

Find out the great mystery of how this all comes togeather and how children celebrate Chrismtas around the world in our December issue! Special thanks to our amazing staff who made this issue possible! Below is a slew of articles from the new issue; check em’ out, and have a wonderful winter and a Merry Christmas!

Also, Amazing Kids! has MOVED! Checke out our new address:
Amazing Kids!20126 Ballinger Way Suite 239 NEShoreline, WA 98155

Why stay up north when the weather heads south?
Hit the Bahamas in our travel review: The Caribbean Waters

Make these Holly Jolly treats
Right in time for Christmas!

Rudolph wants YOU…
To take our CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE, that is.

2 NEW Contests: 2nd Annual Launch My Dream T-Shirt Design and Essay Contest AND Through the Lens of Amazing Kids! Photography Contest

They’re live! Amazing Kids! has two new contests for kids, and the prizes are AWESOME. Check em’ out!

The 2nd Annual LMD T-Shirt Design Contest

Sponsored by All Children’s Furniture, has just begun! Winning prize is a Razr Pro Model Scooter. AND the winning design will be sold on t-shirts in our Zazzle Store, with a percentage of the sales going to help the winner launch their amazing dream! Check out last year’s winning tee designed by Katie Stagliano, and then Enter the Contest! We look forward to seeing what your beautiful designs and dreams!

Through the Lens of Amazing Kids! Photography Contest, 2009

Capture a moment of a charitable cause or event you’ve been involved in via camera!
What is your ‘mighty cause’? Take a photo and let us know! Winners will get a copy of “Change the Way You See Things, for Teens”, by world renown co-author and Emmy Award-winning producer, Hank Wasaik. Be sure to include a paragraph or two about the picture, and then enter today!

Tips on Getting Published, by Sylvan Dell Publishing Editor-in-Chief, Donna German

We'd like to welcome Donna German, Editor-in-Chief of Sylvan Dell Publishing (http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com) to do a special guest blog for us and all of our readers on getting published. Please enjoy, and thank you, Mrs. German, and all the folks at Sylvan Dell, for making so many amazing books!

*****************************
First, let me say that I have been on the author side of submissions, and I vividly recall the 27 rejections that I received prior to my first “yes!” I know that you have written a manuscript that is near and dear to your heart. I also know that you can “see” it in published form and that there is a frustration with the whole submission process – not only to Sylvan Dell but to other publishers as well. Hopefully this will help you to understand what editors/publishers need/look for in submissions.

Please understand that the submission process is overwhelming for editors, too. I receive more submissions in a single day (seven days a week) than we publish in a year! I can’t imagine what editors at the large publishing houses receive! Also, please understand that reading submissions and selecting the list is just one of the many jobs that an editor does.

I try to read all submissions within a few days, and I either reject or tend to hold those which have some possibilities. As the year progresses, I try to keep the number down and will periodically cull the list.

This is a very bizarre business, and if you are still waiting for your first break, I recommend that you start reading books about how to market your book. That might help you in understanding what it is that editors/publishers are looking for when they select manuscripts. Don't forget that this is a business – not just your art of writing. The authors who survive (and thrive) in this business are the ones that truly understand that and commit to doing what it takes.
**************************

ABOUT DONNA GERMAN: Like many women, Donna German wears and has worn many hats during her life: Navy wife, mother, NY Times bestselling cookbook author, children’s book author, editor and co-owner of Sylvan Dell, stock broker, and even historic Charleston carriage driver. While her husband, Lee, who is retired from the Navy, constantly complained that she didn’t need to bring the Library of Congress along with them on their boat, she often did. The boat may have sat lower in the water because of it, but everyone always had something to read! Now that Donna’s 2 daughters are grown, she shares her passion with other families through Sylvan Dell books. Visit their site: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com

Amazing Kids! - Amazing Evan Ducker on Doritos Bags and Jonas Brothers Website!!!

Congratulations to Amazing Kid! Evan Ducker, age 15 (our November 2008 Amazing Kid! of the Month)!
www.amazing-kids.org/akom11-08.html

Evan Ducker, along with his "International Buddy Booby's Birthmark Read-Along for Tolerance and Awareness" project and book, is currently featured on 44 million Doritos bags, available NOW in grocery stores across the country!!!


The promotion is part of the "Do Something" campaign -- which named Evan one of the "Top 12 Youth World Changers" in 2009!

The Jonas Brothers feature Evan Ducker and Buddy Booby's Birthmark on their charity website, Change for the Children here: www.changeforthechildren.org/view_change.php?id=64

Congratulations again, Evan! We think you're amazing! :-)

Your friends at Amazing Kids!

Good News! Former Amazing Kid! of the Month Gets Grant and Needs Your Help!

Former Amazing Kid! of the Month, Ashlee Smith, Founder of "Ashlee's Toy Closet", has been selected as a World of Children Honoree for 2009. She's being given a $15,000.00 grant. She's been been challenged by the World of Children ask others to match the funds. She want to take this money and make it grow into a sure way to take her organization to higher levels and reach children world wide. Any little bit helps and will be used 100% for toys. Ashlee is working on helping all of the homeless children in America and around the world. Please visit her website for more information! www.ashleestoycloset.org

Amazing Kids! Congratulates Amazing Kid! Katie Stagliano, now in People Magazine!

