BELLWOOD,
IL (July
1,
2002) --
Young writers can heed the call of the wild this summer and win a chance to be on Animal Planet through a national education program that makes learning fun by encouraging teachers, parents and students to get "wild about writing."
Paper Mate, the leader in writing instruments and correction products, is partnering with Animal Planet, Jeff Corwin, and Scholastic Inc. to launch "Wild About Writing" - an enjoyable approach to learning that includes a national essay program for students and local zoo events across the country. Wild About Writing also helps teachers by providing wild-animal themed lesson plans from Scholastic and classroom incentives.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of Paper Mate's Wild About Writing program," said Corwin, Animal Planet's popular host of The Jeff Corwin Experience. "Just like my personal quest to discover the world's most fascinating and unusual creatures, this program encourages kids to explore the world around them, stretch their imagination and use what they have learned to express themselves through writing."
Wild About Writing kicks off with a "roar" at the World-Famous San Diego Zoo on July 13. Hosted by Corwin, the event features the popular 100-acre zoo and its 4,000 awe-inspiring animals to set the stage for learning about wildlife and encouraging students to get involved in writing. Activities include up-close animal encounters, scavenger hunts, "wild" writing-inspired games, and opportunities to win exciting prizes.
Paper Mate's Wild About Writing Program - Add One
After the San Diego event, Paper Mate and Animal Planet travel to four other local writing-themed zoo events throughout July and August in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and the birthplace of America's first zoo -- Philadelphia. Each event will feature Animal Planet program personalities, appearances by local educators, interactive games for the kids and the best each zoo has to offer.
"We are very excited to be involved with the Wild About Writing program," stated Shelly White, editorial director for Scholastic Marketing Partners. "Writing is an extremely important aspect of education in the United States and this program provides classrooms with fun and educational materials to enhance children's learning and appreciation for writing."
Wild About Writing's essay program, called "Watch, Write and Win," runs through October 7, 2002. Students ages six to 15 are encouraged to watch The Jeff Corwin Experience on Animal Planet and submit a handwritten essay of 100 words or less about what they thought was "wild" about the show or their favorite animal adventure. One lucky student will be randomly selected by Paper Mate from eligible essays received by October 7, to appear on Animal Planet in 2003. Select essays will be published on papermate.com.
"Our team has developed a program that is both educational and fun for teachers, students and parents," said Paul Donahue, president of Sanford, makers of Paper Mate. "We're excited to team up with Jeff Corwin, Animal Planet and Scholastic for back-to-school 2002!"
In addition to the essay program, Wild About Writing also features a program on select Paper Mate packages that includes a special code for the chance to win one of over 55,000 other prizes. Individuals can go to papermate.com and enter the code to see if they have won a computer, backpack, journal, bicycle, or other items to explore the world around them. To find out more about the Wild About Writing program, go to
http://papermate.onlinepresskits.com.
To enter the "Watch, Write and Win" essay program, submit a handwritten essay to the Paper Mate Wild About Writing Essay Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 1345, Grand Rapids, MN, 55745-1345. Essays must be received by October 7, 2002.
About Sanford
One of Sanford's most popular brands, Paper Mate offers the widest variety of contemporary styles of pens, pencils and correction products with superb performance. Sanford, a division of Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL), is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and marketing of writing instruments, including such well known brands as Paper Mate®, Colorific®, Sharpie®, Parker®, Waterman® and uni-ball®, among others. Sanford makes more than 3,000 products ranging from markers, pens and pencils to professional art products and fine writing instruments.
Paper Mate's Wild About Writing - Add Two
About Animal Planet
Animal Planet, available in 77 million homes nationwide, is the only television network dedicated exclusively to the connection between humans and animals. The network's original programming brings together people of all ages by tapping into a fundamental fascination with animals and providing an entertaining mix of programming including original movies, adventure series, sports, drama and sitcoms. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc., operates and manages the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, the Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Science Channel, Discovery Home & Leisure Channel, Discovery Civilization Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, and Discovery en Español. The unit also distributes BBC America. Visit Animal Planet on the Web at
www.animalplanet.com.
About Scholastic
Scholastic (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. As a global children's publishing and media company serving the needs of parents, teachers, and children, Scholastic provides proprietary book and software distribution through school book clubs, school book fairs and to classrooms, as well as through the retail trade. Since 1920, Scholastic has created quality educational materials for schools and has expanded its reach to include the distribution of books, software, toys, online learning services and television programming directly to the home. Scholastic's Grolier division is the leading print and online publisher of children's reference materials and the leader in children's direct-to-home book clubs. Internationally, Scholastic operates wholly owned companies in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Scholastic web site, www.scholastic.com, is a leading provider of educational services online for parents, teachers and children.
Contacts:
Sanford
Mike Finn
800-323-0749 x3431
mike.finn@sanfordcorp.com
Weber Shandwick
Christine Johnson
314-552-6747
csjohnson@webershandwick.com
Animal Planet
Jennifer Marburg
301-771-4437
jennifer_marburg@discovery.com
Scholastic
Sara Sinek
212-343-6899
ssinek@scholastic.com