>> here's what's coming up on this edition of "teen kids news." >> boating -- find out what you need to know before you row or paddle, sail, cruise, or even jet ski. >> if you think college scholarships are only won by brainiacs and sports stars, you'll be happy to hear what this guy has to say. >> what has six arms, six legs, is bright blue, and very, very funny? here's a hint. [ bells chiming ] [ video game notes chime ] we go behind the scenes with the blue man group at universal orlando. >> all that and more next on

"teen kids news." >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm livia. here's this week's top story. >> it can happen on vacation, at camp, or at a nearby lake. you get a chance to take a boat out on the water. but just because you can doesn't mean you should. scott reports on how to play it safe. >> boats come in many different shapes and sizes, yet they all have one thing in common -- they can quickly turn from being fun to being dangerous. >> everyone wants to get on a boat and have a lot of fun, but if they don't know what they're doing and something bad happens, it might not be so fun for them. >> in fact, boating accidents

are way too common. last year, there were more than 4,000 of them, and many of those involved teens. that's why the coast guard runs safety courses like this one. think of it as driver's ed for boaters. >> you don't just hop on and go and it does everything for you. you need to know how to turn, how to go forward, what the rules of the road are, when to stop, what different buoys, things like that, would mean. it teaches you everything you need to know. >> for example, the life jacket. instructors teach the importance of always wearing one. and that starts with knowing the right way to put it on. >> now, how do you know that your life jacket is fitting snug? >> i don't know. >> all right. so, come here. what you're gonna do is, you're gonna take the two shoulder straps and lift up. if it goes over your head, obviously it's too loose. >> okay. >> even if you know how to swim, life jackets are still necessary. >> 70% of all boating fatalities were due to drowning. of that, 84% of those people were not wearing life jackets. that's a lot of lives that could

have been saved by just wearing something so simple. a life jacket is infinitely important. it doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are. if you're falling over the side of the boat and you hit your head and you're face down in the water, that's it. a life jacket could save you. if you're unconscious, you can't save yourself. >> people don't float. life jackets do. and when you're wearing a life jacket, it lets you float. >> now, let's hear you with the whistles. [ whistles blare ] >> but there's more to boat safety than just life jackets. for example, you need to know... >> how to properly use things like whistles and horns and things like that so that you're able to notify people if something happens to you. >> correct. and depending on the type of water craft you're using, you may also need a fire extinguisher, flares... >> you open it up, load the cartridge in, close it, make sure you don't point it at anyone, and keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire it. go over and you'd fire. >> ...and other safety equipment on board with you.

[ air horn blows ] here are some more safety tips from the american boating association. know your boat. that means really understand how to operate it. learn the rules of the road. even though you're on water, it's very much like driving a car. you need to know who has the right of way and who must yield, as well as the legal speed limits. and before setting out, always check the weather forecast for the entire day ahead. some states require you to take a course before operating certain kinds of boats. but even if it's not the law where you are, experts still encourage every boater to take a class on safety. >> i would say that it can only help you when you're on the water and it only does good for you and helps you become a better sailor or better person on the water. >> because people are real excited to use boats but they're not necessarily sure of what to do in a dangerous situation. >> if you got in something, a situation that's dangerous, then you might get hurt yourself or endanger others or something.

>> boating-safety classes are available all around the country through various organizations. to find one near you, there are links on our website. and remember, it doesn't have to be a big boat to get you into big trouble. >> accidents can occur anywhere. an accident can occur on a little kayak out in the bay in your backyard. it doesn't really matter where you are. if you don't know what's going on, if you don't know how to be a safe boater, you can get into an accident anywhere. >> once you know the basics, you can set a course for fun. >> there's still lots ahead, so stay with us. >> we'll be right back.

