MINNEAPOLIS - Naturally active kids aren’t born as couch potatoes - it’s a mindset cultivated over time. And by cracking open a story that inspires adventure, parents have the power to turn that couch into a healthy lifestyle portal instead of a TV-centric prison.

Four stories aimed at nurturing a fun, active life have been released by two mothers who share this exact concern. Featuring a nature hike, baseball, fishing and boating, The Bur Bur and Friendsâ„¢ series by JoAnne Pastel and Kakie Fitzsimmons provide young children with their first exposure to sports and the outdoors, stimulating a life-long passion for active fitness and participation.

(more…)

Often I think as parents we struggle to always know the best ways we can instill the values of good sportsmanship in our children. At Farmer’s Hat Productions, we use our innovative children’s books and characters, Bur Bur and Friends, to introduce kids to sports, outdoor exploration and active play.

Below is a link to some great suggestions for how we can begin building good sportsmanship values in our kids early-on:

Parents, Promote Good Sportsmanship by KidsHealth.org

Do you have other ideas that work for you? Please share them below, we always love to get input from our loyal blog readers!

Seed Newsvine

By JoAnne Pastel, President and founder, Farmer’s Hat Productions. Co-author, Bur Bur and Friends, an award winning children’s book series that teaches kids about sports and outdoor exploration.

A few years back, my husband and I had been fortunate enough to attend a live auction at a charitable fundraising event in Minneapolis. Giving back to the community is important to us and one of the items up for bid was an opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins opener. My husband and I are always attending basketball, baseball, football games etc. Introducing William (our little ‘Bur Bur’ ) to new sports experiences has always been important to us. At the time, our little guy was pretty young, but we just couldn’t resist. How fun would it be for us to watch him throw out that ball at 2 ½ years old? Without hesitation we bid on the item and won. We later discovered he would be the youngest ever to throw out that pitch which made the experience even more exhilarating.

(more…)

Awareness of our Bur Bur and Friends book series continues to grow exponentially — most recently with notice for Bur Bur’s Boating ABC’s in the New Jersey Union County Family parenting magazine.

Check out the review by clicking on this link!
(more…)

By JoAnne Pastel and Kakie Fitzsimmons, Authors and founding partners of Farmer’s Hat Productionsâ„¢

Imagine this, you are preparing for a vacation to some tropical destination, family in tow. You have planned things for the kids to do like a taking a hike in the jungle, creating opportunities to participate in various sporting activities with hopes that at the end of the day they sleep really well. All of the clothing/necessities have been packed and everyone is dressed and out the door. You cleverly arranged for transportation to the airport and to keep it easy, you are dropped off at the sky cap who takes your bags. After you pay him the tip a feeling of relief comes over you. In all of the chaos you somehow have managed to keep it all together. Finally, the vacation is beginning.

Or is it?

As you bolt towards security in your effort to finish all of the tasks on your list, you suddenly hear a loud whaling from your 5 year old; “Maaaahhhmmmmmy, I forgot my teddyyyyyyyy.” OOPS! To calm the storm, you reach for the carry on bag you have and grab a piece of candy as a pacifier. Suddenly, you realize you forgot the crayons and coloring book. In a panic you think to yourself, “How will I keep them busy on a 6 hour flight that goes over the lunch hour?”

Not to worry. You are flying on Sun Country Airlines and are greeted by friendly staff as you are called to begin the boarding process. As you get on the plane you realize that the kids are getting a little antsy. A smiling flight attendant notices and offers you a Bur Bur and Friends in flight activity coloring book that is educational. Along with it comes crayons and a snack pack of Cinnamon Toast Crunch at no charge. On top of that, everyone gets a free cheeseburger. You sit back and begin read a copy of Escape magazine, the complimentary lifestyle publication from the airline that is unlike any others you have seen. Enjoyable reading on an airline? HOW cool is that?

Countless stories like this occur every day. We get it. We are two busy professional moms that have been there, done that.

This was one reason of many that led us to create the popular new book series, Bur Bur and Friends. We wanted to give children a new window in which to see the world. Introducing kids to new experiences is what we do best and we have passion around it. The characters from our books are multicultural, inspired by our children and their friends. When the opportunity came up to create an activity book for Sun Country and it’s guests, we jumped on it. Our hope is that somehow, these activity books and our alliance with Sun Country Airlines will make a difference for your in flight experience. Relax and enjoy the ride!

For more information about the Bur Bur and Friends / Sun Country partnership see the press release on our corporate site and an article from Escape Magazine of Sun Country airlines.

Seed Newsvine

By Kakie Fitzsimmons, Vice President and founding partner, Farmer’s Hat Productions, award winning co-author, Bur Bur and Friends children’s book series that teaches kids about sports and outdoor exploration.

There are times I find myself off in my own personal “never never” land. It’s when I am so distracted, I am not paying attention to what someone around me is saying. Usually it is because I am deep in thought.

This happened to me the other day in a way that was different. I was driving down the road and suddenly realized that my son was in the back seat talking away to me about all kinds of things. Games he played in gym and how fun it was. At first, I had no idea what he was telling me because I was not paying attention.
(more…)

Book industry attendees at all of these venues include authors and publishers, booksellers and librarians, art dealers and illustrators, agents and journalists, information brokers and readers

Bur Bur and Friends books will be on display at the upcoming book fairs in 2007: (more…)

For a limited time, you can win a copy of a Bur Bur and Friends book from “She Knows - Points and Prizes.”

She Knows - Points and Prizes allows you to earn points by doing everyday Internet surfing, such as visiting websites, subscribing to and reading e-mail newsletters and entering contests. In this way, you can earn points and then claim prizes from the Points and Prizes collection of items.

Prize examples include books, DVD’s, CD’s, clothes, gift cards, calendars and more.

Bur Bur and Friends books available through this offer include, “Bur Bur’s Boating ABC’s,” “Bur Bur Throws Out the First Pitch,” and “Bur Bur’s Fishing Adventure.”
(more…)