As most of you may know by now, I will be speaking next Friday December 7, 2012 at TechEDge 2012 in Chandler, Arizona. (Register Here) The subject matter I will be discussing is Crowd-funding as I have utilized the likes of Kickstarter and IndieGoGo both successfully and not quite so successfully through Social Media.  You learn from experience, right?

That leads to this post and the craziness of my adventure today.  I want to host a 24 hour Case Study/Proof of Concept on running a Crowd Funding Project.  Insane? Quite possibly! Exhilarating? Absolutely! Has a defined purpose, indeed!

This time I have embarked upon the GoFundMe Platform largely in part for its option of immediate funding opposed to the standard 30, 60 and 90 day run cycles.  Here’s the concept you will be funding.

Idea: Non-Profit Children’s Literacy Program.

Mission Statement:  Our mission will be to work to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries and literacy programs across Arizona.

Goal: $500.00

Perks/Rewards: Reach our goal in 24 Hours or less and everyone that funds this program will have their name/company displayed during my speaking engagement at TechEDge on December 7, 2012.

Quick, simple and to the point.  Now for the hard part – getting it successfully funded!  I’m giving it 24 Hours to reach the goal. However, the actual campaign will be ongoing.  Now it’s time to reach out! Please join us in this adventure by clicking on the widget below!

Pass the word along! Share on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest…all the fun social media sites!

Have any questions, please contact me: cameron@daddybookins.com or call 480.370.7048

Peas Out!

~Cameron aka Daddy Bookins

What is TechEDge? TechEDge2012 is a fast-paced day designed to equip technology entrepreneurs and emerging growth companies with the practical tools and innovative resources they need to succeed and be the leading edge. The conference covers topics such as winning SBIR Awards, Incubator Advantages, Crowdfunding, and resources for small business.

Contact: Shara Lawrence-Weiss, Mommy Perks
Email: mainoffice@mommyperks.com
Link: Holiday Gift Guide 2012

[November 16, 2012] The Mommy Perks Dozen Holiday Gift Guide 2012 Launches

The annual Mommy Perks Holiday Gift Guide is now available to online shoppers. The Mommy Perks Dozen launched this week, featuring twelve small businesses across a variety of genres including pottery, clothing, toys, books, games, accessories, phonics, artwork and more.

With a modern look, and easy to flip pages, the Holiday Gift Guide offers shoppers a jump-start on gift buying, along with discount PERKS.

Shara Weiss, owner of Mommy Perks, shares:

It’s always my goal to provide shoppers with quality gift ideas, a warm small business experience and superior customer service. I don’t enjoy shopping at the stores, in long lines, with my children under foot. Like many other parents, I prefer shopping Online, from my home computer. Every year I start my own holiday shopping from our Guide. This year, I had my teen purchase gifts for his siblings, from the businesses inside our Gift Guide. It’s a family tradition of ours, to support small business.

Rick Weiss, designer of the Gift Guide, states:

Rather than place the gift ideas on a blog page, running down, we opted for a magazine feel; much like a book you’d receive in the mail. Think of it like…old school magazine meets Online shopping convenience.

For more information, please contact mainoffice@mommyperks.com or visit the Gift Guide here.

ABOUT Mommy Perks

Mommy Perks was founded in 2005. Rick and Shara Weiss have been running the site since early 2009. They own more than 12 web sites including Mommy Perks, Kids Perks, Early Childhood News and Resources, Parenting Tips with Dr. Sally, PSAZ News and Pine Media. Mommy Perks offers small business resources, articles, tips, social media and marketing services, web design and development, graphics, content services and networking opportunities.

…is an educational adventure for your children.  Based on the real life adventures of my son, Lil Boo.  Join Lil Boo and his adventurous friends on an array of journeys throughout the world we live in.  The show’s dialog will be a mix of real life interaction by the host of the show, Daddy Bookins(myself) as I interact along with Lil Boo the puppet in adventures with both on-location guests, as well as in the studios.  Then with a classic “knuckle explosion” we enter into the animated adventures of Lil Boo and friends, exploring that day’s educational theme while collecting all the key “treasures”!

Age Range: 3-7

What is your adventure?

A bit of history…

This project began back in 2009 with the children’s book, Outside with Lil Boo, the first book of the Peas and Bananas series. Peas and Bananas Outside with Lil Boo was an illustrated children’s book based on the creative events experienced through the eyes of Lil Boo. The events in the first story of the series were based on exploring an array of outdoor adventures from the eyes of a toddler. You follow Lil Boo and his imaginary friend Onote from the letters A to Z in a fascinating rhyming adventure outside.

We followed up in 2011 with the award winning sequel, At the Zoo with Lil Boo (which was successfully launched here on Kickstarter!), where again Lil Boo is an illustrated children’s book character based on the creative experiences and imagination of Daddy Bookin’s son. From the moment the sun rises, join the adventurous duo Lil Boo and Onote on a journey across the zoo. They learn about an array of animals from penguins to zebras, as well as make a new friend named, Roo! You never know what surprises will pop up in a child’s imagination.

The transition…

We have teamed up with the award winning production company J2 Media here locally in Chandler, Arizona to make this project a reality.  With J2′s expertise and industry know-how, we wanted to stick to our local and indie based roots while reaching out to a national and global audience for support.

The goal…

We need to fund the initial pilot episode of Adventures with Lil Boo.  That is our first and foremost goal.  Presently, we have a total of 26 episodes laid out for development, however we need your support in making the first one a success!  By backing this project you will be supporting our passion for children’s education and learning about the world we live in through the eyes of a child better known as Lil Boo.  Will you assist in making this a success? We would truly appreciate any support as we take this next step in our new adventure!