>> s.a.t.s, a.c.t.s, the dreaded

essay. there's a lot you need to do if you're hoping to go to college. but there's another thing you should have on your college "do" list that many students overlook -- scholarships. carina has some information that may surprise you. >> meet ben kaplan. when applying to college, he won two dozen scholarships. altogether, they were worth about $90,000. in addition to writing "how to go to college for almost free," ben now teaches an online scholarship course, cityofdreams.org. hi, ben. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, and thank you for mentioning the scholarships i won. every time the two dozen scholarships worth $90,000 is mentioned, my parents smile. they were very pleased with me, and now i try to help other people do it, too. >> $90,000 in scholarships. were you an academic genius or a sports star? >> well, that's a great question because over half of the scholarships i won actually had nothing to do with grades and test scores. that's one of the big myths, is

that you have to be an academic whiz kid. there are so many scholarships out there from corporations, foundations, associations, and community groups, and all these scholarships look for different things. that's why there's so many that exist. and i really truly believe there's a scholarship out there for everyone. >> so, how did you do it? >> sure. well, one big thing was i applied for everything. i applied for three dozen different scholarships. i won two dozen of them. and i tracked down everything i could. another big thing is don't neglect the small, local scholarships. sometimes people want just the big ones, the $20,000, the $30,000. but i always loved the ones that were a couple hundred dollars because hardly anyone applied for them, and there was a snowball effect. you won the smaller ones, and they could help you win the larger ones. >> are you saying that just about anyone has a pretty good chance at landing a scholarship? >> i do. i think anyone out there can make a major dent in their ability to pay for college. here's an example of a person who actually won a scholarship

from prison. so, he was locked up behind bars. now, don't go to prison. that's not what you want to do. but the question asked him, what would he do if he could give freedom away? and he talked about how he didn't even know what freedom was until he literally went to prison and had his freedom taken away and how he was trying to turn his life around. so, if he can win a scholarship, i know everyone out there can, too. >> what are some examples of scholarships out there that most people don't know about? >> one program i love is actually from dr. pepper. they have the dr. pepper tuition giveaway program, and all you have to do is film a 60-second video about the future impact of your education, and you can win up to $100,000 for college. that's actually -- for those math kids out there, that's over $1,600 per second. that's a program i love a lot. and actually, it's for ages 18 and older, but even you can have your parents or your older siblings apply on your behalf and then give you the scholarship money, so that's a program i love -- dr. pepper tuition giveaway. here's another one. you can actually make an outfit

to prom out of duct tape, like, that sticky tape that you fix things with. if you make an outfit to prom out of that, you can get a scholarship for the most creative outfit. there's scholarships out there for everything. >> okay, so how does the ordinary student go about finding scholarships? >> yes. show me the money, right? where is the money out there? well, a great way to start -- there are internet scholarship that's just a fancy term for there are sites, websites, online where you start filling out what you're interested in, what you're good at, and they try to match you with scholarships. there's about 12 or so really good ones. if you go to a website i help with, which is cityofcollegedreams.org -- cityofcollegedreams.org, just like it sounds, we have a tool there that helps you use each one. so, in 15 or 20 minutes, you can start seeing what scholarships are right for you. >> is the application process hard? does it take a lot of work and a long time? >> well, this isn't a lottery ticket. money just doesn't fall from the sky. but if you're smart about how you approach it, it doesn't have to be a lot of work.

the key is, number one, look at past-winning essays and applications. people who won before, lots of scholarships post this online so you can see what works. and then number two, recycle and reuse what you've already done. so, once you've written one, little essay -- maybe it's something you did for class -- you can recycle it, and all of a sudden, you've already done half the work to apply for 10. so, it's a little work to get started, but if you're determined, this is possible, and it's fun. there's lots of cool contests. there's ones for doing a cool community-service project, a cool science project, a cool history project. they're fun things you can do extra credit for class, plus earn a scholarship. >> anything teens or parents should do when applying to increase their odds of winning? >> one huge one is, scholarship judges give money to people, not to résumés, so this means you want to include personal details, experiences, anecdotes, anything really unique to your life in your application. so, don't make it a laundry list of "i did this, i did this activity, i did this club."

instead, show the character qualities you demonstrated. so, if you showed enthusiasm or you showed leadership, bring that out, not just the raw information. >> do you recommend starting to look when you're ready to apply to college or starting earlier? >> that's such a good question. i would love if more people started actually in middle school, 'cause kids in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, it's a tremendous time to start 'cause there's programs for younger kids to have scholarship money attached to them. you might win money in the form of a u.s. savings bond. that being said, freshman year in high school, sophomore, junior, senior year in high school is a great time to apply for scholarships. and as you go on to college, there's more. so, you can do this at any time, but the earlier you start, the better. so, start right away. start now. >> any final words of advice? >> yes, one final thing is just realize that what this process teaches you to do, it teaches you to believe in yourself and persuade someone else to believe in you, too. that's a useful skill when it comes time to get a great job,

have a great internship, whatever you want to do in life. so, learn the scholarship -- learn the skill now, earn scholarships along the way, and let me know how it goes. we'd love to see everyone at cityofcollegedreams.org. >> great information. thanks for speaking with us today. >> thank you so much. and to everyone out there, may all of your educational dreams come true. go for it.

