When most people think of Oscar Mayer an image of the wienermobile or hot dogs come to mind. You might even start singing the “Oh I Wish I Was” jingle. To be honest a year ago when I went to Madison to meet the folks at OM I didn’t really get what I could do with this long term. But here I am a year and a half later in love with their brand. To their credit, this is social media with bloggers done well.

The Oscar Mayer brand is big on education and community programs. That is why I keep coming back and supporting them. Sure, I love hot dogs and football and deli slices and parties but the reason I continue to put my name out there for them is that they constantly are running programs that fit well with the type of blogger I want to be. Someone who has something fun to say and gives back at the same time.

This is the time of year that Lunchables runs their back to school promos and this year they have brought back the awesome Lunch Notes Promise that you all helped me with last year. But they also added  a new campaign called Created By You. They’re asking kids to submit their big idea for a movie, song or video game for a chance to work with a pro, like Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band, to bring it to life. Since we all know my little guy is hysterically creative this is a perfect fit  for him.

As part of the campaign I am hosting an awesome Created By You party for some of my local friends. If you live near me expect an invite soon. If your kiddo is creative, have them submit their ideas online and maybe they will get a cool chance to make it come true.

Here are all the details straight from Lunchables:

Q: What is the CBY contest?

A: We want to help kids realize their creative dreams! We’re asking kids to tell us their big idea for a movie, song or video game for a chance to work with a pro, like Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band, to bring it to life. The kids at your party can learn more and enter the Created by You contest by visiting Lunchables.com and clicking the “Created By You” icon.

Q: Who can enter?

A: The contest is open to residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 6 to 13 years of age as of August 2, 2010. To enter the Created by You contest, by visit Lunchables.com and click the “Created By You” icon.

Q: What are the prizes?

A: The three Grand Prizes winners (one per entry category) will win a Trip for up to three people to meet with  the professional mentor in their category. The  winners will also see their idea come to live as  either a Movie, Song or Video Game in 2011.  Full rules can be found at Lunchables.com

Q: What is the entry period?

A: Kids can enter beginning at 12:01 am ET on August 2, 2010 through 11:59 pm ET April 31, 2011.

Q: What is the website people can go to enter?

A: To enter the Created by You contest, by visit Lunchables.com and click the “Created By You” icon.

*Yes, this is the disclosure part: I have an ongoing blogger relationship with Oscar Mayer. I am compensated in a variety of ways for my involvement in their campaigns.

Passing on a great opportunity for your kids to shine:

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8, is now open for entries – and the deadline is fast approaching. Students must complete a video entry about the “Science of Everyday Life” and submit it online before May 20th, 2009*.
The top 10 students in the country will each win a series of prizes, including $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to the competition finals in New York City this fall.

The winning student will receive $50,000 in U.S. savings bonds and be named America’s Top Young Scientist.

This seems so ideal for a homeschooling family to get involved in. It sounds like an absolutely blast. Wish we qualified but since we don’t I hope one of you will!

NBC’s New Hit Summer Show “The Great American Road Trip” is now scouring the country for seven great families!

Each Chosen Family will drive from the East Coast to the West Coast for as long as 5 weeks in a motor home supplied by NBC. Along the way each family will compete against the other families in fun, unique challenges.

Each Family will recieve a stipend of two thousand dollars per week of participation. Major Grand Prize for the Winning Family! Tutors will be supplied for school aged children.

Each family considered should have at least 2 kids between the ages of 11 – 16.

Families must be available from mid-May through June 2009.

To apply please send an email ASAP to TheCastingGroupInc@yahoo.com

As you all know, my kids love music. My oldest plays the guitar and my youngest is a walking dictionary of classic rock (ugh, am I that old that Bon Jovi is classic?). Since my youngest has very poor fine motor skills though due to both of his disabilities (spina bifida and autism) it has been hard to really teach him an instrument. But, he is very interested. So, when I was contacted by a very nice PR rep for Harmonic Vision and asked to try Music Ace Deluxe I was thrilled. Harmonic Vision claims:

“This interactive program gives homeschooling parents a fun way to bring music into their kid’s (aged 6+) lives. The game-type Windows and Mac-compatible CD-ROM features 36 self-paced lessons shored up by games that introduce kids to the basics of music — rhythm, pitch, note reading, listening and the keyboard — while entertaining them at the same time.”

and it certainly delivers. My youngest (10) and I sat down to do a few lessons together before I turned him loose on it alone. He seemed to really benefit from the visual clues given in the pitch lessons. And even I learned some new terminology. Maestro Max (the animated teacher) provides a fun and non threatening way for everyone to learn music theory.

