Kids Embrace of New and Traditional Media at Trade Show Benefits Pets and the Planet (U.S.A.)

Jan 8th 2009
Tags: Environmental Action Taken

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Faithful Friends’ Kid Reporters at the CES will report on ‘green’ issues, review new consumer electronics, and more for the Faithful Friends TV show on Animal Planet and for KidsCom.com virtual world

Whether kids are blogging about global climate change, teaming with their avatars in the virtual world to help animals, or socially networking online, today’s digital kids are active consumer electronic users. For that reason, Animal Planet’s hit TV show Faithful Friends joined up with KidsCom.com, the tween (children between the ages of a young child and a teenager) virtual world where kids game green and parents save green, to report about Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is beginning 08 January 2009.

From the floor of CES, at both the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands (hotel) Expo Hall, the kids will be filing reports on the newest electronic devices.

An upcoming Faithful Friends’ Kid Reporter Contest will provide the opportunity for a winning kid reporter to be featured along with 10 year old co-host Electra Mustaine (daughter of “Rocker” Dave Mustaine of Megadeth) on the Faithful Friends TV show. Faithful Friends is seen nationally Saturday’s on Animal Planet and syndicated over 100 NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC (television) affiliates nationwide.

“Kids don’t usually get to interview corporate executives or the President of the United States about subjects that are important to them. We are hoping for the opportunity to interview the ‘First Kids’ Malia and Shasha Obama about their vet’s advice for getting a new puppy, making the White House puppy friendly and new eco-friendly ideas to help our planet,” stated Electra Mustaine, Faithful Friends co-host

“We are like sponges, and becoming leaders to help our planet and our pets’ health is important to learn about and to share. My hope is that we can find other kids to become reporters for our show Faithful Friends.”

KidsCom.com will promote the Faithful Friends Kid Reporter Contest, in its Idea Seeker Universe on KidsCom.com, encouraging videos to be submitted to the Drs. Foster and Smith’s Faithful Friends website pages.

Already, thousands of children are actively participating in digital learning in innovative ways that use technology on KidsCom.com each day, discovering and exploring the topics of going green and helping animals.

As part of their experiences they have used digital cameras in their pursuit of knowledge about energy efficiency; GPS devices in finding out about endangered animals in a real world information scavenger hunt at the National Zoo; and virtual cameras to learn about biodiversity at the virtual Field Museum tied to exhibits in the real Field Museum in Chicago.

“We knew that the convergence between traditional TV broadcast media and new media virtual worlds is actively being used by kids today. This is an important trend to jump on in getting out key messages to families about proper animal and planet care,” said Gordon Magee, Doctor Foster and Smith’s spokesperson.

“We were impressed at how the virtual world of KidsCom.com took digital learning to a new level in their social networking and gaming experiences, making it fun for kids and good for parents. Blending this creativity with a voice on our television show is a great way to spread the word.”

The Faithful Friends television show provides pet owners with veterinarian advice and tips on subjects including health, nutrition, behavior, travel, new and aged pets, horses, fish & coral, and birds. Kids are pet owners too!

Beginning January 17th on Animal Planet, Electra together with a host of 3D animated characters, and Faithful Friends’ host Wanda Goldberg, will introduce the going green segment, “Close Your Eyes and Imagine.” “Close Your Eyes and Imagine” includes segments that encourage and teach us how to compost horse manure for gardening, how to use dog hair to attract birds who are nesting, how to propagate coral in the 3rd longest reef in the world in the Florida Keys and more.

Electra is only one voice, but by blending new media with traditional media her voice will encourage kids from around the world to be more educated faithful friend’s to their pets and their planet. At the CES conference, Electra will be looking to learn how companies and executives at companies such as Mattel, Electronic Arts, ATT, DirectTV and Sesame Street are doing their part.

“We are very excited with the launch of the Pets and the Planet Adventure with Drs. Foster and Smith,” said Jori Clarke, CEO of KidsCom.com. “Kids will not only learn from the Faithful Friends TV show and meet Electra on her virtual world TV set in our Idea Seeker Universe, but having the opportunity to be on the real TV show should take it to a whole new learning excitement dimension.”

Today’s digital kids are today’s and tomorrow’s consumer electronics users. Kids are interested in the latest technologies, services, and ideas that inspire them to play, learn, and grow into their role as the next generation of digital users.

In hopes of becoming the Faithful Friends Kids Reporter, kids will submit digital videos to Drs. Foster and Smith.

This week, Electra will be taking some Idea Seeker Kid Reporters around CES to review and to post their recommendations on KidsCom.com about the best digital devices they can use to help the planet and their pets.

Doctors Foster & Smith and KidsCom.com will be participating in the Kids@Play Summit conference and exhibition held at CES in Las Vegas that explores how kids, from toddler to teen, play, learn, communicate, and entertain themselves in the digital world.

About Doctors Foster and Smith

Doctors Foster and Smith, a privately owned company, is the #1 catalog and online seller of pet supplies and pharmaceuticals in the industry. This firm is known for empowering pet owners by providing extensive veterinarian-supported advice, proprietary information and quality pet products, serving millions of pet owners from coast to coast via their extensive website, publications, and the television series “Faithful Friends presented by Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supplies” on Animal Planet as produced by Heads & Tails, Inc. Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith have become the nation’s foremost authorities on pet wellness, pet care and pet-owner education, earning an unmatched reputation for the scope of their veterinary expertise on dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, pond life, small animals, and equine.

For more information, please visit their websites: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ and http://www.peteducation.com/

About KidsCom.com

Offering kids and tweens the opportunity to “game green” and their parents to “save green,” for 15 years KidsCom.com has been the place for families from over 200 countries around the world to know their children will Play Smart, Stay Safe, Have Fun(TM). Believing that being in the real world is as important as being in the virtual world, we encourage kids to take what they learn by gaming in our Idea Seeker Universe to become an ambassador of change in the real world. On KidsCom.com, kids learn about important issues such as global climate change, character education and healthcare as they customize their own avatar characters; safely practice social networking skills and team up with old friends and meet new ones from around the world to play and learn. KidsCom.com is published by Circle 1 Network, LLC.

You can game and learn more at http://www.kidscom.com

Source: Doctors Foster and Smith

Website: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/