PARKA'KITO MOSQUITO REPELLENT

 **A Geek Daddy received the featured product to review for free **

 I always enjoy a trek hiking the bluffs of Mackinac Island looking out across the water of the straits where the Great Lakes of Huron, Michigan and Superior come together.  It is always a relaxing experience hiking through this tranquil setting full of impressive natural scenery.  Unfortunately, often times there is one major drawback that puts a damper on an otherwise fun time leaving you itchy and welted by the conclusion of your hike ... the forest full of mosquitoes.  The island may not have bears, lions or snakes to fend off but the wet and shady habitat at this Michigan state park makes a perfect breeding ground for pesky mosquitoes looking to steal a bit of your blood.  Ugh! if you are lucky you'll only be left itching for a few days and being unlucky could lead to a more serious problem like an infection of the West Nile Virus or a case of Encephalitis, among other illnesses.  I've used a variety of bug deterrents when going on hikes in the woods with mixed results over the years.

For my most recent trip to Mackinac Island, I took along with me some samples I'd been sent from PARA'KITO MOSQUITO REPELLENT to try out knowing that it could really come in handy based upon my past treks.  During my hike, I wore a wrist band and had a clip on my backpack that each contained a pellet filled with oils that interfere with mosquitoes sense of smell reducing the critters capacity to identify you.  I was a bit hesitant that this simple sounding solution would work, but PARA'KITO passed the "smell test" as I made it through my hike relatively unscathed without a noticeable mosquito bite.

With people having renewed concerns about mosquito-born illnesses due to the recent Zika Virus outbreaks as well as a societal trend to avoid physical interactions with harsh chemicals, PARA'KITO uses all natural-based active ingredients to ensure that its products sufficiently protect people from mosquitoes without the use of chemicals that could potentially cause their own negative health side effects.  PARA'KITO mosquito repellent is DEET, parabens and phthalates free.  It's mosquito repellent pellets made from a mixture of Citronella, Rosemary, Geranium, Mint, Clove, Peppermint and Cinnamon oils provide consistent protection for up to 15 days.  When they've worn out just pull the pellet out of your refillable band or clip and slip in a replacement. Refills can easily be ordered online and shipped to you.

Refillable bands made from neoprene can be worn on wrists or ankles are available in sizes for both kids and adults in a variety of shades and designs.  Kids designs feature pandas, pirates, monkeys and sharks.  Adult colors and designs range from standard black or blue to cosmic purple or camouflage among a variety of selections.  Clips are easy to use too - place them on strollers, bikes, backpacks, belts or purses among other things to keep the mosquitoes away.



Because PARA'KITO mosquito repellent is a hassle free, worry free product that is applicable for the whole family to use and with which I personally had success with using, it gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval. Enjoy your summer without having to worry about those pesky mosquitoes!  For more information, visit us.parakito.com

Also stop by the PARA’KITO Facebook page this summer for a chance to win their weekly contest on its Facebook page. Starting the week of June 20 through September 21, PARA'KITO will give away two wristbands (a $39 value!) to one lucky Facebook follower! Entering to win is easy! First 'LIKE' the PARA'KITO USA Facebook page. Then visit PARAKITO.com and share your favorite product from the collection in the COMMENTS section of the weekly Facebook post PINNED at the top of the Facebook page. Be sure to use #PKgiveaway in your response. Around 4pm ET each Thursday, they'll announce a weekly winner!

A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying

In support of October being Bullying Prevention Month and today being Bullying Awareness Day, A Geek Daddy is highlighting National Geographic Kids' A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying and giving away a copy of the book to one of our blog readers. Jim and Jamie Dutcher lived in a tented camp in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains for six years among a pack of wolves, observing and documenting rarely seen social behaviors.  The Dutchers produced three documentary films from the experience which won three Emmy Awards and also published with National Geographic Kids the children's book A Friend for Lakota based upon one of the emotionally touching experiences during their observation of the wolf pack.

Lakota is a shy pup and as the wolves grow up the other members of the pack take advantage of his being timid.  The other wolves begin to bully the gentle-natured Lakota growling and snapping at him forcing the young wolf to be submissive to them as what the Dutchers term the "omega" of the group which is the bottom of the wolf pack. Eventually though, Matsi, the Beta which is the second wolf in the hierarchy of the pack, befriends Lakota defending him from the bullying.  Matsi's friendship neutralizes the bullying and builds up Lakota's confidence helping him to eventually become an equal member of the pack.

After reading this story with my children, I had a chance to chat one-on-one with Jim and Jamie Dutcher about their experiences with Lakota, Matsi and the rest of the Sawtooth wolf pack.  They explained to me that they had been visiting elementary schools around the country to discuss their experience living with the wolves and the story of Lakota always overwhelmingly resonated with the children they were talking with.  So the couple decided to team up with National Geographic Kids to share the story of the wolf who braved bullying.

"You would see these kids who from their demeanor probably were being bullied themselves raise their hands in the crowd of students and ask if Lakota was ok and everything turned out alright for him," said Jim Dutcher during our interview.  "These kids faces would brighten up so much when I explained that he eventually overcame the bullying and lived a very long healthy and happy life with the wolf pack.  It seemed to provide some reassurance that things would be alright for them too."

