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Seen on Saturday - September 29th, 2007

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Eyewitness News

(New York - WABC, September 29, 2007) (WABC) -- For more information of Saturday's morning segments:

Saturday, September 29th, 2007 AOL CITY GUIDE EVENTS

We're just one week into fall, and already there are several fall events on the calendar for the whole family.

AOL's city guide has put together a list of what they feel are the most interesting and quirky events for the start of the fall season. The editor of AOL cityguide Fletch joins Eyewitness News this morning.

AOL Cityguide doesn't rate events. They pick events that are really big and/or really interesting or quirky.

Here Comes the Sun Yoga Festival (Central Park) Sat, 9/29
Rumsey Playfield mid-park around 72nd.
First ever outdoor yoga festival featuring classes for every skill level.
There will also be massages, makeovers, nutritional consolations, food and samplings and a concert by Joan Osborne.

45th Annual New York Film Festival Sept. 28-Oct. 14
Started last night, 45th New York Film Festival will premiere 28 films at Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
This year's HBO Films Directors Dialogues will be with Wes Anderson, Todd Haynes, Sidney Lumet and Julian Schnabel

Wild West Corn Maze (Jamesport, LI) Now through Oct. 28
Eight acre Wild West Corn Maze -they even have a Mini-Maze for little ones.

17th Annual Festifall (Westfield, NJ) Sept. 30, 2007
The streets of Downtown Westfield turn into a shopping pavilion for more than 300 artisans & craft vendors and visitors. Non-stop music, children's pavilion and culinary delights also featured in this autumn celebration.

Dachsund Octoberfest (Washington Sq. Park, under the arch) Sat, Oct. 13
Washington Square Park will be a sea of lovable Dachsunds of all shapes and coats at this annual gathering to celebrate the weiner dog.

NYC Oktoberfest Sun, Oct. 7 Lexington, between 42nd and 57th
Annual street fair featuring more than 500 vendors food and fun to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Bear Mountain Fall Foliage Day Cruises Oct. Weekends Pier 83, 42nd St.
Leisurely cruise to view the beautiful fall foliage and the historic splendor along the Hudson River, weekends in Oct and Nov.
Oct. 6, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, & Nov. 3rd, 2007
Board 8:30am, Return 5:30pm. - Adults: $45; Seniors: $40; Children: $30
Advance reservations required. 212-563-3200.

24th Annual Oyster Festival (Oyster Bay, LI) Oct.13-14
Now in its 24th year, the Oyster Festival is a mix of the freshest seafood, music, artisan crafters, antiques, delicious foods prepared on site, exotic animal petting zoo, tall ships, thrill rides and more.

For more information, please go to AOL Cityguide Fall Activities

BRAIN POP

Learning in a whole new way - the folks at BrainPOP have come up with a way to get children to look forward to learning by combining lessons with cartoons and the computer!

Last week, BrainPOP won the 2007 flashboard film festival award in the instructional category, as well as an interactive media award.

The founder and CEO of BrainPOP, Avraham Kadar, joins this morning.

Founded in 1999, BrainPOP is a tool teachers and parents are using to engage children and get excited about learning. BrainPOP has produced more than 650 movies with topics ranging from long division to stem cells to chocolate. Movies use clear and concise language that kids understand and the animated characters make kids laugh and enjoy what they're learning.

What IS BrainPOP?
BrainPOP is a leading producer of online, short animated educational films for children in grades 3-12. Each film stars the dashing robot Moby and his very wise teen companion Tim, brought to life with clever dialogue and award-winning Flash animation. BrainPOP's content is designed to spark children's inherent curiosity and features supplemental materials like interactive quizzes, homework help, comic strips and assorted printables. Bob the Ex-Lab Rat guides users through do-it-yourself experiments, further enhancing the films' impact. In 2006, we launched BrainPOP Jr. (www.brainpopjr.com), a version of BrainPOP uniquely designed for children in grades K-3. This time starring Moby and Annie, a very wise little girl, BrainPOP Jr. films are inquiry-based and fully narrated so that early learners can explore and experience the site on their own. Educational games and activities, as well as grade-appropriate reading recommendations, support the films and foster creativity and a love of learning.

Where is BrainPOP used?
BrainPOP is used in schools and homes in hundreds of countries around the world. In the classroom, teachers integrate BrainPOP content into their lesson plans and related activities; kids can then head to BrainPOP themselves and delve further into the topics they just learned about. At home, kids hit the web site while they're working on homework or any other school project, or if they just want to learn more about a given subject. Our movies are safe, trusted, enriching and something young learners can experience on their own or with their parents. We currently reach roughly 13 million children around the world through family, teacher, school and school district subscriptions.

What are some of the ways parents and teachers are using BrainPOP to help young learners and expose them to new ideas?
There are really countless ways parents and teachers can put BrainPOP to good use. They can use it as a motivational tool to engage young learners as they explore new ideas or delve further into topics of interest. To name a few: they can use it to introduce new concepts, as a research tool, to reinforce the things kids learn in school, prepare for tests or practice test-taking strategies.

Are the films created to align with state standards?
Yes. Our films are written in accordance with national and state educational standards (NCTM, NSES and NCTE) so that they integrate seamlessly with curriculum. BrainPOP.com offers an easy-to-use standards correlation tool. Teachers log on, enter the state in which they work, the grade they teach and the subject they're focusing on. They'll then see a list of the state's standards in that subject area and the BrainPOP movies that dovetail with and support those standards.

What topics do the movies cover and how many are there?
There are currently more than 650 films in seven subject areas: Science; Math; English; Social Studies; Health; Arts and Music; and Technology. Within those subject areas, topics range from volcanoes, decimals and Shakespeare to the American Revolution, DNA, Elvis and robots.

What makes BrainPOP so unique?
One of the most special things about BrainPOP is the voice it uses - it speaks to children in a way they can understand, but without talking down to them. BrainPOP is absolutely a "children-centric" product, but it's not juvenile. The content is incredibly well-researched and substantial, the writing smart and sophisticated. It's the kind of thing parents and teachers can watch and enjoy with their kids.

How can parents or teachers subscribe?
Anyone can subscribe by going to the web site, www.brainpop.com

When and why was BrainPOP created?
BrainPOP was founded in 1999 by Avraham Kadar, M.D., an NIH-trained physician specializing in the treatment of allergies and other immunology disorders. Many of Dr. Kadar's patients were young children who struggled to understand what was happening to their bodies while they suffered through their symptoms. Dr. Kadar sought a creative way to help explain things to them; BrainPOP was born.

Which movies are closest to your heart?
The films on bullying, stem cells, asthma and GPS are among my favorites.

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