Hey everyone, here’s a heads up that Scholastic is currently running a really neat essay contest through their site for young readers to enter. The prize is a visit with Winter the Dolphin at her home in Clearwater Marine Aquarium! You can either download the contest details here (PDF) or read on for more details below:

ABOUT THE CONTEST

Winter the Dolphin has been an inspiration and hero for children and adults alike. When Winter was just three months old, she was rescued from a crap trap which had seriously damaged her tail. It wasn’t clear that she would survive but she did. However, the damage to Winter’s tail was so extensive that it fell off. To everyone’s amazement, a prosthetic company stepped in an fitted Winter with a prosthetic tail. Now Winter is using her new tail and thriving.

Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.

One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night’s stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system! 10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter’s Tail, a Winter’s Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!

HOW TO ENTER

Send entries to:
Scholastic’s Meet Winter the Dolphin Contest
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

 
Each entry must include student’s name, age, and grade; teacher’s name; and school name, address, and phone number.

All entries must be received by November 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on or around December 14th. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residences of 50 United States and D.C. ages 6-14 as of November 30th 2009. Void where prohibited. Click here for complete contest rules.

I am super excited to partner with Yoplait Fiber One to run this giveaway.  In conjunction with the launching of their microsite, 50 readers of this blog will be rewarded with a coupon for a FREE four-pack of the new Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt. All you need to do is sign up on the Fiber One mini microsite. Now, how cool is that!

Trust me, the Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is definitely a guilt-free, good-for-you snack for moms, in portion sizes, flavor variety and nutritional profiles perfect for kids! It’s also the only leading national nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber. You can choose from  four flavors – Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Key Lime Pie. Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt also features a ‘Hungry Girl Seal of Approval’, the first nationally distributed yogurt to receive this endorsement.

Now, here’s your chance fo enjoy a tasty treat that is good for you and a snack your kids will enjoy, for FREE.  The first 50 readers to sign up via the microsite below will be sent a coupon for a FREE four-pack Yoplait Fiber One yogurt. You can also obtain useful weight management tips from best-selling author and food expert Lisa Lillien, a.k.a. Hungry Girl, additional product information about Fiber One yogurt as well as downloadable $1.00 off Fiber One yogurt coupon!

 This giveaway is made possible by Yoplait Fiber One who provided the information, product giveaways as well as coupons.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers, it seems, are the current rage among tweens and teens here. These toys are actually action-figure warriors, that are tucked into spheres that pop open when they’re rolled onto a game card, where they gather points. My 9 year old has started a collection of Bakugan and so far, currently has 4 units of Bakugan balls and a couple of Gate and Ability cards. We made it a point to only reward him when he does well for his exams as these toys are certainly not cheap.

As a mom, I remain clueless on how the game is played but if you have some interest in finding out, here’s a link with some useful FAQs which might help. Amazingly, Spin Master’s Bakugan Battle Brawlers has been awarded the Toy Industry Association’s ‘Toy of the Year’ award for the second year in a row!