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Posts Tagged ‘Mom’

World’s No. 1 STEAM Program Launches New STEM/STEAM Book Series

World’s No. 1 STEAM Program Launches New STEM/STEAM Book Series

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Challenge Island chapter book series perfect for fans of The Magic School Bus and Magic Tree House, but with a spectacular, hands-on STEM/STEAM twist!

With 120 franchise locations and a cumulative audience of 5 million children and thousands of schools, Challenge Island has been providing kids with award-winning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning adventures through field trips, afterschool enrichment classes, summer camps, scout workshops and family nights for almost two decades. On National Stem Day (Nov. 8), the magic of the world’s No. 1 STEAM program will combine with the magic of reading to launch the first book in the Challenge Island STEAM book series.

The Bridge to Sharktooth Island: A Challenge Island STEAM Adventure (West Margin Press) is written by award-winning educator Sharon Duke Estroff M.A.T. (founder and CEO of Challenge Island and author of Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?, Penguin Random House); and award-winning author Joel Ross (Alley and Rex, Simon & Schuster; Fog Diver, HarperCollins; Beast & Crown, HarperCollins); and illustrated by Monica de Rivas (The Grumbles, Hatchette; Hello, Future Me, Scholastic; Big Bad Wolfsville, HarperCollins).

The Bridge to Sharktooth Island artfully intertwines action-packed fantasy with real-life engineering as cautious Daniel, his brave cousin Joy and their studious new friend Kimani find themselves suddenly stranded on a mysterious island surrounded by sharks. The kids find clues hidden around the island and realize that if they want to escape, they’ll have to work together to build the strongest bridge they can to get to safety! The characters return in the back of the book, where they speak directly and intimately to the reader, sharing engineering tidbits learned during their adventure, cool shark facts from Kimani’s notebook, and fun STEAM activities kids can do at home, including building a bridge, mixing up a blue slime ocean and designing ferocious paper sharks.

Making the Challenge Island book series even more groundbreaking is the fact that readers can experience the same STEAM adventures as the characters in the story in real life, through one of Challenge Island’s 120 franchise locations. For example, on National STEM Day, Stephanie Edwards, owner of Challenge Island Gilbert, AZ, will be running a Bridge to Sharktooth Island book launch celebration and field trip for 350 6th grade students at the American Leadership Academy. Edwards worked closely with the charter school’s leadership to create an unforgettable engineering adventure complete with balloon arches in the gymnasium, a professional photographer and a copy of The Bridge to Sharktooth Island for every student.

“As an educator, an author, a mom, and the creator of the Challenge Island program and curriculum, the release of the first book in the Challenge Island book series is among the proudest moments of my entire career,” says Sharon Duke Estroff, founder and CEO of Challenge Island Global. “But more importantly, I truly believe that this is exactly what kids need in this moment in time. What better way to reignite a child’s love of learning than by turning a beloved STEAM enrichment program into a fantastical new book series? And — for the millions more children who will first come to know Challenge Island inside the pages of this book — to see that magical story come to life, not only in their imaginations, but in the real world!”

To learn more about Challenge Island’s book-related programs, please visit https://challenge-island.com/.

The Bridge to Sharktooth Island: A Challenge Island STEAM Adventure
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Publisher: West Margin Press
ISBN-10: ‎ 1513289535
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1513289533
Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and everywhere books are sold

Trish Stevens
Rebecca Brown
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation

Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From spa days and birthday parties, to playing dress-up and Target “shopping,” the humanlike antics of an affable ginger tabby named Carrot have been shared with the famous feline’s nearly 300K Instagram followers, capturing the attention of human celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and Katie Couric.

The social media sensation is now giving readers a glimpse into a year in her furry, fun-filled life in her new book, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot, an uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story told from Carrot’s perspective.

From her humble beginnings as a tiny orange stray to being welcomed into a loving family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—through her rise to internet stardom, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot chronicles her remarkable journey.

Carrot lived in the same shelter that had once housed the family’s previous internet star, Bailey, whose adventures were featured in Bailey, No Ordinary Cat. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to keep our children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

For more information, please visit http://www.erinslaw.org, or connect with her on Twitter at @erinmerryn; on Facebook at The Cat Named Carrot; on Instagram at the_cat_named_carrot; and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHXnwcgGzuGRJqdtlUMk1A.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Release Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN-10: 0757323901
ISBN-13: 978-0757323904
Available wherever books are sold

Trish Stevens
Lindsey Mach
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Celebrate a Year in the Life of Social Media Celebrity Cat, Carrot

Celebrate a Year in the Life of Social Media Celebrity Cat, Carrot

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bailey was certainly no ordinary cat. The charismatic orange tabby’s humanlike antics made him a social media sensation, and he was adored by feline lovers around the world. When Bailey passed away at age 14, his family grieved their profound loss. They’d never find a cat quite like him—or would they?

Just as Bailey’s family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—were mending their broken hearts, a tiny orange tabby kitten, born as a stray, found her way into their lives.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is the uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story of Carrot’s humble beginnings in a shelter and her eventual rise to internet stardom. Told from Carrot’s perspective, readers can follow along on her remarkable journey from the same shelter that had once housed Bailey to top Instagram celebrity feline. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to our keep children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

For more information, please visit http://www.erinmerryn.net, or connect with her on Twitter at @erinmerryn; on Facebook at The Cat Named Carrot; on Instagram at the_cat_named_carrot; and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHXnwcgGzuGRJqdtlUMk1A.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Release Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN-10: 0757323901
ISBN-13: 978-0757323904
Available for pre-order on Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Lindsey Mach
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Trish Stevens
Claire Downing
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Are you looking for constructive ways to keep your children stimulated and engaged during the COVID-19 school shutdown? SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen beat out 40,000 other entrepreneurs on ABC’s Shark Tank and negotiated with guest “shark” Richard Branson, before closing a deal with Daymond John on her line of groundbreaking toys that use an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as 6.

“Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.”

The SmartGurlz line of unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that once downloaded requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth.

A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and chal-lenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for 4-6 months.

The company is also offering a free weekly webinar for parents and kids affected by COVID- 19 that includes getting started, tips and tricks, and weekly home assignments.

Girls playing with SmartGurlz products learn three key concepts:

  1. Spatial Reasoning. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and in-terpret maps.
  2. Computer Programming. Girls learn to program their robots using our kid-friendly coding App called SugarCodedTM.
  3. Storytelling & Problem Solving. Girls learn to tell stories and solve missions via coding.

The SmartGurlz product line also includes an e-book series available through the App that focuses on the everyday adventures of four talented young women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology — N.I.T.

We’re all adjusting to a new normal. You can use this extra time at home to inspire the female tech leaders of tomorrow with toys that integrate the power of play with the power of technology.

SmartGurlz CEO Sharmi Albrechtsen is a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology.

In 2015, Sharmi started SmartGurlz after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. SmartGurlz partners include BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of America and Morrison Mentors.

SmartGurlz recently expanded its product line to include Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, targeted towards schools.

Sharmi was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Sharmi has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, Fox Business News, Fox and Friends and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker.

For more information, please visit www.smartgurlz.com or connect with her on social media at https://www.instagram.com/smartgurlzworld/; https://www.facebook.com/smartgurlzworld/; or https://twitter.com/SmartGurlzWorld.

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Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Trish Stevens
Claire Downing
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Are you looking for constructive ways to keep your children stimulated and engaged during the COVID-19 school shutdown? The line of groundbreaking toys from SmartGurlz Inc. uses an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as 6.

“Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.”

The SmartGurlz line of unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that once downloaded requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth.

A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and chal-lenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for 4-6 months.

The company is also offering a free weekly webinar for parents and kids affected by COVID- 19 that includes getting started, tips and tricks, and weekly home assignments.

Girls playing with SmartGurlz products learn three key concepts:

  1. Spatial Reasoning. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and in-terpret maps.
  2. Computer Programming. Girls learn to program their robots using our kid-friendly coding App called SugarCodedTM.
  3. Storytelling & Problem Solving. Girls learn to tell stories and solve missions via coding.

The SmartGurlz product line also includes an e-book series available through the App that focuses on the everyday adventures of four talented young women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology — N.I.T.

We’re all adjusting to a new normal. You can use this extra time at home to inspire the female tech leaders of tomorrow with toys that integrate the power of play with the power of technology.

SmartGurlz CEO Sharmi Albrechtsen is a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology.

In 2015, Sharmi started SmartGurlz after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. SmartGurlz partners include BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of America and Morrison Mentors.

SmartGurlz recently expanded its product line to include Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, targeted towards schools.

Sharmi was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Sharmi has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, Fox Business News, Fox and Friends and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker.

For more information, please visit www.smartgurlz.com or connect with her on social media at https://www.instagram.com/smartgurlzworld/; https://www.facebook.com/smartgurlzworld/; or https://twitter.com/SmartGurlzWorld.

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Bailey, No Ordinary Cat Delightful For All Ages

Trish Stevens
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Main/Office
832.334.2733 Cell
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bailey, No Ordinary Cat
Delightful For All Ages

For fans of Grumpy Cat and Cats of Instagram, there’s a new cat in town — Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, of Facebook and Instagram fame, is an extraordinary cat with a growing fan base. His videos have garnered millions of views and have been shared by Ellen, Good Morning America, ABC News, CBS News and more.

What makes Bailey more addictive than catnip? In addition to his adorable expressions and hilarious, heartfelt antics, Bailey has a penchant for doing things that are demonstratively uncatlike — things like taking bubble baths (and enjoying them), sitting attentively in a chair and being read to (for hours), getting a “pet”-icure and exuding unending patience while co-raising his human siblings Abby and Hannah (yes, there is photographic evidence that Bailey helped with potty-training).

To celebrate the unique, quirky spirit of this one-of-a-kind feline, his human mom, Erin Merryn, has released Bailey, No Ordinary Cat. Filled with more than 100 pages of color photographs and captions from the voice of Bailey himself, this personal peek into the life of one purr-fectly precious feline will delight cat lovers of all ages.

Bailey, like all cats, was not destined to live forever. But through Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, his big heart and even bigger personality will continue to evoke love and laughter well beyond his years here on earth.

About the Author

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to keep children safe through age-appropriate education about personal body safety. In addition to Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, she is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

Follow Bailey on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bailey_no_ordinary_cat/) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NoOrdinaryCat/), and visit the author at www.facebook.com/Erin-Merryn-1489241081354556/.)

To watch Bailey’s famous “You Are My Sunshine” video with his human sister, Abby, please visit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJuVqvWy7Zk).

Baily, No Ordinary Cat
Publisher: HCI Books
Release date: April 5, 2019
ISBN-10: 0757321844
ISBN-13: 9780757321849
Available wherever books are sold. To order from the publisher, contact
(800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com.

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