Pick up a copy of the current issue of People (Oct. 26, pg. 87) and get inspired by Katie's story! Katie was the winner of Amazing Kids!' 1st Annual Launch My Dream Contest, as well as our March 2009 Amazing Kid! of the Month (http://www.amazing-kids.org/akom3-09.html#top)

Then join Katie's Launch My Dream Team on her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48567540431

...and help support her dream, ending childhood hunger and be sure to tell your friends and family! You can purchase her Launch My Dream! t-shirt or hoodie, which she designed as part of Amazing Kids!' 1st Annual Launch My Dream! T-Shirt Design and Essay Contest! (Read about last year's contest here: http://www.amazing-kids.org/lmdtcontest08.html) Get your shirt and take a picture of yourself wearing it and post it on Katie's Facebook page to show your support!

Buy Katie's Launch My Dream! shirt today at: http://shop.verymeri.com/collections/fundraising-tees/products/launch-my-dream-no-hungry-children

To learn more about Amazing Katie and Amazing Kids!' Launch My Dream! initiative, which is helping kids like Katie launch their dreams, go to: http://www.amazing-kids.org/launchmydream.html

If you are a kid or teen, you are invited to enter Amazing Kids!' 2nd Annual Launch My Dream! T-Shirt Design and Essay Contest, kicking off this week! The winner will get their dream printed on their very own Launch My Dream! T-Shirt and will get help creating their very own Launch My Dream! Team to help them launch their dream for their amazing future!Learn more here: http://www.amazing-kids.org/contests

Thanks for supporting such an Amazing Kid! Go, Katie! We're incredibly proud of you! :-)

Alyse Rome

Founder/President

Amazing Kids!

http://www.amazing-kids.org/

Calling Southern California Kids and Teens: Enter to win Amazing Kids!' two ticket giveaway to Cirque du Soleil in Santa Monica!

TICKET GIVEAWAY TO SEE KOOZA, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S LATEST SHOW FOR FAMILIES!


Are you a kid or teen who lives in Southern California, or are planning a visit to Southern California on Thursday, October 22?

Here's your chance to win 2 tickets to Kooza, the new Cirque du Soleil's show for families at the Santa Monica Pier on October 22, a value of over $100!!!

Be the first kid or teen, up to age 17, to answer the following two questions correctly by sending us an email to: info@amazing-kids.org, and you will be the winner of the tickets! (You must answer both questions correctly to win.)

QUESTIONS:

1. Amazing Kids! has a literacy-based, traditional letter writing pen pals program called Amazing Kids! PenPals. What was the year that Amazing Kids! started their Amazing kids! PenPals program?

2. What was the reason that Amazing Kids! started the program?

Hint: Visit the Amazing Kids! PenPals information page on the Amazing Kids! website to learn more:

www.amazing-kids.org/penpals

Got the answers? Send us an email to: info@amazing-kids.org. If you're the first kid or teen to send us the correct answer, you win!

Good luck! :-)

PURCHASING TICKETS TO KOOZA

Cirque du Soleil is offering a special discount to Southern California residents, so if you don't win our ticket giveaway, your family can still take advantage of the opportunity to purchase discount tickets.

Here is more information:

To celebrate Cirque du Soleil's return to Southern California, you can now access this exclusive limited-time offer: 25% off on select performances & tickets to KOOZA!

Details at:

www.cirquedusoleil.com/SoCalPromo

KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil

Opens October 16, 2009

Under the Grand Chapiteau at the Santa Monica Pier

Opens January 8, 2010

Under the Grand Chapiteau at the Orange County Great Park

To learn more about the show, visit the Cirque du Soleil website:
www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/kooza/tickets/santa-monica.aspx?d=37

Good luck, everyone!

Your friends at Amazing Kids!

Welcome our new Amazing Kids! Staff Writers!

Give a warm welcome to our newest Staff Writers joining the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine! We are so excited to have them on board and you can look forward to their wonderful writing beginning this December, and as it appears in many issues to come!

We know you’ll enjoy their fun personalities shining through the amazing articles they write; from Amazing Kids! to Amazing Kids :-), a hearty welcome to our newest Staff additions! Thank you for all of your hard work! We look forward to working with you all.

(From left: Celine, age 13, Amruth, 4th grade, and Isabella, age 8)

Enjoy Our First-Ever Podcast/Video Interviews!

This past issue of the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine, Kent Healy and Hank Wasiak, two amazing authors and mentors who have accomplished amazing things, were interviewed by two Amazing Kids! Writers, Andrew Sibner and Alex Paulk! Watch the whole shebang on the Amazing Kids! YouTube account: http://www.youtube.com/amazingkids1

Let us know what you think, and thank you to Mr. Healy, Mr. Wasiak, Alex, Andrew, and Braxton for your special, special help in making these amazing interviews possible! We couldn’t have done it without you. Happy fall, everyone!






Our interview with Hank Wasiak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShEWlHIC0N8




Our interview with Kent Healy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev9y5DHogoE