Welcome to the YOB Years!  Where all you need is a BIG Hug!

Peas Out!

~Daddy Bookins

What’s all the hype about Pen Pal Buddies? You’ve seen children’s authors Hayley Rose of Fifo The Bear and Daddy Bookins of the Lil Boo series talking about it endlessly – it’s their new Literacy Program for 2013! Take a look at what they are about…

Children today spend nearly 55 hours a week watching TV, texting and playing video games.  Instead, let’s get them reading, writing and socializing as they share their adventures with one another.

How do you get your kids excited about reading, writing and socializing with peers, while at the same time exploring the world around them?

Get back to basics!

Research shows that children thrive if they receive really good attention and care from their parents, teachers, and child care providers.  Speaking, reading, and writing are all linked.  Together these elements can be learned and practiced throughout the course of each day in age-appropriate ways.

Reading to Children

Studies show that reading aloud to children, beginning at a very early age, is the most crucial factor in children’s later reading success.  Children who learn to love books will be children who grow up to be good readers.  The very best time for children to learn to love books is while they are young.  You can help them by making story times a regular part of their day and by encouraging them in their early attempts to speak, read, and write.  Research now indicates that the 4- to 6-year-old age range is the sweet spot for teaching reading. Beyond the age of 6 or 7, teaching a child to read is a game of catch up.

When children enter school “familiar with reading,” they almost always become good readers in the early grades, and are far more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond.  Studies have suggested that improving reading levels will improve health.  In 1999, only 53 percent of children aged 3 to 5 were read to daily by a family member.  Would you care to take a guess at the numbers today? In 2012, it was reported that 66% of parentsDO NOT read to their children at all!

Writing with Children

Want to get them excited about writing?  Step away from the computer and get back to basics.   Engage with them!  Children have plenty of stories to share.  Grab a pencil and paper – game on!

Socializing – What is your adventure? 

Sit back and listen – children are the best story tellers!  Reading and writing lead to socializing.

Pen Pal Buddies – Get Back to Basics!

The concept behind Pen Pal Buddies is to encourage three simple elements – Reading, Writing and Socializing!  Here is what we encourage you to do:

1. Read with your children.
2. Write with your children. (Did you know this includes coloring?)
3. Socialize what you read and wrote/drew about with each other. (Build a dialog.)

It is that simple.

Looking to build further dialog/interaction with your children? Fifo the Bear and Lil Boo of Pen Pal Buddies want to hear about your adventure!  Mail them your postcard (our address is listed here) and they will post your Adventure on the Map in the Mailroom!  Each week they will randomly pull one postcard from the mailbag and feature it on our Facebook Page and on the Front Page of PenPalBuddies.com.

Let Fifo the Bear and Lil Boo become your child’s new Pen Pal!  Sign up for their 2013 US Tour Package! Your child will receive a postcard each week from Fifo and Lil Boo from a new state as well as a Birthday and Holiday postcard along with an array of goodies to expand their horizons throughout 2013!

Take advantage of the IndieGoGo Campaign and sign up your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and more!

Welcome to the YOB Years!  Where all you need is a BIG Hug!

Peas Out!

~Daddy Bookins

They arrived! The Official Lil Boo Doll by TG Bears exclusively for Daddy Bookins!

The process began eight months back when I first contacted TG Bears via Twitter on the possibility of taking the illustrated character Lil Boo and making him into a doll.  We bantered back and forth for a few months and finally decided to pull the trigger with an IndieGoGo campaign.  It wound up being successful so we moved forward on creating the 2012 Limited Edition Lil Boo Doll!  We documented the entire process on Facebook and Twitter showcasing the development of the prototype.  With much fanfare the doll became a bit of a hit!  Yesterday afternoon the first shipment of Lil Boo Dolls arrived at our door, talk about how time flies!

So far, the Lil Boo doll has been featured at book signings, with fans, guest appearances in a few PR videos and will be featured in the Arizona Republic this upcoming week!

We only produced 20 of the handmade Lil Boo dolls for 2012.  Once they are sold out, that is it for this year – that is our guarantee.   Each one is exclusively handmade with love by TG Bears and as of this posting right now we have 7 remaining available (if you would like yours please visit the Bookstore to purchase).  Our goal is to make a unique doll each year with TG Bears and only producing a limited quantity to guarantee uniqueness.

Making of the 2012 Limited Edition Official Lil Boo Doll

To all that supported the campaign, we appreciate  your support tremendously!  We have many more projects in the works from Pen Pal Buddies on IndieGoGo with Multi-Award Winning Author Hayley Rose along with our new TV Show Produced by J2 Media – Adventures with Lil Boo to be launched on Kickstarter any day!

Welcome to the YOB Years!  Where all you need is a BIG Hug!

Peas Out!

~Daddy Bookins

Additional Links:

TG Bears

Pen Pal Buddies

A simple desire

Shifting the minds perception

Delicate and sweet!

It was a rough shot in the dark…I saw the coffee cookie cup posted under iPickChic, in which it appears to be an absolutely perfect fit for a shot of espresso.  Fancy a delicate sweet treat?  Lil Boo and I must indulge ourselves with a few of these masterful concoctions in the upcoming years….I see flavored options coming soon!

Welcome to the YOB Years!  Where all you need is a BIG Hug!

Peas Out!

~Daddy Bookins