810-L«nca*t»f Farming, Saturday, Dacamber 9, 1995 kox&iet* i a Video Shows Kids Wonders Of The Stuff They Wear COCKEYSVILLE, MD. Take a delightful journey to see how cotton, wool, linen, and silk become your favorite clothes. ‘Tractors, Cotton-Pickers and The Stuff Kids Wear,” is a 30-minute, faced-paced adventure video. Produced by the team that received a prestigious Parents’ Choice Award, the video enter tains while showing the fascinat ing process of turning natural fib ers into favorite blue jeans and sweaters. In the video, five-year-old Blake and his 10-year-old sister Megan visit everything from farm fields to cotton gins to blue jean factories. Shot with artfully selected camera angles, which > - \ ,* * 'I »gan Rock holds freshly-picked cotton. Fairgpers at Howard County Fairgrounds watch sheep shearing. Scenes like these also appear on the video. show the world from a child’s point of view, the story is told by children’s voices and includes rare, time-lapsed footage of a cot ton flower turning into the delicate strands from which clothes are made. Also featured is the labrori ous efforts of silkworms as they spin their delicate fibers. Footage of European flax harvesting and processing into linen lends an international flavor. And sheep shearing professionals delicately shave their animals for one of the world’s oldest sources of warmth. Although Blake and Megan appear in the video, the voices heard on the video actually belong to a brother and sister who are 8- and 11-year-old’s and take drama '‘‘» v ' "V^ -•4‘v %, -4'. * At the Howard County Fairgrounds, a craftsperson spins wool while Megan. Blake and Patti watch. * ’ lessons. “We used what we learned from our award-winning video ‘Trac tors, Combines and Things on the Grow,” which showed children where food comes from, and we incorporated those lessons into this new production. Parents can feel assured that when their children watch this video, they will be entertained and educated,” says producer Patti Schindler. “It all began when I noticed my son's fas cination with the tractors and com bines on a neighbor’s farm,” says Patti. “When I couldn’t find a vid eo that documented these incredi ble machines in action and also explained the big picture of why all this activity was going on, I decided to produce one myself.” The result was ‘Tractors, Com bines and Things on the Grow, which the 3,700 parents, children, teachers, psychologists, pediatri cians, and other experts on the selection committee for the presti gious Parents’ Choice Award ** In a cotton fleiv file, . inner Hose shows cotton blooms to Patti Schindler and son Blake, and nelce Megan Rock. regarded as a national winner for children, ages 2-10. “I think the success of the video is the result of children talking to children and not adults talking down to them,” Patti said. “It’s fast paced and kids have fun watching real life action." Before producing the first film, Patti had no experience. “I’m justa mother, but I’m fascinated with what turns on children.” Trained as a medical assistant, Patti quit her job when she became what she describes as “a late mom in my forties.” “I knew the right people to con tact when I decided to produce the ' video,” Patti said. She hired aprofessional photo grapher and used the imput of such organizations as the Cotton Coun cil, John Deere Co., Ag in the Classroom, and The American Farm Bureau. They reviewed her work and checked it for accuracy. ‘Tractors, Cotton-Pickers and the Stuff Kids Wear is available by calling 1-800-808-FARM for the cost of $19.95 plus shipping and handling. 'Jtl
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