Press Releases

Latest Press Releases May 10, 2012 January 12, 2012 September 26, 2011 November 29, 2011

Latest Press Releases

TJ & Pals, top educational preschool website, is sponsoring a sweepstakes full of fun for moms and kids. The Dress Me Up Mommy Sweepstakes winner will receive a $250 gift card from The Children's Place--just in time to start the summer in style.
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TJ & Pals, the popular interactive preschool website, announced the lucky winner of their "Win an iPad2" Sweepstakes. Cindy Meester, a Speech and Language Pathologist from Minnesota, has been awarded the grand prize of an iPad 2, as well as a gift card for iPad apps. The gift card gives Ms. Meester an introduction to all of the great apps developed by TJ & Pals.
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TJ & Pals creators at UmaChaka Media Inc. have focused on the two important principles of "learn as you play" and "positive reinforcement" in this new educational website for preschoolers. Ashley Lazarus and his team of developers has created an original website and a number of educational apps that have captured the hearts of 3 to 5 year olds across America.
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Apps for the ipad and the computer that provides kids with games, songs, puzzles, stories and videos that aim to challenge kids on their level, unbeknownst to the giggling children at the computer screen.
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TJ & Pals, Interactive Preschool Website, Sponsors Dress Me Up Mommy Sweepstakes

The Dress Me Up Mommy Sweepstakes winner will receive a $250 gift card from The Children's Place--just in time to start the summer in style.

(PRWEB) May 10, 2012

It's easy to enter and win at Dress Me Up Mommy Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes is open to all US residents who are 18 years of age or older. The deadline for entry is July 8, 2012 and the winner will be announced Monday, July 16, 2012.

"The Children's Place is known for its well-priced, stylish clothing for kids, and TJ & Pals is thrilled to be able to offer this gift that any mom will love," said Ashley Lazarus, creator of TJ & Pals, "Of course, the gift of fun and interactive learning is available every day to moms and kids on the TJ & Pals website."

TJ & Pals did not stop at their popular preschool website. Umachaka Media Inc., the company that developed TJ & Pals, has also designed creative educational apps based on the characters in the TJ & Pals website. TJ's Remember, a fun memory game that can be played on three levels of difficulty with six colorful themes to choose from, TJ's Seek & Find, an app that develops children's pre-reading skills, and TJ's Art Studio, the perfect iPad app for any budding young Picasso are a great addition to a library of applications.

Children 3-5 years old can play games, sing songs, watch videos, and listen to stories on TJ & Pals interactive educational website. The games and activities revolve around the lives of an inquisitive pencil named TJ and his group of buddies, as they take kids on a journey of fun and learning. Everything on the website uses the important educational principle of learn as you play.

The philosophy behind the TJ & Pals educational website is to make learning fun through lots of interaction. Targeted games, puzzles, and activities on the preschool website pull kids in for the fun and before they know it, they are actively engaged in learning games. This ingenious approach is a well-researched, successful way of helping children to learn.

TJ & Pals, Top Preschool Educational Website, Awards iPad to Lucky Winner

TJ & Pals, the popular interactive preschool website, announced the lucky winner of their "Win an iPad2" Sweepstakes.

January 12, 2012

As a speech pathologist, Ms. Meester is a particularly appropriate recipient of this prize. She is the author of a blog about speech therapy, including speech therapy ideas, resources, and how to integrate technology in speech therapy. Ms. Meester says, "I am always looking at ways to incorporate educational apps into my therapy sessions. I hope to use this iPad within classroom settings to have students practice skills outside of my speech room."

TJ & Pals is a children's website that is dedicated to children ages 3-6. The website's activities revolve around the lives of an inquisitive pencil named TJ and his group of buddies as they take kids on a journey of games, songs, videos, and stories. The concept is based on the important educational principle of "learn as you play."

UmaChaka Media Inc., the company that created TJ & Pals, has also designed creative educational apps based on the characters in the TJ & Pals website. Apps such as TJ's Remember, a fun memory game that can be played on three levels of difficulty with six colorful themes to choose from, TJ's Seek & Find, an app that develops children's pre-reading skills, and TJ's Art Studio, the perfect app for any budding young Picasso.

According to the creator of TJ & Pals, Ashley Lazarus, "the more fun and interactive learning is, the more effective it is. Every game, activity, How To, and story we create at TJ & Pals is based on this principle. The iPad is the perfect vehicle to do some innovative teaching, and we are thrilled that Cindy Meester, winner of our iPad giveaway, will be able to use it to help children with their speech and language development."

TJ & Pals Brings the Colorful World of a Pencil and His Dancing Pals to Life in an Educational Website That Has Captivated Children Everywhere

September 26, 2011

UmaChaka Media Inc. has recently launched TJ & Pals, an imaginative website that has been approved by educators and has attracted children ages three to five from around the country. Their idea revolves around the lives of a friendly and inquisitive pencil named TJ and his friends who take kids on an entertaining journey of games, videos, stories, and songs.

