>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm siena. let's start with our top story for this week. imagine a classroom without basic supplies to read and write. unfortunately, there are many schools like that in poor countries around the world. you're about to meet an organization working to change that. >> these students in sri lanka are on their way to a special library. what makes it special would be surprising to us -- it has books!

it's a way for them to connect to the world beyond their isolated community. >> "what does shirash like?" >> he likes ice cream. >> he likes ice cream. "what do annie and onnie like?" >> "what do annie and onnie like? they like chicken curry." >> [ laughing ] they like chicken curry. do you like chicken curry? yes? okay. >> in nepal, children express gratitude with flowers and the traditional "namaste." >> namaste! >> there are also grateful children in africa... cambodia... india... and laos. since it started, room to read has reached more than 1,600 schools, and built 15,000 libraries -- libraries filled with books published in the local language. this is made possible by

donations of all sizes, including help from american teens. >> students throughout america have gotten very involved in room to read. we have a movement called "students helping students." so, students pick a goal, they pick a country, and we don't dictate to them, "here's what you need to do. here's how you need to do it." we say, "here's the menu. you can decide. you decide on a project. you decide on a country. we'll tell you how much it's going to cost, and then we'll report back to you on how the money was spent. >> it costs $30,000 for room to read to open a school. that's a lot for teens to collect. >> what's great about this is that no one individual probably is going to raise enough money to build a school. but if 20 or 30 or 50 or 100 students come together and make it a project, they're going to do it together, and it's going to give them a great feeling of saying, when they hear about poverty, when they hear about global issues, they're going to be able to say, "you know what? i did something." >> by just raising $250, you can sponsor a scholarship for a girl. in many parts of the world, girls are not able to go to school. >> when you think about the fact that over 100 million girls

in the developing world woke up this morning and did not go to school, that to me screams opportunity. it's an opportunity to get out there and make positive change in the world and to say no longer should we live in a world where any child, boy or girl, is denied education. >> if you're looking for a great service project, read my lips -- "room to read." to find out how you can help, there's a link on our website. >> stay with us. there's a lot more coming up on "teen kids news."

>> this report is brought to you by a grant from the connecticut tobacco & health trust fund. [ pop! thud! ] [ pop! pop! ] many towns and cities have laws preventing people from smoking in public places that are inside buildings and restaurants. but what about public places

that are outside, like parks? we asked some teens in connecticut what they thought. >> i think that smoking should be banned in connecticut state park and public places because it can be dangerous for other people that are in the parks. >> i feel like there's a lot of kids out there and families that can just be going to go out and enjoy the scenery and have a nice day, and they don't want to have to have that health risk of secondhand smoke or have to deal with that kind of as a nuisance. and if it's something you do, you should kind of keep it to yourself, because it's not something the public wants. >> i have asthma. i don't want to inhale it and it gets worse. so i think they should just ban it in general. >> i think it should be illegal to smoke in public places, like parks, because it's really bad for the air and, like, surrounding animals, because it just really fogs up the air, i guess, with smoke, bad smells. >> i do think that banning all, you know, smoking in public parks and public areas is a good idea, because, you know, there are always people around smokers who don't really want to be a

part of it. >> you don't know what the next person, you know, their health risks are. i mean, it's more like, i guess, when you're smoking, it's like a selfish thing to do if you're doing it in a public place. >> and especially walking around the city -- last night, i was actually in the city -- and it feels like, you know, on every corner, on every sidewalk, you can smell it, and you almost feel like at the end of the day that you've almost smoked a cigarette. it's pretty gross. >> some of the teens we spoke with made the point that smoking in public places might make kids who are younger think smoking is cool. >> i think banning it would be a great idea, because it shows very bad examples for kids when they see other people smoking it. >> they see it, and they might mimic. >> you don't want to have the little kids seeing that and maybe think that it's okay. >> but it's really not. >> then, there's the trash that smokers leave behind. >> and, like, it can also just, like, destroy the environment around you and make it kind of like a nasty place. >> when cigarettes are littered around the park.

>> yeah, i think littering is definitely one of the reasons, because you look on the ground everywhere, and it's just like cigarettes all over the ground, wherever you walk. >> 'cause smokers usually just, like, throw them. they don't care, like, throwing them in the trash. just, like, put them on the ground and, like, stomp on them. >> and that's not what a park is for. it's supposed to be somewhere that you can go and, like, play and hang out with people, and that just sort of ruins it. >> you don't want that in your park. >> but here's what may be the best reason of all for not allowing smoking in outdoor places like parks. >> it would encourage people to stop smoking if you couldn't do it in some places. >> yeah, because it would limit where you could do it, so it might, like, take down the amount of people that smoke in public and in general. >> i think that's a really good idea, because it might help people stop smoking, and it also stops secondhand smoking, as well. >> if you're looking for a service project, here's a suggestion -- organize your

take a stand on this issue. you can convince local officials to ban smoking in parks and other outdoor public places. and that will clear the air for all of us. for "teen kids news," i'm emily. >> most of us know that gas prices are in the stratosphere. so are carbon monoxide emissions. by going green, you can save money and freshen the air. make it a family project to figure out how to use one less gallon of gas every week. experts say if every family did that, greenhouse gases could be reduced by a million tons. >> before you drop that dollar in the school vending machine, check out my story. your favorite snacks could be