So, would I recommend this? Absolutely! Music Ace Deluxe is available directly from Harmonic Vision, http://www.harmonicvision.com for the MSRP of $79.95. More importantly, it is available from other sources such as http://www.amazon.com and http://www.jr.com/ for between $45 and $50. Also, a Homeschool Instructional Guide is available for download at no charge from the Harmonic Vision website for owners of Music Ace Deluxe. I love it when companies realize the power of the homeschool community and provide products tailored to our needs!

Congrats to Christine T for winning the tickets to the Disney On Ice show here in Denver! I loved being reminded of my favorite Disney moments as a kid. Sunday night Disney movies were the stuff that we all grew up! While our kids have some wonderful memories sometimes it is nice to remember the simpler times when we were younger!

If you did not win, check out the attached flyer to get a family four pack for $44.

I also know of another mom who is giving some away!

Christine, send me an email with what date you would like to go (Thursday or Friday). I am going Thurs. night!

Disney on Ice is coming to Denver! Not only do I have a family four pack of tickets to giveaway but I also have a discount code from MomCentral for those of you who don’t win the tickets!

Denver Disney On Ice Flyer
Find out more about this years show here!

To Get Your Discount:

For a 4 pack of tickets for $44 by logging onto http://www.ticketmaster.com. Select a show and in the MomCentral Promotion box, enter the coupon code: MOM.

Show Dates
Thursday March 12 7:30pm
Friday March 13 11:00am, 7:30pm
Saturday March 14 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Sunday March 15 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm* *Spanish Performance
Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels**. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Not valid on Front Row or VIP seats or combinable with other offers.

To Win A Family Four Pack From Me:

INITIAL ENTRY: Leave a comment telling me about your favorite Disney moment (mine was watching my youngest son walk for the 1st time down Main Street at two with his little walker)! You must complete this entry to be eligible for the Bonus ones listed below. *You do not need to be a homeschool family to win these

Bonus Entries: You can do any of these that you want. Do 1 or do all!

1. Follow me on Twitter @chaotic_barb (leave your Twitter ID)

2. Tweet This Giveaway. You may do this once a day. Just Copy and Paste this —-> Colorado! Win Disney on Ice Tickets from @chaotic_barb here: http://elementaryspirits.com/ PLS RT

3. Blog about this giveaway. (You must leave the link to the post, not your blog)

4. Stumble this giveaway. Leave your stumble ID.

Please leave a separate Comment for each Entry. Giveaway is open to Colorado, USA Residents 18 years of age or older. Any posts not including the requested information will be deleted. I reserve the right to remove any entry from this giveaway. This giveaway ends February 20th at 11:59pm est. Tickets are good for the Thursday or Friday night show only. They will be at will call for you!

Kohl’s is accepting nominations for the 2008 Kids Who Care program from company
communities throughout the U.S. Through this program, parents, educators, and
community members can nominate youth ages 6 through 18 who volunteer in their
communities. Winning kids at the store level each receive a $50 Kohl’s gift card
and are entered into the regional competition. Regional winners each receive
$1,000 scholarships and advance to the national level. National winners each
receive $5,000 scholarships in addition to a $1,000 grant to the charities of
their choice. Nominations will be accepted until March 15, 2008. To learn more,
visit the website provided below.

http://www.kohlscorporation.com/CommunityRelations/scholarship/official-rules.as\

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The Competition

Sylvan Dell Publishing’s Picture Book Writing Competition offers homeschooled students working at a high school level a unique opportunity to explore the world of children’s literature and try their hands at writing picture books. The winning author will receive a $200 prize, and the manuscript will be seriously considered for publication.

