Shooting Stars Alert!

There's so much great stuff to report about L.A. Parent's Shooting Stars Cover Kids Contest on Saturday (10 a.m.- 3 p.m.) at the Skirball, I almost don't have room – or the time – to reveal it all.

First of all, the event itself is not a shallow beauty contest. Here at L.A. Parent, we know every kid is amazing and special, and photographer Valerie Tabor Smith is there to bring out both the inner and outer beauty of every child she photographs. It's truly an enriching experience to get to sit in front of her lens!

And it's always difficult to pick the top winner in each age category, but pick one we must. Those three will be featured on a future L.A. Parent cover (an incredible thrill indeed!) and will also receive an incredible prize package courtesy of Paul Frank Industries.

Aside from the chance to become L.A. Parent's official Shooting Star Cover Kid, for $25 you'll be getting a lot of bang for your buck. First of all, your kids get to play inside Noah's Ark at the Skirball for free (that's a $10 adult ticket and $5 child ticket savings right there!). Plus, crafty kiddos can join the drop-in art workshop or assemble funky structures in the "Ark-itecture" activity in the Family Amphitheater (again, all free!). There will even be a few props on display from the production of Where the Wild Things Are. And in about six weeks, we'll mail you the "mock" cover of L.A. Parent featuring the Valerie Tabor Smith photo taken on the day of the event.

Plus, L.A. Parent has received some amazing prizes to give away throughout the day in "A," "B" and "C" level categories. A few include:

• Wii, Nintendo DS and Playstation games from THQ, Atari and many others


• Forever Friends Dolls


• KAZAM push bikes


• Paul Frank clothing sets


• Ugly Doll & Snugaboo pkg


• Green Toys brand toys


• Blu Ray DVDs from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment


• BRAVO - Tony Hawk Huck Jam series skateboard, Pulse Kick Scooter and Slither Scooter


• WOW WOW Wubzy DVDs and books from AnchorBayEntertainment


• Kickboard USA g-bike, Kickboard Scooter and Mini Kickboard Scooter


• Mr. Toast and Shakey Bacon plush toys


• Gamewright games


• Hasbro card games


• Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora and Spongebob DVDs from Nickelodeon


• Freaky Creatures Set from Abandon Entertainment


• Roundabouts cupcake sleeves basket


• Animal Planet Nintendo DS and Wii games as well as animal totes and other toys from Discovery Toys

So don't miss out!