South Padre Island, Texas, March 18, 2008 -- Children all over the world can write and draw to win one of a dozen dude ranch vacations offered as prizes in the Children’s International Arts Festival. Kids ages 5-12 can enter by answering and illustrating Bible-related questions for an online book the festival organizer plans to publish. They may also write an essay telling why their teacher should win one of the trips.
“These trips are major prizes,” says Carey Kinsolving, organizer of the festival. “Each child winner and immediate family will get to spend a week at a dude ranch, including food, lodging, horseback riding and other activities.”
The Children’s International Arts Festival is sponsored by Kids Talk About God, an online ministry which grew out of Kinsolving’s syndicated column of the same name. He began writing the column after years of writing feature stories for The Washington Post and other major newspapers who received his stories through The New York Times News Service.
Kinsolving plans to publish the best children’s writing and art in the “Kids Color Me Bible Gospel of John.” This online storybook Bible will be patterned after his popular “Kids Color Me Bible.” Each chapter features children’s writing and art. Children who read the book can add their writing and art making each chapter a personalized keepsake.
“Children have a way of cutting right to the heart of a Bible story when they draw art to illustrate it,” said Kinsolving. “Their answers to Bible-related questions can be humorous and insightful. We’re hoping that the chance to win dude ranch vacations will motivate many children to share their insights.”
Why dude ranches?
Kinsolving feels that dude ranches capture the imaginations of children, and are one of the best types of vacations for families. “Kids love the horses and wide-open spaces, while parents enjoy the beautiful scenery and peaceful setting. It’s ideal for elbow room as well as for reconnecting with your family. When I tell grown-ups about the festival, they ask me if they’re too old to enter!”
Of the 12 dude ranches offering vacations as prizes, six are in Colorado and two are in Idaho. The other four are in Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and even east of the Mississippi in upstate New York. All abound with inspiring views, a wide variety of wildlife to observe and photograph, and plenty of horseback riding.
What one dude ranch owner wrote: "You’ll find that good riding, good food and good friends will leave you peaceful and content. You’ll discover the luxuries of silence, the wind on your face and the stars shining brightly.”
Children who wish to enter the festival can get their parents to download an entry form at www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. There will also be a list of contest questions available to answer through writing and drawing, and instructions for how to enter.
KidsTalkAboutGod.org is a non-denominational, Christian ministry that empowers children by publishing their faith expressions and making them available without charge to website visitors. Its website features 60 Kid TV Interviews, Children’s Bible Art Gallery, “Kids Color Me Bible,” “Mission Explorers Streaming Video” and a Bible Lesson Archive. Visitors may download pictures from the Art Gallery and lessons from the “Kids Color Me Bible” for free. As a newspaper column, Kids Talk About God has been in syndication for more than seven years.
| 
on Amazon!