Eligibility

Because Publishers Lee and Donna German homeschooled their three daughters, they understand that each child learns at his or her own pace. As a result, this competition is open to any homeschooled student working at a high school level. Manuscripts from students of any age will be accepted as long as the appropriate level of study is presented.

Manuscript Specifications

Content

Sylvan Dell picture books are usually fictional stories that relate to animals, nature, the environment, science and math. Submitted manuscripts should fall into this description. All books should subtly convey an educational theme through a warm story that is fun to read and that will grab a child’s attention.

That said, we are NOT looking for manuscripts about:

* pets (dogs or cats in particular) and/or new babies
* local or state-specific book
* religion
* magic
* biographies
* history-related books
* ABC books
* poetry books
* series
* young adult books or novels
* holiday-related books

Manuscripts that convey moral values within an educational context are acceptable.

Submissions must meet all of the following three criteria:

* Fun to read – mostly fiction with non-fiction facts woven into the story
* National or regional in scope
* Must be able to tie into early elementary school curriculum in some way

* We encourage you to explore our Web site to learn more about our books. If you click the “Online Store” button on the left side of the homepage, a page will then display all of Sylvan Dell’s titles. You can click on the title cover page of any of our printed books to be taken to that book’s page. From there, you can preview parts of the title and even see the accompanying “For Creative Minds” section.

Format

* Microsoft Word document ONLY
* Font: Arial, size 12, black
* Single line spacing

Length/text breaking

* Manuscripts of more than 1,500 words will not be accepted.
* Break your story into paragraphs only. Please do not distribute text into pages or chapters.
* Please run spelling and grammar check and fix errors before submitting document.
* Remember to put your name and the title of your manuscript at the top of the word document.

Submission Specifications

Deadline

Sylvan Dell will accept submissions between March 1 and March 31, 2008 only. Please do not submit your manuscript before March 1.

Method

Contest submissions will be accepted via e-mail only to Maggiestuart@sylvandellpublishing.com. Manuscripts are to be attached as a word document to the submission e-mail (see example below). An e-mail will be sent back to participants within a few days of their submission confirming their manuscript was received.

Submission E-mail Guidelines

The subject line must read “Homeschool Writing Contest Submission” and the manuscript title

The e-mail message MUST include all of the following information:

* Participants first and last name
* Manuscript Title
* Word count of manuscript
* Participant’s date of birth (month/day/year)
* Grade Level
* Home Phone Number
* E-mail address
* Mailing Address
* The following message (you can copy the following text and paste it into your e-mail message)

“I, (insert your name here), have read all competition submission guidelines with at least one parent/guardian. I understand that my manuscript must meet all of the criteria to be considered as one of the winning entries. My manuscript is entirely composed by my own effort.”

* Parent or Guardian first and last name
* Parent phone number
* Address (if different from child)
* E-mail address of parent or guardian
* The following message (the text can be copied from here and pasted into the e-mail message)

“I have read all competition submission guidelines with my child and I understand his or her manuscript must meet all of the criteria to be considered as one of the winning entries. I agree with the guidelines. By allowing my child to enter into this competition gives Sylvan Dell Publishing permission to include my child’s name, age, and city and state of residence in any press materials and on the Sylvan Dell Publishing Web site.”

An example submission e-mail can be found below.

*Note: Sylvan Dell Publishing will NEVER give you or your child’s detailed contact information or birth date to any other company, organization or individual. If your child is one of the finalists or the winner of the competition and a member of the press is interested in more information or desires an interview, we will only give the press contact the home phone number and parent’s e-mail address if asked.

________________________________________________________________________________

Sample Submission E-mail

From: submissionkid1@aol.com

To: MaggieStuart@Sylvandellpublishing.com.

Subject: Homeschool Writing Contest Submission—Manuscript Title

Name: First and Last Name

Title: Manuscript Title

Word Count: number of words

Date of birth: month/day/year

Grade Level: sophmore (example)

Home phone: area code and phone number

Email: submissionkid1@aol.com (example)

Address: mailing address

Participant’s Message

“I, (insert your name here), have read all competition submission guidelines…”

Parent name: First and Last Name

Parent phone: cell or home if different than child’s

Parent Address: (if different than child’s )

Parent e-mail: e-mail address of parent or guardian

Parent’s Message

“I have read all competition submission guidelines with my child…”

________________________________________________________________________________

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I am not homeschooled?