>> this report is brought to you by the patriot day 5k. 15-year-old emily depietri is training for a race that's as important as it is personal. called the patriot day 5k, it's part of a national tribute to those killed in the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001. >> i'm running this race to remember my cousin. he died in 9/11. he was a firefighter. and to me, he's a true hero.

>> not just remembering, but a way of helping to make a difference and raising awareness. >> i'm the co-director of the 9/12 generation project. we teach about 9/11 through the kind acts of 9/12. now, patriot day was created in 2002, but a lot of people still don't know about this important day of remembrance. we're hoping that the patriot day 5k run will change that. >> money raised from the race will support a number of important charities ... and cancer schmancer. that's the foundation started by actress and comedian fran drescher. >> another reason why i'm running is because my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor. so my goal is to sign up a lot of other teams. i believe that running for a cause is good for your body and good for your soul. >> the race emily is getting ready for is on september 7th at roosevelt island in new york city. throughout the month of september, races will also be held in 11 other cities, including...

>> well, you can check the dates and other race information by logging on to patriotday5k.com. >> there's also a link on our website. now, if you've never run a 5k before, here are some tips. >> running a 5k might seem like a really hard task, but i promise anyone can run one. i just have three kind of things to keep in mind as you go. number one -- stretch. before and after you run, definitely loosen up those legs. it'll keep you ready for your next run. number two -- a 5k race is really a 3-mile run, so make sure you build up your distance slowly. don't try and run 3 miles on your first week. i like to just run maybe a quarter-mile extra each week until finally, you've built up to 3 miles total. and my third tip would be to find a running buddy. it's really more fun, and it'll keep you motivated the whole time. >> oh, and one more important

thing to keep in mind. >> trust me -- you need to drink a lot of water. >> drink lots of water. >> stay hydrated. >> you need water, water, water. >> this is the first year for the patriot day 5k. next year, a national team will hope to run its way into the history books. simultaneous races will be held at more than 50 cities in an effort to set a new guinness world record. so, you might want to start training. for "teen kids news," i'm tyler. barry, time is running out. according to my calculations, 1 in 5 kids in america struggles with hunger. how can so many children face hunger, when there is more than enough food to feed them all? doo ba baba doo! you're right, barry! baba doo! we can help solve hunger by teaming up with feeding america to get food to hungry kids in communities across the country. announcer: help flint and the feeding america network of food banks get food to the people who need it in your community. find your local feeding america food bank at feedingamerica.org/hunger together, we're feeding america!

of the united states of america... and to the republic for which it stands... one nation, under god... indivisible, with liberty... and justice for all. our disabled veterans pledged to sacrifice life and limb to ensure our way of life. now, they deserve our support. find out how you can help disabled veterans in your community. visit dav.org. tell you about a new medical website designed especially for older folks. website you say! i can't work on computers, they're not senior-friendly. blah, blah, blah. but the national institutes of health fixed all that. now you can make the type bigger, increase contrast, even make it talk to you. just go to nihseniorhealth.gov and get the best medical information available anywhere. nih seniorhealth.gov. built with you in mind.

>> it's one of the most original and colorful shows around. at universal orlando resort, nicole got a behind-the-scenes look at the blue man group. [ drums playing ]

>> there's no mistaking these true blue performers. they explore the world with innocent, wide-eyed wonder. and even though they never talk, their actions speak far louder than words. [ drums continue ] >> hello. thank you for purchasing the new gipad, the all-in-one tablet with ginormous benefits. >> blue man group is a multimedia theatrical experience that you kind of just have to see. >> so, what makes your performance unique? >> we are, to my knowledge, the only show that has three blue men on stage. our show works for any audience, from 93 down to 8 years old. everyone loves the show. it brings out the kid in you. [ rock music playing ] >> what makes a blue man? >> it is indescribable. there's something there. we often talk about it as a fire in the eyes. there's just a hunger.

there's a fascination with everyone around you. there's a need to want to communicate and to want to connect with other people. >> can you show me what it's like to be a blue man? >> absolutely. you want to head up on stage? >> yeah. let's go. when we return, i'll get to try my hand at playing some of those fantastic instruments. [ notes play ] music i want some more. what's he doing? please sir, i want some more. more? he has asked for... thank you. well he did say please... yes he did. and thank you. please and thank you. pass it on. (crowd of children) thank you.

(crowd of children) thank you. um]um] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] [phone ring,] car brakes hard [phone ring] [car crash] glass shatters [sirens] this video was submitted by a student through the safety scholars program. for more information on teen safety visit driversedge.org.

>> we're back at universal orlando resort, continuing our visit at the famous blue man group. besides being willing to be covered in blue paint, to be a member of the group, you have to be an actor and a musician. [ drum reverberates ] >> after you. >> so, what do we have here? >> these are our -- we just call these the pvcs because they are made out of pvc. you can see that this is just the same tubing and pipe that you find in your house or if you go into a large store.

you look up in the ceiling, all these pipes everywhere. it's all the exact, same stuff. and these instruments we've actually built by hand. someone builds each of these. and they're all tuned to completely different notes. [ notes play ] and you can play just about any song you can imagine on here. you want to try something out? >> sure. give me a little musical lesson. >> "c." [ notes play ] >> where do i find it? [ note plays ] [ notes play ] >> right. [ notes play ] [ notes play ] >> where's "b"? ah! >> right here. [ notes play ] [ notes play ] [ notes play ] it takes practice. >> pass behind the screen to enhance yourself. >> it looks like fun, but these are very demanding roles. in fact, before stepping on stage, each blue man has to go through six weeks of training. so, how important is timing to the show? >> very important.

so important with the comedic impulses that we have and also with being able to take into account what the audience is giving us. every audience has got a different dynamic to them, and they'll want something, and we have to be able to give that to them, so timing is crucial. >> so, what do we have over here? >> this is our backpack version of the same pvcs. so, you have -- just like you have an acoustic guitar and you have an electric guitar, we have acoustic pvcs, and we have the electric version. if you want, you can get in. >> yeah, i'd love to. >> if you just go around back, crawl up through. these are completely mobile. we can carry them around with us on stage and play them at the same time. and we'll let you demonstrate them. >> all right. >> so, you're gonna use these paddles here. >> okay. >> and you're gonna play them much the same way you did there, except one thing we've done with these is, we've updated them with some pretty awesome technology that allows them to light up as we play the notes. so, you're hearing it, you're seeing it all at the same time. it's creating beautiful music

and a beautiful stage image, as well. so, if you want, go ahead and jump in. [ notes play ] >> do you ever get distracted by the colors or by the lights? like... >> every night. [ notes play ] it's the story of my life. shiny objects, bright colors. [ notes play ] >> [ chuckles ] do you ever wake up in the morning and go, "i feel like being yellow today"? >> [ laughs ] um... sometimes. sometimes. it's interesting. the character, i completely associate it with being blue just because that's how it is, you know? but blue is calm and powerful. it's the color of earth. it's just this really beautiful, serene, comforting color that it seemed to make a lot of sense when they were picking it out. [ upbeat music playing ] >> what's the most popular part of the show? >> probably the end, not because

it's over, but because we have this huge party, and we have these giant orbs that float down from the ceiling that have helium and air inside them so you can hit them and they float around, and everyone passes them around like beach balls. when we're all connected, we're all having fun together. >> ♪ shake, shake ♪ shake, shake, shake that thing ♪ [ notes play ] >> do you play piano? >> nope. >> you play something. >> nope. [ laughs ] >> you're just a natural? >> yep. >> are you 5'10" to 6'1"? can we have you audition and see if you... >> yeah, i'd love to! >> okay. great, great, great. [ notes play ] >> you don't have blue girls, do you? >> we did. we had a blue girl at one time, and there are many that audition. we're completely open to having blue women. it's just not many are in the system right now. >> they just have the bald caps so you can't tell. >> exactly. >> oh, that's very interesting. [ notes play ]

[ rock music playing ] roses are red, these guys are blue, don't miss their show whatever you do. at universal orlando, for "tkn," i'm nicole. [ notes play ] >> that's our program for this week. thanks for joining us. >> and, of course, "teen kids news" will be back again next week, so we'll see you then. >> write to us at...

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