School may be out for the summer, but many parents already are making plans to make sure their young students have all the essentials for a successful back-to-school season. The Kleenex brand is too. Just in time for the 2011 – 2012 school year, Kleenex brand facial tissues is committing $500,000 to help fund an important component of children’s education: school field trips. 

During our Twitter party on Thursday night at 9pm EST, we’ll be giving away FIVE Kleenex on-the-go packages, including a wallet pack, auto pack and pocket pack (information below).  We’ll be discussing this innovative program in depth, as well, and we’ll talk about field trips, amongst other back to school topics with our other sponsors, Schwinn Bikes, Blue Sky Home Series, Fooz Kids and The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home.

Field trips offer experiential learning in real-world settings, and they have always been a favorite school activity for kids who like to stay on-the-go. According to the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, hands-on activities outside the classroom, such as field trips, are one of the most effective ways to engage youth ages 12 through 17. Unfortunately, though, one in four schools in the U.S. is being forced to cut or even eliminate field trips due to budget cuts, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators.

 To help fill the gap, the Kleenex brand is committing half a million dollars to help schools across America keep field trips as a part of the educational curriculum. The brand is inviting parents, teachers and everyone else to try to help their schools win a share of the cash by participating in the online Kleenex brand Back to School Sweepstakes program.

The Kleenex brand Back to School Sweepstakes will award 100 schools a $5,000 award to be used toward field trips during the 2011 – 2012 school year. Starting in July, consumers can enter the sweepstakes with a few simple steps:

• Visit www.Facebook.com/Kleenex
• Click on the “Back to School” tab at the top of the page
• Vote for your favorite participating school -OR-
• Register the school of your choice by clicking the “Add a School” box and filling out the digital registration form

The top 100 U.S. schools that finish with the most votes on the Kleenex brand Facebook page will receive a $5,000 award from the Kleenex brand. Voting ends on September 14. The winning schools will be notified on or around September 15, and an official list of winners will be posted on the Kleenex brand and Kimberly-Clark Facebook pages between October 14 and October 31. Visit Facebook.com/Kleenex for complete entry requirements and to learn how you and your friends and family can help win field trips for your child’s school.

Also just in time for the back-to-school season, the Kleenex brand is adding a new line of on-the-go packs with Sneeze Shield to make it easy to help keep stuff off kids’ hands in the classroom, on field trips, at home or wherever kids go.

Moms and teachers rely on Kleenex brand as the only facial tissues with Sneeze Shield help to keep stuff off hands so that kids can get on with the fun of being kids. That’s why Kleenex brand is introducing a new line of on-the-go packs to make it easier to Sneeze Shield kids wherever they go.

The on-the-go packages which we are giving out during the Twitter party include:

• The wallet pack. It is thin and sleek, so you can always keep a tissue on hand. Their trendy design and convenient size make it the perfect accessory for hip tweens and teens.
• The auto pack. It fits perfectly in the car door or glove compartment – no need to lug around a box of tissue or fumble in a purse for a tissue while driving.
• The new and improved pocket pack. A long-time favorite has been improved to feature three-ply tissue.