Maria Keller is a 9-year-old girl from Minneapolis who started a a non-profit literacy organization. Her goal is to collect and distribute 1 million books for needy children by the time she is 18. So far she has collected and distributed 260,000 books throughout the world!

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April 22nd will be the 40th anniversary for Earth Day and I am wondering how we, along with our children, can use social media to educate everyone about our planet. This year I have been working as a Marketing and Social Media Chair for an organization called Cleantech Open, a small business incubator and competition for clean and green startup companies in the United States. If you want to follow them on twitter, take a look at @cleantechopen. Participating in this organization has made me more aware of the issues our planet faces. I have had conversations with people and I think the words "cleantech" or "green energy" are misunderstood. (more…)

These kids were teaching eachother about their countries of origin right in my driveway. How cool is that? – Photo Courtesy of Kakie Fitzsimmons

At Farmer's Hat Productions, we have been working closely with the Minnesota Zoo to create a Bur Bur and Friends Education Fund. This fund targets kids from inner city schools and will provide them with hands-on experiences to learn about wildlife and outdoors. As part of Fan Appreciation Month, The Minnesota Timberwolves are allowing fans to vote for three organizations  to receice grant money to make a difference.

We are asking you to please click below to vote for Bur Bur and Friends. Scroll down the main page of the Timberwolves website on the right hand side and you will see a box with a header that says  2010-11 April Grant Voting to Vote for the FastBreak Foundation's $10,000 Fan Appreciation Month Grant

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A post on Facebook by social media maven, Chris Brogan inspired me to create this post.  He is encouraging people to donate $10-20 for an organization called "Mothers Fighting For Others" with the click of a button. Brogan says:

You ready? Just $10 or  $20 will make a difference with one or two clicks of a button here

But for you, I’m asking you to drop in $10 or $20 to get this going. Think about it this way: they need to raise a total of $50K. That means 5,000 of us could pitch in $10 and have it all done in no time at all. About 50,000 people subscribe to this blog daily, so I’m asking 1 in 10 of you to donate $10. This should be handled in a few hours, right?

Or it will be if you give *AND* share the post. And remember, all ChipIn widgets are copy-able. You can put it on your site, in your post, and the money will still go to the cause and everyone will still be successful.

You ready?

 Want to see another way that people are pitching in? Look at 50Kfor50K. This will all support the same project, so if you’d rather pay $20 to shut Maya up, be my guest. : )"

Come to Toddler Tuesday at the Mall of America and meet Bur Bur and Anna, characters from the award winning Bur Bur and Friends children's book series. Bring your friends because we will have story time, dancing, coloring games and LOTS OF FUN!!                                                                       

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There is something to be said for comedy and imagination in kids. Funny how life can take you places that are so pleasantly surprising. Watch it all the way to the end. It will be worth it! ! I uploaded the pictures and videos from my son's computer the other night. He is the character, Mateo, in our children's books. It is hysterical and I just had to share!

Please leave your comments below!

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The video below has shock value that will change your life. As a parent, watching it rattled me to the core about the realities our kids face in today's society.  

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For the second year in a row, Bur Bur and Friends has partnered with The National Basketball Academy, The Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx to host a one of a kind Youth Basketball Clinic in August of 2010. Spaces are limited and filling up fast so sign up now! The clinic is for kids ages 6-11 and will be held August 2-5th. Join the fun with friends while learning about teamwork and basketball basics.

Below is a letter from our friend Anna Rose. Anna is sharing that she would like to see more butterflies in our books. Since Bur Bur and Friends educates young children about the funnest sports and outdoor exploration activities, we think it is a terrific idea! Thanks for being part of our team Anna!!

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March 2, 2010 Dr. Seuss would have been 106 years old.  For those authors out there, his first book was rejected 27 times! As many of you know, his books are surely art imitating life.  To recognize his birthday and his great contributions to the literary world, we have included text from his book Happy Birthday to You!

Further down, you can see some of our favorite Dr. Seuss quotes that we hope you will enjoy too! (more…)

 

To help celebrate Black History month, co-author JoAnne Pastel was invited to spend part of a day reading the Bur Bur and Friends book series to the 300 students from K – 3 grades at the Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary http://www.obama.spps.org/ in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

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By Kathy Jandric, mother of three, grandmother of 6

It was about 4:30 in the evening on a wintry December day and the temperature was 4 degrees. Often when it gets this cold in Minnesota, we want to stay home, put some soup on the stove and keep warm. I had started a fire in the fireplace which was now roaring and snapping. I had been wrapping gifts for Christmas, baking cookies, cleaning and I was exhausted from a long week at work. (more…)

In light of the 6.1 magnitude aftershock in Haiti today, they continue to plea for our help and there is an EASY way you can make a difference for children and families. The American Red Cross understands the power of how mobile and social media can make a difference and are using it to get assistance to the victims in Haiti.

To donate $5.00 or $10.00 to The American Red Cross, Text the word Haiti to 90999. You will receive a text message back to confirm, click “yes” and that is it. Below is a Public Service Announcement from Michelle Obama. Please take action now, they desperately need our help.

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