"Another important point to be taken from this story is just say no to bullying like Matsi did," added Jamie Dutcher.  "We are hoping that children who witness bullying will step in like Matsi did to stop that behavior and befriend the victim.  This story really shows how being a friend to someone else can make a huge positive impact on another life."

"We emphasize that the other wolves never were trying to kill or seriously hurt Lakota but rather the bullying was meant to put him in his place as an inferior "omega" member of the pack," Jim noted.  "Lakota was actually the biggest animal in the pack and was the best howler.  Often times bullying would begin after he out shined other members of the pack while howling and the other wolves wanted to make themselves feel better about themselves by picking on poor Lakota.  This really relates to human bullying and shows a similarity between wolves and people."

Jim and Jamie also mentioned that they hope this book will provide a better understanding of wolves with children that will help with future conservation efforts for the species.  "People think of wolves as these dangerous, fierce creatures, but if you ran into a wolf in the wild it would probably be scared of you and run away," Jim noted.  "Wolves are an endangered species because of humans hunting them and causing habitat loss," added Jamie. "Hopefully this book and Lakota's story will help change perceptions and help protect wolves in the wild."

During their study of the wolves Jim and Jamie camped out right in the woods with the wolves so that the pack eventually became accustomed to the humans being around them.  This allowed the Dutchers to observe and document experiences with the wolves that humans rarely see.  One example referred to by Jim during our discussion was how Jamie was allowed to climb into an underground den to see new born puppies and if the couple hadn't been adopted by the pack the wolves would have been protective against allowing that to happen.  This relationship allowed the Dutchers to take some remarkable photographs of Lakota and the wolf pack that are included in this book.

Jim and Jamie's experience with the Sawtooth wolf pack also led them to start a non-profit conservation organization called Living with Wolves. This non-profit group is dedicated to raising broad public awareness of the truth about wolves, their social nature, their importance to healthy ecosystems and the threats to their survival hoping to build acceptance that can lead to coexistence between people and wolves sharing the same land.  This group has sponsored a free online activity guide about grey wolves with National Geographic for children 4 to 10 years old plus provides a free downloadable coloring book to educate children about these animals.



Now to the giveaway! For a chance to win A Friend for Lakota you  must be a U.S. or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit the following entry method prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday October 11, 2015.  All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be  selected to determine the winner using random.org.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

UPDATE:  Congratulations Nancy B from Fresno California on winning A FRIEND FOR LAKOTA book.

E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address.   Email subject line should be LAKOTA. 

A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying is a 32 page hardcover book meant for children 4 to 8 years old.  The book retails for $16.99 on the National Geographic online store.

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but National Geographic is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive a free featured product for the blog to review and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.  #NGKINSIDER

Marvel Comic Book Tackles Bullying

 A few months ago Marvel Entertainment partnered with STOMP Out Bullying, a bullying and cyber-bullying prevention organization for kids and teens in the U.S. by highlighting that October is National Bullying Prevention Month through publishing variant covers for some of its popular comic book titles that addressed the topic.  Now Marvel is taking things up another notch by publishing in January a one-shot comic book dedicated to tackling the problem of bullying titled AVENGERS: NO MORE BULLYING #1.  The 40 page comic book will be specially priced at $1.99 and feature three separate stories with anti-bullying themes that will involve The Avengers, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Here's Marvel's press release for more information:

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are out to make bullying a thing of the past with AVENGERS: NO MORE BULLYING #1, an all-new one shot featuring some of the best and brightest talents in the comic industry as they stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

Arriving in January, this specially priced $1.99, 40 page one-shot contains three brand-new stories from top tier talents. Featuring fan-favorite Gerry Duggan (Deadpool, Nova, Hulk), rising star Sean Ryan (Uncanny X-Men/Nova/Iron Man: No End In Sight), Jeff Loveness, and Jody Houser making her Marvel writing debut, along with blockbuster artists Carlo Barberi (Thunderbolts), Tana Ford (New Warriors) Marcio Takara (Captain Marvel), and Gustavo Duarte.

From the streets of New York to the furthest corners of the cosmos, the heroes of the Marvel Universe are no strangers to bullying and the damage it can cause. Heck, half the time, bullying is why Marvel’s greatest super heroes chose to fight  evil in the first place! Now, Marvel’s diverse roster of super heroes are ready to stand up and help those who cannot help themselves. The Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Amazing Spider-Man are out to put a stop to bullies everywhere with these three bombastic, can’t miss stories!

“From Peter Parker, Midtown High’s only professional wallflower, to the ever-misunderstood Kamala Khan, Marvel has a proud history of working to raise awareness about bullying and representing its victims as much as possible,” says series editor Devin Lewis. “Bullying is a problem that can affect everyone in a community, and it’s up to that very community to come together to combat it, and, with this issue, Marvel’s Avengers, Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy are joining the fight! I know how comic books can help ease that feeling of isolation, and I couldn’t be more proud or excited about the talent we’ve pulled together for this project!”

Face front readers, as the Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes are ready to take on a real world problem more troublesome than any super villain. The best and brightest talent assemble this January for AVENGERS: NO MORE BULLYING #1!

I'll probably be picking this up for my son and daughter to use this as something we can read through together as a teachable moment to reinforce with them that they understand what bullying is and why it is wrong.  Look for it at your local comic book store in January 2015!

For more information about bullying visit www.stopbullying.gov