Archive for the ‘St. Jude’ Category

Inspiring Kids and Families to Connect with Animals and the Natural World

Posted by ruckusholly on January 17th, 2012

It’s another exciting day here at Ruckus Media.  We told you that we had a lot in store for 2012 and today we want to tell you about our partnership with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.  Together, we are launching a multi-year licensing deal to create digital storybooks that will inspire kids and families to connect with animals and the natural world. The stories will be based on SeaWorld’s animals, attractions and education and conservation efforts.

With this partnership, we’re growing our list of brands and favorite characters — adding to Hasbro and Crayola — but branching into a subject that kids and families love — science, nature, the environment.

We are also continuing to expand our emphasis on Social Good, following up our campaign with St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  Reflecting SeaWorld’s commitment to conservation, a portion of all the proceeds from the digital interactive books will be donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. The Fund is a non-profit charitable foundation that supports wildlife research, habitat protection, animal rescue and conservation education around the world.

The first three books in the SeaWorld series will launch this spring, including three interactive storybooks for kids ages 3 to 8 thatSeaWorld appeal to emerging, beginning and independent readers. The interactive storybooks will connect kids with SeaWorld’s killer whales, penguins and sharks and will be available at the App store for Apple mobile devices. New children’s storybook apps will be released throughout the year.

For more information about our partnership with SeaWorld, read the press release that went out earlier.

Day #9 of Holiday Free Family Fun with Pauline Campos

Posted by ruckusholly on December 21st, 2011

pauline CamposWe are continuing 12 Days of Holiday Free Family Fun with our friends at ZiggityZoom.  Our ninth guest blogger is Pauline Campos of www.aspiringmama.com.  Pauline M. Campos is a stay-at-home writer mama and a featured www.owningpink.com contributor, an editor on www.bookieboo.com, a book reviewer at www.hippocampusmagazine.com and a writer at the www.anarmyofermas.com humor site.

You can also follow her over on Twitter at @aspiringmama.

When asked how she keeps her kids busy during the holidays, while teaching them about giving back to others, Pauline said:

For us, getting ready for Christmas means watching classic movies like The Grinch who Stole Christmas, listening to Christmas music all day, and counting down how many days are left until Santa comes with our Advent calendar.

But most importantly, I’m trying to make sure our four-year-old understands that Christmas is about giving. With that in mind, we have gone shopping for items requested by a two-year-old on a Christmas Angel tree at her preschool, made a special trip to buy a new toy for Toys for Tots, crafted gifts of appreciation for her teachers, and are sorting through her gently used toys so she can decide what to donate to local charities.

But the most time-consuming activity, of course, is cleaning the house so Santa (and her grandmother who is flying in for a Christmas surprise) is impressed with how clean our house is. Wouldn’t want Santa to think we’re messy, right?

Merry Christmas!

Visit ZiggityZoom.com for today’s 9th Day of Christmas Free Family Fun Printable- fun kids activity-a Word Santa Maze for Preschool Santa Maze for Preschool and a giveaway for a FREE Ruckus app.

 

Day #7 of Holiday Free Family Fun with Ashley Saunders

Posted by ruckusholly on December 19th, 2011

Ashley SaundersWe are continuing 12 Days of Holiday Free Family Fun with our friends at ZiggityZoom.  Our seventh guest blogger is Ashley Saunders of TeachableMommy.com.   Ashley is a Teachable Mommy of 2. When she is not teaching her children or learning life lessons, Ashley is a blogger, foodie, coffee lover, and a book nerd.  You can also follow her over on Twitter at @IrishRed02.

When asked how she keeps her kids busy during the holidays, Ashley said:

If you are like me, keeping little ones busy during the holidays can be a daunting task! I like to get mine involved in as much of the to-do of Christmas as possible. My daughter likes to help wrap and my son uses his muscles to put, or throw, the presents under the tree (thank goodness nothing is breakable!).

We also love a good dress-up dance party. Nothing gets the sillies out like rocking out to our favorite songs.  It’s also a great way to work off any extra holiday treats!

Visit ZiggityZoom.com for today’s 7th Day of Christmas Free Family Fun Printable- fun kids activity, Snowflake WORD Worksheet, and a giveaway for a FREE Ruckus app.

 

Free Classic Story App to Kick Off Your Holiday Season

Posted by ruckusholly on December 16th, 2011

Velveteen RabbitIt is our pleasure to announce that The Velveteen Rabbit, as told by Meryl Streep, our interactive storybook application produced with our friends at Rabbit Ears, is now available FREE of charge via the App store (regularly $3.99) until Christmas Day, December 25th, 2011.  It’s our way of showing our gratitude for your support and to welcome in the new year by bringing this classic story into the life of your children.

While you’re downloading your free app, don’t forget that from December 26th through the end of the year, you can download all of our classic Read-Play-and-Record Along Rabbit Ears interactive storybooks apps at the special price of $1.99 and we will donate 100% of the net proceeds ($1.39) to dying children at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Saving lives has never been so easy and this much fun.