>> foods you probably eat every day are threatening the lives of animals like orangutans and tigers. alexa reports on how some students are fighting back. >> these are teens with a mission.

rainforests in indonesia and malaysia and the endangered animals that live there. we really need to take a big part in helping our environment. >> this became their battleground. they fought to remove some snacks from their school vending machine. but it wasn't easy. >> the biggest challenge i faced was other students and teachers liking the products in the vending machines that we were taking out, and they didn't want them removed. >> those products all had one particular ingredient in common. >> the entire rainforest ecosystem is endangered because of palm oil. >> palm oil is used to produce many things -- makeup, biodiesel fuel for cars, and, yes, even some of our favorite snacks. in fact, the world wildlife fund says 50% of the packaged foods found in grocery stores are made with palm oil. >> the way they make, harvest palm oil is they cut down an area of rainforest -- they actually burn it -- and then

palm-tree farm, where they use the fruit of the palm tree to make the oil. >> to understand this issue, you need to understand some definitions. "sustainable palm oil" comes from farmers who are helping to protect the rainforests. "non-sustainable palm oil" comes from farmers who are hurting the ecosystem. >> they're destroying orangutan habitats and habitats of all the animals in the indonesian rainforest. >> jordan started researching non-sustainable palm oil as a sixth grade current events project. he realized he wanted to do something about it. so he recruited his classmates. >> i helped spread the word. >> i did some online posters and banners. >> i was getting petitions signed by people. >> i wrote the petition, along with a couple of friends who helped me edit it. >> i wrote letters to congressmen and representatives. >> in most cases, the students get to a certain point, and then the project kind of dies down. but this group definitely went

above and beyond what was expected of them. >> all that hard work got noticed...and got results. >> my group and i, we went to the assistant superintendent for business in the district, and we proposed to him our campaign and what we wanted to do, and we asked him if we could remove all the non-sustainable products from the vending machines. >> the recommendations that were presented were based on fact, on research, on concern for the environment, and that's what you want in our young population. that's what you want in our students. >> mr. rubbo gave his okay to ban the offending snacks. not wanting to anger powerful food companies, jordan doesn't want to reveal on tv the names of the products that were removed. but they included some popular choices. >> to find out if food has palm oil in it, you have to look at the ingredients list on the nutrition facts label on the side of the package. then, if it says palm oil or palm kernel oil, which are two

website to find out if it's sustainable or not. >> that website is... and one more thing -- palm oil has a lot of unhealthy saturated fat -- another reason to watch what you eat. >> this important message is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. [ sloop! crash! ] [ boing! ] [ flies buzzing ] [ horn honking ] [ tires screech ] >> keeping fit is a challenge for all of us. now imagine what it's like if

>> if you're healthy, you probably take fitness for granted. running and jumping and dancing -- no problem. but as rachel reports, kids recovering from cancer need help getting back in action. >> every 39 minutes, an american kid is diagnosed with cancer. the good news is that survival rates are higher than ever. > ready? set? go! >> but when kids get through treatment, they face a new challenge -- getting back in shape. >> while the kids have the heart and have the mind to get back into physical activity, their bodies sometimes just aren't ready. >> a brain tumor and leukemia kept ryan on the sidelines, while his classmates were on the field. >> it was a little hard thinking, like, watching them do it and thinking that i'll never be able to play football, maybe, like that stuff. >> ryan is now working hard to lose the extra weight he put on

during treatment. but kids like ryan risk injury if they try to do too much too soon. that's why nationwide children's hospital in ohio started a program called "play strong." as a part of the program, the hospital even has a trainer to help kids get back on track. >> let's not just get them better. let's get them back to what they want to do. let's get them back to the way they were before, and if we can, let's get them back better than they were before. >> and here's something to remember. cancer survivors like ryan may not always be able to keep up with the rest of us. but when it comes to courage, they're often miles ahead. >> this report is brought to you by the milk life campaign. >> kids are headed back to school, and so it's important to make sure that your family gets back into the back-to-school routine, and one of the best ways is to start with a healthy, nutritious breakfast, including a good source of protein. protein is so important for kids to keep them fueled and feeling full throughout the day at school so they can really learn and concentrate. an easy way to ensure that your