One of our publishers’ primary goals in developing this contest was to motivate homeschooling students to write. We’ve received many requests from local schools and other individuals in the past asking us to open the competition to public school students, but we are currently not capable of handling the thousands of entries that we would receive.

Should I include illustrations for my manuscript?

No. We will not be accepting any illustrations with submitted manuscripts. It is normal in the industry for authors to only submit the text. The publishers hire professional illustrators to complement the work.

Are you looking for manuscripts written for a particular age range?

We are looking for books written for age ranges: 3-7, 4-8, 5-9 or 6-10. As you write, try to zero-in on one of these four age groups and select age appropriate words. You can use the reading level presented in Microsoft Word’s “Readability Statistics” dialogue as an indicator.

Should I include a “For Creative Minds” educational section?

While every Sylvan Dell title contains a “For Creative Minds” educational section, it is not necessary for students to submit one with their manuscript. We welcome all well-researched ideas for the section, but there is no obligation to send them. Traditionally it is the responsibility of Editor Donna German to compose the supplement. If you do chose to include potential ideas for a “For Creative Minds” section, do not include that information in the word count.

What length should I aim for?

Typically, picture books are less than 1,000 words.

Every Sylvan Dell title is 32 pages, including the title page and the three to five page “For Creative Minds” educational section. As we review manuscripts from students, we are looking to be sure that the text fits into this format. But as we mentioned before, we will not be accepting manuscripts of over 1,500 words, and we would not like text to be broken into pages.

How can I find the word count for my manuscript?

In Microsoft Word, go to the Tools menu on the menu bar and click on “Word Count”. A document’s word count can also be found in the Readability Statistics dialogue box that should appear after the document as been checked for spelling and grammar errors.

Your manuscript’s approximate word count will serve as a general indication for Sylvan Dell’s editor.

What if I don’t have Microsoft Word on my computer?

Your local public library will most likely have Microsoft Word on its computers. Consider typing the final draft of your manuscript at your local library or find a friend who will let you type the final draft on their computer.

Can I submit more than one manuscript?

No, select the best one to submit.

Can I submit the same or one of the same manuscripts that I submitted in last year’s competition?

No.

Will I receive feedback or comments about my manuscript(s)?

The editor generally does not provide comments to authors about manuscripts they submitted.

When and how will the announcement be made?

The winner, 2nd and 3rd place participants and any honorable mention recipients will be contacted directly by e-mail. Their names will also be posted on the homeschool page of our Web site in late April.

Will I get to read some or part of the winning manuscript?

Sylvan Dell may or may not post an excerpt from the first place or finalist manuscripts on the Sylvan Dell Web site.

Can I be a judge?

Although we appreciate your interest, the Sylvan Dell editorial staff will review each submission. You may be interested to know that Sylvan Dell receives about 30 manuscripts a day from authors across the country. For this reason, we feel comfortable with the reviewing and judging process.

I have a question that you haven’t addresses, who do I contact?

You may contact Maggie Stuart at MaggieStuart@Sylvandellpublishing.com – no phone calls please. Maggie works flex hours and will respond within one week of your e-mail.

Students ages 6-9 can submit their self portrait to the Artist to Artist Contest. Prizes range from a copy of the Artist to Artist book or the chance to have their portrait featured in the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The deadline for entries is January 4,2008. There is one little cavaet for us homeschoolers to note: Open to Continental United States residents, ages 6-9, who submit their entry through a school, library or bookstore. The official rules and entry form can be found here: Artist to Artist Contest

Students in grades 6-8 can write an essay on “Why I Am an American Patriot”. This is being sponsored by the VFW. The winner receives a $10,000 savings bond and a trip to Washington, DC. Entry deadline is November 1, 2007.

This is a blurb from the entry form:

Patriot’s Pen, a youth-essay writing contest endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ contest criteria, is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 6,7 and 8 the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. Annually, more than 115,000 students participate in the contest. You can download the entry form here: