Kickstarter

The Karma Kids.

During a Thanksgiving Dinner discussion about the need for more good role models in children's media, I suggested a group of great kids that stood up for good values.                                                                                                                              A seed was planted and the Karma Kids were born.   

As an artist and ex-teacher I felt the need expand on this and create a product that entertains and at the same time empowers young children with good values, virtues and social skills. So I created 8 characters who are culturally and ethnically diverse and who showed children that it is correct to be kind & conscious to others, to care for animals and to look after the environment.        The Karma Kids are intended for 3 year old children upwards.

FOR A SLIDE SHOW OF IMAGES FROM THE 1st SERIES click here  http://www.flickr.com/photos/thekarmakids/sets/72157630115208738/show/

                            THE FORMULA OF THE STORIES                                          Each Karma Kids' story focuses on a specific value (for example Ella's Story Of Neatness) and follows a simple 3 act formula yet includes tried and tested teaching techniques. Or as one teacher so eloquently said,                                  "The Karma Kids are the spoonful of honey to make the moral  medicine go down!"

In act one the Karma Kid is introduced to the importance of the value by their animal friend. Priming the child for the main message later in the story, this is a very important teaching tactic.                                                                           Here Nakos is learning that sharing is a good thing.                                   

In act two the Karma Kids returns to their village and sees the opposite of the value being acted out by the children, they try to explain it is wrong but are reprimanded by the other kids. The Karma Kid eventually uses the value which of course saves the day.                                                                                         Here Ella's use of her neat vine is saving her trapped friends.                   

In the third act the Elders gather the children in the Learning Circle where the rights and wrongs of the day's events are comprehensively explained, the young reader is left in no doubt as to why using the value is a positive thing and the subsequent pitfalls of a negative path. Reviewing is a very important teaching technique that cements the value into the child's mind to be used as tool in life if needed.                                                                                         

      Here we see the Elder explaining to Hadiya and her friends why being humble is a good thing.

The final page always sees the kids made up and playing together, there is resolution and of course a happy ending, hey it's a kids story! 

                               RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

I have tried and tested the stories with children in playgroups, kindergartens and schools in Asia, Australia, Europe the US and of course my homeland the UK over the past few years whilst waiting for a publishing deal. I have received nothing but positive feedback and the only criticism being that I do not have any books to give out or for them to purchase!!!

                         IMMEDIATE GOALS FOR THE KARMA KIDS

Having plowed all I have into the project so far, I need just a little help to bring The Karma Kids to market so my proposal is, with your support.              

1***We print Nakos' Story Of Sharing as a traditional hard cover book with a read along audio CD (Read by Jesse L. Martin)

2***We produce 3 stories as audio E-Books (with pictures) for all electronic platforms, IBooks, Nook,PCs and smartphones. 2 of the stories read by Jesse L Martin -Nakos Story of Sharing, Hadiya's Story Of Humility.  (Ella's Story Of Neatness to be read by an actress with South American accent in English.) 

3***The IBooks text will be have the Read Aloud feature, where the text will highlight the word the narrator is speaking. This allows the young child to both learn the sound of the word and to visually recognize the word at the same time, a very useful learning tool.

4***Integrate the necessary architecture to the Karma Kids website to facilitate fast and efficient shipping via fulfillment companies. 

5*** And execute a meticulously researched and intelligently targeted online PR & Marketing campaign. 

Now of course all of the above costs money, so I need $30,000 to achieve these goals. 

I count myself lucky to have good friends who either work within the industries or have had positive experiences with the companies I need to align myself with. Plus I myself have researched all my needs thoroughly, for example I found the printers at the largest children's book fair held in the Javit's Center New York and have examined the quality of the product first hand. For the IBook I have had a 3 page sample with highlighted text that syncs to the narration, for optimum audio/visual learning made as a prototype. I am therefore 100% focused and confident of producing and delivering quality books in all formats on time that will entertain and empower your children effectively.                                                                                                     

                                              INCENTIVES
         

I hope that you like the incentives I am offering you here, again even if you are not a parent but have the ability to see the good I am trying to achieve with the Karma Kids, I ask you help me on my journey and use the incentives as gifts for people you know with young children.

You will notice that I am offering you items that are not going to be available to the public so you guys will be the first people in the world to own them.

The books will not be available until August to the public and the ones you receive will all be signed by me and some (depending on your pledge) by Jesse L Martin to you or your child.

The opportunity to have your child as a Karma Kid surrounded by the 8 Karma Kids and signed by me, I particularly love this incentive myself!!!

I am also offering the opportunity to have your child's voice on the same audio EBook as Jesse L Martin.

Also on offer is to have your child written into a forth coming story as a character and a speaking role to star alongside a major celebrity soon to be confirmed and announced !!!

To end I would like to say thank you for your time today.

I want to humbly pick up the torch where Sesame Street and The Cosby Show left off and as one parent who has heard the stories at a reading session said "provide a moral compass for impressionable minds" and to create       something truly meaningful and long lasting in the world of children's development and invite you to be part of it.

Any questions about the project please feel free to contact me (Simon James Walton)  at alb@thekarmakids.org. Bye the way the alb is for A. Little-Bird the character that presents the Karma Kids. A ubiquitous little sparrow that is seen throughout the story watching the events good and bad. The reasoning behind this is that when my Nan ever caught me doing a bad thing (very rare!) she would tell me a little birdy told her about it !!!