The site was developed by Ashley Lazarus who is an award winning film director, and as someone who worked with Disney, Mattel, and Sesame Street, has extensive experience in children's programming. Mr. Lazarus, a grandfather, designed the site with his grandchildren in mind. His main intent was to make learning fun. "The more fun and interactive learning is the more effective it is. Just sit with a five year old playing a fun game, or learning to count through a catchy song, and you will see that the principle of "learn as you play" really helps kids learn and remember what they learned, especially in this digital age. Every game, activity, how to and story we create at TJ & Pals is based on this principle."

TJ & Pals has designed some wonderful challenging games for young children that strengthen crucial pre-reading skills unbeknownst to the giggling four and five year olds sitting at the computer screen. TJ's Seek & Find is an activity in which a child is presented with two separate challenges: finding hidden objects and matching them to the shapes presented to her. Once she completes her tasks she receives a musical reward. Children love this activity and matching games are a wonderful way to prepare a child for a lifetime of reading.

TJ & Pals also offers some creative stories and videos that have attracted both the younger four year old audience and even the slightly older six and seven year olds as well. The Little Monkey, and The Happy Squirrel, are both stories that either can be read by a parent or the child or can be narrated. They are also videos that a child can listen to before or after they hear the story. Making Friends is the story of how TJ met his pals. Younger and older children alike love to watch this video tale about friendship and the discovery of the power of imagination.

The TJ & Pals website also focuses on developing children's math skills. The TJ & Pals developers have designed a math page equipped with a Numbers Song for the younger four year old audience, Math Spin, a game in which a child can have fun with addition or subtraction, or a calculator for older kids where a child can learn multiplication or division.

One of the most beloved aspects of the TJ & Pals website, particularly for the older kids, is TJ Connect. TJ Connect allows members of TJ & Pals to video chat with their friends and family anywhere in the world - think Skype for kids. The good thing about TJ Connect from the parents' point of view is that it is completely parentally controlled. The good thing about it from the kid's point of view is that now he can see his Grandparents or cousins in Canada, Japan or South America. Every three, four, and six months new activities are added to the TJ & Pals website to keep the site challenging and interesting for kids. And for those children that fall in love with the old activities, new themes and stories are added monthly to the games, how-tos, videos and books that already occupy the site.

TJ & Pals works on the two important principles of "learn as you play" and "positive reinforcement." Ashley Lazarus and his team of developers has created a website and a number of educational apps that have captured the hearts of pre-schoolers and children in the early grades of elementary school across America.

TJ & Pals Launches A Unique Line Of Educational Apps For Kids

(PRWEB) November 29, 2011

Umachaka Media Inc., headed by award winning film director Ashley Lazarus, has just launched a new line of educational apps for pre-schoolers. With these creative new games, TJ & Pals has figured out how to utilize verified educational principles to provide kids with a learning experience without even realizing that they are learning.

TJ & Pals has been approved by educators all over the country because its games and activities have solid educational foundations. Lazarus explains, "kids have a remarkable intuitive ability to tune in...to absorb information...to process...to sort out complexity...to learn." Adults and kids learn differently. Adults intellectualize; kids learn intuitively. When Lazarus developed his apps he constantly asked himself, 'how would a child think about this?' and he created his apps accordingly.

Umachaka has designed apps for the ipad and the computer that provides kids with games, songs, puzzles, stories and videos that aim to challenge kids on their level, unbeknownst to the giggling children at the computer screen. TJ's Puzzle Fun is an app that provides kids with a choice of four puzzles on four different levels. When your child completes the puzzle the picture comes to life in a song or video which the child can freely watch again and again. Puzzles are an excellent means of improving a child's spatial awareness and problem solving skills. The songs and videos at the end of the puzzles are a wonderful way of providing positive reinforcement for a job well done.

TJ's Remember is a memory game played on one of three levels of difficulty with six colorful themes to choose from. When a child finds a match she is rewarded with a playful tune. This game is a fun way to develop a child's memory.

TJ's Seek & Find is an app in which a child is presented with one of four scenes such as a toy store or a circus. He is asked to locate ten items in that scene. Once he finds those items he is transported to another scene, such as a child's bedroom, where he is asked to match the items with shapes that are in the bedroom. When the items are placed in the proper place the bedroom comes to life with music and dancing. This app develops a child's pre-reading skills as well as a child's self-esteem.

TJ's Picture Dictionary is a colorful talking dictionary that is suitable for young children. It allows kids access to new words and ideas and is perfect for an audience of pre-readers who are building their vocabularies.

TJ's Art Studio is for those budding artists to draw, paint, and stamp their way into fame and fortune (or their parents' refrigerators, whichever comes first). A pencil named TJ with his friends Dabney the paintbrush, the Koki markers, and Butch the eraser are the tools that children use to play with their A,B,Cs and 1,2,3s as well as make pictures for their friends and family members in this portable art studio.

Umachaka Media Inc. has developed imaginative ways to teach children ages 3-5 through creative, interactive games and activities that will keep them coming back for more. As designer and developer Ashley Lazarus says, "The more fun and interactive learning is the more effective it is. Every game, activity, how to, and story we create at TJ & Pals is based on this principle."