The apps that are on sale to benefit St. Jude include Pecos Bill told by Robin Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit  and The Night Before Christmas told by Meryl Streep, John Henry told by Denzel Washington, Tom Thumb told by John Cleese, Goldilocks told by Meg Ryan, Johnny Appleseed told by Garrison Keillor, The Steadfast Tin Soldier told by Jeremy Irons and Three Little Pigs told by Holly Hunter.  In addition we are releasing two NEW stories during this time period, as well, both launching today: Thumbelina told by Kelly McGillis and Paul Bunyan told by Jonathan Winters.

Happy holidays, friends.  Now get to iTunes and start downloading apps to stuff into your child’s stocking this Christmas or to give on one of the eight nights of Hanukkah!

 

“LIKE” Ruckus Media Group on Facebook to Benefit the Children of St. Jude

Posted by ruckusholly on December 6th, 2011

facebook

This holiday season, we’re making it really easy for you to help us raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

First we put our entire library on sale during the week of Thanksgiving and we donated 100% of all net proceeds to the cause ($1.39 per app).  The Rabbit Ears apps continue to be priced at $1.99 until the end of the month, and all proceeds are going toward this important cause, so don’t forget to stock up on these great stocking stuffers and Hanukkah gifts.

Now, we’ve come up with another way to donate funds to the lifesaving work of St. Jude.  All you have to do is “Like us” on Facebook and we’ll donate .25 cents to St. Jude.  If we reach 1,000 fans by December 31st, we will donate 100% of the total donation.*

Please invite your friends to like us on Facebook today so we can make our goal!

*Maximum donation amount from the Facebook campaign is $250.

 

 

 

 

Join Our Twitter Party to Discuss Teaching Our Children the Importance of Giving Back on December 6th at 9pm EST

Posted by ruckusholly on November 28th, 2011

St Jude HospitalAs you know, we have partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to help children who need it most this holiday season. It’s an honor to be involved with an organization that cares so much about children and their well-beings as much as we do.

Being involved in this phenomenal campaign has made us think about our own children and how they’re never too young to learn the value of helping others. As we know, children learn by watching their parents. Take talking, for instance. We talk to our children from the time they’re babies and, after a while, they start talking back. We know that if they see us reading, chances are they will learn to love it, too. We can also model compassion and generosity. If children see us donating our time, money, and belongings, they will learn to do the same.

As parents ourselves and producers of educational products, we care a lot about this topic, so we thought we’d spend this month’s Twitter Party sharing tips and encouraging others to raise their children to help others. For this conversation, we are partnering up with our friends at @StJude and a few of the campaign’s partners.

Come hang out with us on Tuesday, December 6 from 9-10pm EST at hashtag #stjuderuckus on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer. @StJude will be on hand, and @mommymentor, @ciaomom, @amotherhoodblog, @complicatedmama, @saving4today and @primetimeparent will be on board to moderate the discussion, and as usual, we’ll great giveaways including plenty of Ruckus apps, St. Jude merchandise and more.  You must RSVP on Twitvite and be at the party to be in the running for the prizes.

To learn more about St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign and its partners, please visit www.stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE. To purchase Ruckus’ interactive storybooks for iOS mobile devices and help support St. Jude during the holiday season, visit the Ruckus Media Group page at iTunes.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia.  RSVP for the Twitter party here and while you are at it, please join us on Facebook  for the latest and greatest on Ruckus. Be sure to check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed and pick up our apps on iTunes.

Thanks and Giving All Week on The Today Show

Posted by ruckusholly on November 21st, 2011

Today Marlo Thomas appreared on NBC’s TODAY Show to ask the public to help save the lives of children stricken with cancer and other deadly diseases.  Watch the clip here:

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thomas, the national outreach director of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is appearing on the top-rated morning show to raise awareness of the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children during the hospital’s annual Thanks and Giving campaign.

Thanks and Giving is a holiday campaign that unites shoppers, celebrities and national corporate partners to help find cures and save children.   We are thrilled to be joining forces with St. Jude this holiday season  to “give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”

Between now and December 31, we will donate 100% ($1.39) of the net proceeds of our classic Read-Play-and-Record Along Rabbit Ears interactive storybooks to the St. Jude cause. Buying an app will give you, the consumer, a dual purpose. For example, when you pick up a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit told by Meryl Streep, not only will you be providing quality story-telling to your child, but you will also be supporting the lifesaving work of finding cures and saving children with deadly diseases. Plus, for a limited time, all of our Rabbit Ears apps will be priced at $1.99.  Not only are our apps on sale, but you can feel good about making a donation to this important charity, knowing that $1.39 of each download goes to help save a child’s life.

The apps that are on sale include: Pecos Bill told by Robin Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit  and The Night Before Christmas told by Meryl Streep, John Henry told by Denzel Washington, Tom Thumb told by John Cleese, Goldilockstold by Meg Ryan, Johnny Appleseed told by Garrison Keillor, The Steadfast Tin Soldier told by Jeremy Irons andThree Little Bears told by Holly Hunter.  In addition we are releasing two NEW stories during this time period, as well, both launching today: Thumbelina told by Kelly McGillis and Paul Bunyan told by Jonathan Winters.

We are so honored to be amongst a prestigious group of partners teaming up with St. Jude during this fabulous, important campaign (check out the list here), and we hope that you head to  iTunes today to purchase our interactive storybooks.  To learn more about the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign or to make a donation, go here.

We’ll have more big news tomorrow about this partnership, so stay tuned.