PRESS RELEASE

April 22, 2010

SID THE SCIENCE KID™’S WEATHER KID SID DVD RELEASED BY NCIRCLE SHOWS PRESCHOOLERS THE IMPORTANCE OF SUNSCREEN

Los Angeles, CA (April 22, 2010) With summer just around the corner, it is never too early to show children why it is important to use sunscreen, as Sid the Science Kid™ finds out in Sid’s Special Dad’s Day in the May 4th DVD release Weather Kid Sid from NCircle Entertainment.

In the PBS KIDS® Emmy-nominated television show, Sid the Science Kid from The Jim Henson Company and KCET/Los Angeles, Sid is excited to play soccer with his Dad outside in the Sid’s Special Sunny Dad’s Day episode–but he’s not excited to lather up in sunscreen, because it takes way too long to put on! At school, Sid and his friends discover that sunscreen is a great way to protect your skin from the sun. And they also learn about the amazing ways the sun helps the Earth. Parents and their children can explore and learn more about sunscreen at the Sid the Science Kid official website at PBSKIDS.org/sid.

Sid the Science Kid learns about various weather-related topics, in addition to learning about sunshine, in the Weather Kid Sid DVD release. In Sid’s Rainy Play Date, Sid is supposed to have a play date outside, but the forecast calls for rain! Sid isn’t too happy and wonders if the rain knew he wanted to play outside? At school, Sid and his friends discover that rain actually comes from rain clouds! They also learn that rain is really important because it helps living things grow. In Sid’s Cool Holiday, Sid loves celebrating the winter holidays where he lives, because it’s always sunny and warm. But this year, Sid and his family are visiting relatives where it’s chilly and cold. Sid wonders why it can’t be warm everywhere? At school, Sid discovers that temperatures are different all over the world! And in The Wind Did It Sid can’t figure out who messed up the pile of leaves he raked up in the backyard. At school, Sid and his friends discover that wind is strong enough to make sand dunes, waves, move sail boats, and even blow away a pile of leaves! Weather Kid Sid retails for $12.99.

Sid the Science Kid is created for 3–6-year-old children. The television series, which airs in the U.S. on PBS KIDS®, has garnered several accolades including two Daytime Emmy Award nominations, Common Sense Media’s Best 2008 series for children 4-years old, and a Parents’ Choice 2009 Recommendation. Developed to inspire a lifelong curiosity and love for learning in young children, Sid the Science Kid appeals to preschoolers’ instinctive quest to figure out how things work, using humor and music as key teaching tools. Sid, the show’s energetic and inquisitive “star,” starts each episode with a new question and embarks on a fun-filled day of finding answers, inspiring preschoolers at home to think about how to find answers to their own questions. The conceptual content of Sid the Science Kid is based in national science learning standards, cognitive learning theory, and on the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS™)

For additional tips on Sun Safety go to:

The American Academy of Dermatology (www.aad.org). Their website www.KidsSkinHealth.org outlines the importance of developing good habits in childhood when it comes to the sun and features sections for adults and children on how to Be Sun Smart®. For adults visit (http://www.kidsskinhealth.org/GrownUps/skin_cancer_preventing.html):

• Generously apply a water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 that provides broad-spectrum protection from both ultraviolet (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays to all exposed skin. Re-apply approximately every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating. Look for the AAD SEAL OF RECOGNITION®
on products that meet these criteria.
• Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, where possible.
• Seek shade when appropriate, remembering that the sun’s rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If your shadow is shorter than you are, it’s time to seek shade.
• Use extra caution near water, snow and sand as they reflect the damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chance of sunburn.
• Get vitamin D safely through a healthy diet that may include vitamin supplements. Don’t seek the sun.
• Avoid tanning beds. Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling. If you want to look like you’ve been in the sun, consider using a sunless self-tanning product, but continue to use sunscreen with it.
• Check your birthday suit on your birthday. If you notice anything changing, growing or bleeding on your skin, see a dermatologist. Skin cancer is very treatable when caught early.

As far as sun protection goes, any type of sunscreen (ointment, cream, gel, lotion, sticks and spray) works, as long as it’s used correctly – a shot glass full (one ounce) is the right amount. It should be applied about 15-30 minutes before going outside.

If you or your child is taking medication, be sure to ask the doctor if it increases your sensitivity to the sun’s rays. If so, take extra care to stay out of the sun while on the medication.

Visit the kids section at
http://www.kidsskinhealth.org/kids/index.html#/SkinHairNails/SkinHealth/Canc r/Info/

 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Michelle Orsi/Carol Holdsworth
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
310.418.6430
michelle@360-comm.com

Nicole Goldman/Ann Schwarz
The Jim Henson Company
323-802-1608/323-892-1667
Ngoldman@henson.com

 

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The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,” “MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi cult series “Farscape.”

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010” by Entertainment Weekly.

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