If you were a child sometime during the last 30 years or so, the refrain, “Butterfly in the sky…” will likely do nostalgic things to your head.
Sadly, that jam became nothing but a memory in 2009 when educational program “Reading Rainbow” went off the air, but now, thanks to a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, it’s time for a “take a look, it’s in a book” singalong.
It only took 11 hours for the “Bring Reading Rainbow Back” Kickstarter to hit and surpass its goal of $1 million, with more than 40,000 backers kicking in cash.
Obviously, a lot of folks have been missing the show, which saw host LeVar Burton embarking on reading adventures.
Now that the team has hit their goal, they’re primed to bring back the ethos of “Reading Rainbow” — in a way befitting today’s world.
“‘Reading Rainbow’ needs to come back for today’s kids — but what does that mean?” Burton said in the campaign’s video. “Thirty minutes on TV was yesterday’s world. In today’s world, today’s kids want today’s technology.”
After launching an iPad app in 2012, LeVar and Co. are primed to bring the show to a wider audience — those who might not have tablets at home — by taking “Reading Rainbow” to the Web, complete with an expansive digital library of books and video field trips. Check out this way fun one below about recycling:
LeVar and the rest of the team will use cash raised to launch that Web platform, as well as a version for schools. And, finally, to bring that platform to schools in need.
Although the team has met their goal, fans still have until July 2 to contribute, the excess funds of which will be used for a project yet to be announced.
In addition to doing good by contributing, fans can also score some fun prizes — including the opportunity to wear the visor Burton donned in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
Personally, I think this all sounds kind of cool. But you don’t have to take my word for it…
Brenna Ehrlich
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