_White Bear Lake, MN -_- Nature Deficit Disorder is a condition that afflicts a majority of youth in America. Each year finds fewer children connecting with the Great Outdoors. Grandparents and parents lament the fact that their kids are becoming couch potatoes who have never caught a fish or slept under the stars.
In response to this alarming trend, an inspired group of outdoor enthusiasts came together to create “FishingKids.”
FishingKids is an integrated program of books, toys, games, apparel, and accessories that encourages children to get outside and play. With an emphasis on a healthy outdoor lifestyle and positive social values, FishingKids is a world designed to energize kids to get outdoors to enjoy the same activities that their parents and grandparents grew up with.
The world of FishingKids is centered upon two young boys, Spinner and Bobber, and their fishing adventures around the United States. The FishingKids heroes – along with their parents, grandparents, and friends – share their fishing stories from around the country. Along the way, they learn lessons about fishing skills, safety, sportsmanship, geography, culture, friendship, and optimism.
By providing quality children’s books and toys that revolve around fishing adventures, FishingKids supports imaginative play that is wholesome, healthy, and educational.
“One of the goals of FishingKids is to create a way for parents and grandparents to introduce today’s kids to the wonderful outdoor experiences and adventures they enjoyed when they were kids,” explains Geoff Ratte, one of the founders of FishingKids, whose official title ‘Chief FishingKid,’ is a nod to the grandfather in the FishingKids book series.
Spinner’s grandfather, ‘The Chief,’ is a composite of everyone’s favorite grandpa. He is wise and compassionate, and his knowledge of fishing is something that bonds him with young Spinner. These intergenerational connections, along with valuable life lessons, are the heart of FishingKids.
Ratte, who is a grandfather himself, grew up fishing the lakes of Minnesota, and knows firsthand the power that fishing has to connect generations and to inspire a young boy’s imagination. “Some of my best childhood memories are from fishing trips with my dad,” said Ratte. “I simply cannot imagine a childhood without fishing, and I wanted to be a part of something that encourages today’s kids to have these same great experiences.”
All products can be ordered directly through the website, www.FishingKids.com.
The site launches on January 15, 2012. The first FishingKids chapter book, The Monster of White Bear Lake, is available FREE through the website; customers pay only $5.00 shipping and handling. See enclosed order form for details.
