“WHEN YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY,
YOU’VE GOT TO SAY IT FOR THE WORLD.”
— Mei, Editor-In-Chief
NEWS MAKERS
It feels like some sort of cosmic loop when you have KID NEWS featured in the NEWS! And it has happened more than once! Most recently, The Salt Lake Tribune highlighted the kid reporters with a large front-page photo and a feature-portion-within-a-longer-article about Craft Lake City vendors.
The August 2024 edition of Salt Lake Under Ground magazine (AKA SLUG magazine) includes a feature based on Asha Pruitt’s conversation with the kid reporters in June—a conversation that, hilariously enough, happened via phone while the kids were taking cover in a car during a major summer rainstorm in Maine! Despite the sound of thunder and worries about reception, the interview happened! Special thanks to Gilbert, the photographer, who took pictures for the article at a later date!
On May 15, 2022, KSLTV Channel 5 news featured a 5-minute special that took 5 hours to film (!!!!!), titled “Meet the editor-in-chief of ‘Kid News’.” The feature aired again the next morning as well. A very special thanks to the super professional broadcast journalist Peter Rosen and photojournalist Tanner Siegworth for creating an incredibly memorable growing experience for the kid reporters!
Mini GRANT RECIPIENTS
Did you know that a famous animal researcher, Dr. Jane Goodall, started an organization called Roots & Shoots that gives mini-grants to kids who are trying to help the world? Amazing, right?! There are also grants for educators and Compassionate Leadership courses (which the Kid Reporters’ mom has completed—and recommends!). Dr. Goodall believes kids can make an impact for good, and we agree.
Thanks to two $200 Roots & Shoots mini-grants (in 2020 and 2022), the kid reporters have completed mini-conservation projects and distributed hundreds and hundreds of free copies of this Special Earth Day Edition of KID NEWS directly to children, teachers, librarians, and families. It features interviews with a zookeeper from Utah’s Hogle Zoo about red pandas, an article by Ranger Dave Mallery about Utah’s Conservation Corps, ideas for how to be inclusive in our friendships, a list of foods to feed ducks (not bread!), information about Dr. Jane Goodall, and more. It takes a little bit to load—but the digital copy is FREE!
ENTEPRENEURS
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the KID NEWS booth! What a fun afternoon it was! This was the kid reporters’ second time selling alongside other creators at Utah’s biggest DIY maker-market-festival: Craft Lake City!
The children regularly sold at a local farmer’s market in 2021 and 2022, but Craft Lake City is when they pack up and head to the BIG city, ha! Last time they sold at Craft Lake City (2022), they enjoyed making friends. “I also liked trading,” kid reporter Mei says. “It is very fun!” You have to apply to participate, so it feels like a big deal when you find out you are accepted!
The festival has a fancy listing page for each of the KID row creators. Check out the KID NEWS listing.
TREND SETTERS
THE LATEST EDITION! Feel inspired to customize your clothes with your own unique kid style! Learn about Max Alexander, who is 8 years old and has been making runway fashions since age 4! Discover the fun you can have with a washable freckle pen (hint: hearts + smiley faces = the kid way). Read the exclusive interview with Marcella Armstrong, who sewed the eagle gown for Mrs. World contestant Hannah Neeleman, and read an interview with the owner of Sew Vintage in Provo.
This special edition has been loaded into the online shop for digital, full-color download. Black-and-white printed paper copies are available at the KID NEWS booth when they sell at local farmer markets.
STORY MAKERS
CONGRATULATIONS to kid reporter Ren for winning Honorable Mention in PBS Kids’ 2024 Writers & Illustrators Contest! This annual contest for K-6 children is an awesome chance to create an original story focused around a theme! Read Ren’s winning story, “Falling Down Raindrops,” followed by Mei’s 2022 entry based on a TRUE story, “The Girl And the Old Man.”
The contest is run in each state, and entries are usually due around April—check for details with your local PBS Channel! The winners often get to take a tour of the station, too!
Oh, and if you want a laugh—here’s a humorous single-page original story (with professional illustrations) about a Ghost! Mei wrote this when she was very, very, very young, but it is still a favorite Ghost-a-pie!
The KID REPORTERS are champions of literacy! This is their officially kid-tested “MEGA LIST OF KID LITERACY” to help with READING, WRITING, LISTENING, AND DEVELOPING A LOVE FOR BOOKS.
Read KID NEWS and, afterwards, color it!
Make Emoji Greeting Cards! Emojis are awesome! Pick out some cool emojis that show just how you feel, print them on paper, and fold them into a card. Write a sweet note inside for someone special and watch the giggles happen!
Create a Spellbook! Are you into wizards and magic? Search for an old book at a thrift store, library sale, or even on Grandma’s bookshelf. Decorate the cover, and add your own magical spell pages inside. Voilà!—or, ahem, we mean, er, Abracadabra!
Try Tonies! Check out the Toniebox! Our youngest kid reporter loves it because it turns storytime into a fun, screen-free adventure. It plays stories, songs, and real interviews with experts about a variety of topics. Awesome!
Make Bookmarks for Your Library! Libraries love bookmarks, and you can usually donate some at the circulation desk. If you're short on time, grab a few free ones to use instead.
Listen to Books on the Go! Who says audiobooks are just for road trips? You can listen to a long story in short bits while running errands. Our kid reporters love it so much that they often want to sit in the car a minute or two even after the errands are done and we pull into the garage.
Create a One-Page Newsletter! Little ones can dictate stories, letters, and news articles for someone to type up and share. Add some artwork and make copies for friends.
Visit Little Libraries! Find tiny libraries in your neighborhood, and take a stroll to pick out or donate books. It's like a treasure hunt for new reads!
Fairy Mailbox Fun! This is a magical idea—create your own fairy mailbox! Mei, our KID NEWS Editor-in-Chief, got letters from a “Fairy Godmother” every day as a teeny-tiny tot. It was a fantastic way for her to practice dictating her thoughts to another person—because she needed an adult’s help to reply to the fairy notes.
Make a Quill Pen! Writing with a quill is super cool! Transform a Bic pen and a feather into your very own quill for writing fun letters and stories.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program! Many libraries have this exciting reading/rewards program. Ask your librarian about it—both of our kid reporters had a blast with it!
PBS KIDS Writers and Illustrators Contest! This annual contest is run by local PBS stations. It's a great way for young writers and artists to develop their literacy talents!
Penpal Fun! Find a friend to exchange letters with, and make it easy by preparing stamped and addressed envelopes for each other.
Battle of the Books! Check if your school has this team activity. It's a big hit with the kid reporters!
Submit Your Article to KID NEWS! Got a great story or idea? Share it with us HERE and be part of the action!