kids get the protein they need in the morning is with a glass of milk. eight ounces of milk contains nine essential nutrients. these are nutrients that many kids don't get enough of, such as calcium, vitamin "d," "a," b12, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, and niacin. in addition, it has eight grams of protein. so i like to make sure that my children pair their breakfast with a glass of milk. we might also put milk in our oatmeal. my boys love whole-grain cereal. scrambled eggs are another good source of protein. sometimes i make them the night before and keep them in the refrigerator. you can quickly heat them up in the microwave and they taste just as good as when they're fresh. in addition, fresh fruits and vegetables are also very healthy to ensure that kids get enough servings in the day to keep them fueled and nutritious. many kids are picky eaters, and one of the best things you can do is role model good nutritious behavior for your children. let them see you drinking a glass of milk. let them see you eating scrambled eggs and fresh fruit and vegetables. often with picky eaters, you want to get them involved. take them to the grocery store,

help the prepare the meals with you. you can offer them one or two choices, but don't be a short-order chef. make sure that you show them what's nutritious -- the glass of milk, the fresh fruit and vegetables, the whole grains -- and let them choose what they want to eat. for more information on how to keep your family eating healthy, nutritious meals, visit... >> look around at your friends. in a few years, about half of them will no longer be part of your life. social researchers report that we tend to lose about half of our friends every seven years. the good news is, they're replaced with new friends. >> we are girl scout troop 2971. [ laughter ] >> and we are at the...

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>> if every halloween you carve the same old face on your jack-o-lantern, listen up. carly's about to shed some light on a whole new world of creative carving options for when october rolls around. >> welcome to the great jack-o'-lantern blaze. it's held every fall at van cortlandt manor. this historic location is not far from where washington irving's legendary headless horseman chased ichabod crane. [ horse whinnies ] [ man screams ] >> we are in the midst of "sleepy hollow" country. this is the home of the american heritage of halloween, and we've always had fantastic halloween events in this area, and this is probably one of the best. >> more than 4,000 pumpkins are

clever and spooky scenes. for some displays, artificial pumpkins are needed. but most are real. >> we are in front of our "jurassic park" installation, where we have giant, life-sized dinosaurs that are constructed of, in some cases, more than 100 pumpkins. we sketch them from anatomy books and create them so that they're accurate. each pumpkin represents a specific bone on the dinosaur. >> everywhere you walk, you see imagination at work. >> i think this is definitely one of our most impressive exhibits. this is a huge spider web, 50 foot around, and you've got a mother spider on the web, you've got little baby spiders along the ground, and it's just a really fantastic arachnoid exhibit. >> [ laughs ] i don't like spiders, but this is really cool. >> these are kind of fun spiders, you know? i think people even who don't like spiders will enjoy this exhibit just 'cause it's so impressive. >> and if you're wondering how all these jack-o'-lanterns get lit, help arrives just before

sundown. girl scouts from local troops are among the many volunteers who take on the task. >> well, me and my partner, maggie, we lit 60 pumpkins. >> i did 67 with my partner, sophia. >> usually as girl scouts we do a lot of trips together, and last year we did this, and we loved it so much that we decided to do it again this year. >> your partner holds the pumpkin back just a little bit, so then the wind does not blow the candle out. and then you flick the lighter on, and then you light the candle, then you put it back down. >> the man behind these scenes spends months coming up with new ideas. then he works with local artists to bring them to life. >> i draw inspiration from the landscape. i get a lot of ideas from the actual history that took place here. >> but not all the inspiration is local. you may have heard of stonehenge in england -- you know, the place with all those ancient stones? well, here they have pumpkin-henge.

by the way, those things floating outside pumpkpkin-henge aren't dementors. they're druid ghosts. >> could you carve a pumpkin as well as these people did? >> no way. that's, like, impossible. >> and also, while you're walking around, take a look above, and look and see if you building. >> i think it's really cool how, like, there's so many different designs. there's, like, sunflowers and caterpillars and, like, spider webs. i think it's just really cool how they carved them. >> could you tell me a little >> sure. this is perhaps my favorite exhibit here. this is a buzzing beehive, and you can see all the little bees that are buzzing around the hive. and this is something that was created first time last year, and i just think it's fantastic, and i'm glad we brought it back. >> i think it's very cool. this is our first time here, so we're really enjoying it. >> i think it's pretty impressive, because to carve all lot of time. >> it's so creative with all the it's so much fun. >> i think it was fantastic. it was pretty cool seeing all the faces on the

>> the blaze includes a display ireland. it's a way of paying tribute to the people who brought us their craving for carving. >> jack-o'-lanterns actually came to america as part of an irish tradition, where the irish used to carve faces out of turnips. and when the immigrated to america, pumpkins are native to north america, and we began to carve pumpkins, and that's where jack-o'-lanterns came from. >> i got to tell you, this is really cool. the blaze is different every year. to find out more, check out the link on our website. for "teen kids news," i'm carly. >> that wraps up our show, but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." thanks for joining us, and have

>> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square,