♪ "teen kids news" is on now and here's what we've got. how teens in texas are making a difference in the lives of people facing serious illness. it takes more than just balance to ride this, courage helps too! i'll show you a fun new way to keep track of your fitness goals!

we've got an all access pass into a world of the strange. the very strange. plus, what teens really want to be when they grow up. and much more, next on "teen kids news." ♪ >> welcome to "teen kids news," i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. >> a lot of teens have busy schedules, but many still find time for volunteering. sienna takes a look at how some texas students connect to cancer patients after school. >> chloe is head manawe2jue boys varsity basketball team at her school and aigh achieving girl scout. celina is editor in chief of her school yearbook, and a debater.

nevin is also on his school's debate team, and he competes in an academic decathelon. but all through high school, they also have been busy, helping to brighten the lives of people coping with cancer. >> all my other extracurricular activities i do for myself, but volunteering is one of the things i can really do for other people, where i really feel like i'm helping my community and contribute to my society. >> the md anderson cancer center in houston provides volunteer opportunities for hundreds of high school students. >> teens are clinic aid volunteers, gift shop volunteers, they volunteer in our beauty-barbershop, our cybercenter, our patient family center, a variety of over 40 different positions. >> chloe and celina run a service that brings hats to patients who are losing their hair because of cancer treatments. >> hi, we're with volunteer services and we're here to offer you a free hat! >> what makes this volunteer

program special is not only the commitment of the students. it's the hospital's commitment as well to give them meaningful jobs, and training. for example, chloe received thorough instruction on how to properly interact with people going through a terrible time. >> i was definitely worried about interacting with people with illness, very serious illnesses at that. and they give you the skills when you train to work with different kinds of people and even your teammates on the hat cart. >> it's very important that our teens are well trained. and they're assigned and matched to a particular position not only of interest to them but one that we feel is appropriate for their life experience. >> nevin has gained a lot of experience here. like many of the volunteers, he has committed one evening every week, throughout high school. now he plans to focus on a healthcare career. >> seeing different people here around md anderson, the patients and the families, have really helped me pick my career choice, and helped me choose the path i want to take for college.

>> celina is not planning a career in medicine. but she has learned plenty of lessons here that she'll use in the future. >> i'm always a bit nervous around new people it didn't make it any easier that i knew these people had life threatening conditions. so it was just really nice to be able to meet these people and understand that their disease was not who they were, merely a situation that they were in. >> if you're interested in working at a hospital, the folks at md anderson suggest you start with the websites of healthcare facilities near you. look for a "volunteer services" department and ask if they make room for teens. >> teens bring enthusiasm and their own personal experience. they share it with our patients, and our staff, and the patients and caregivers absolutely love it! >> one thing to keep in mind, even though you don't get paid for volunteering, you're expected to honor the commitment. so make sure you're ready to take on the responsibility before you start. >> stay with us there's lots more still to come, on "teen kids news." >> we'll be right back. >> teens dream jobs, coming up! two incredible lash looks, one genius brush.

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let's show a little state pride! here's kristen with some interesting fact about our state flags. >> when you hear the name new jersey, images of highways, "the jersey shore", and rock and rollers may come to mind. but, despite its small size and large population, new jersey is actually rooted in agriculture. thousands of acres of farmland and forest cover the state. >> in fact, early european settlers came to new jersey because of its fertile soil.

horse farms, dairy farms, and agriculture fueled the engines of new jersey's growth. >> the new jersey flag is unique, because it emphasizes nature. new jersey often gets a bad rap, but there's a reason why it's known as "the garden state." the english used it as their garden in the new world. they would plant whatever it was they were interested in growing, in new jersey. >> new jersey's flag pays tribute to its agricultural history. first, there's the horse, the official state animal. beneath that is the state seal with three plows. the goddess of agriculture stands to the right, holding a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. on the left, the goddess liberty holds a staff topped with a cap. the cap is a symbol of freedom from the french revolution. blue images on a field of gold represent the state's first european settlers, the dutch. while stationed at jockey hollow during the american revolution, george washington is said to have chosen blue and gold for his troops' uniforms. today, that new jersey site is recognized as our country's

first national historic park. >> the flag really represents all that is good about new jersey. it's not necessarily unique, so much as it is an appropriate image for the state. >> and it proudly displays an appropriate motto, "liberty and prosperity." with flag facts, i'm kristen. >> all right young america, what's your opinion? we'll find out in "speak of the week." >> we're young, we're smart and the opportunities to be whatever we want seem endless, so tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up? >> i'd like to be an artist. i think that'd be interesting. >> i want to be a cosmetologist. >> hmm, well i think i want to be a giraffe trainer because i love giraffes so much. >> i want to be an actress when i grow up.

>> i'd like to be a rugby player. >> i either want to be a lawyer or marine biologist. >> when i grow up i want to be a librarian, because i love to read. >> i'm thinking, one day i'll be a tv reporter -- oh wait, right! for "teen kids news," i'm sam. >> i'm gonna try to ride this thing. can i do it? stay tuned to find out.

what has one wheel, one seat, and one talented rider? a unicycle! this bike may look like something out of the circus, but there's a group of people who are devoted to riding it. >> my favorite part about unicycling is that it is different from other sports and it's really fun to learn new tricks. >> probably the adrenaline when you ride and the balance techniques. >> my favorite part about unicycling, if you're riding around town is people notice you and talk about you and you feel

special. >> so what is this group that you have? >> this is the new york unicycle club. i founded it along with a friend and my brother back in 2001. >> now david's group has over 300 members, both young and young at heart. >> most historians believe the unicycle was created in the late 1800s, when a contraption called the "penny farthing" boomed in popularity. >> the penny farthing was named after two british coins. its big front wheel looked like a penny and its small back wheel looked like a farthing. but, it wasn't long before riders realized they didn't need the back wheel at all. >> over time that front wheel shrank in size to a modern version that is just about this big. >> there are lots of different unicycles.

ones for doing tricks, ones for off-roading and even one called the impossible wheel. >> so what is the impossible wheel? >> a wheel, two platforms and nothing else. you stand on the platforms and something has to make you go. you throw them and then jump on while they're moving. >> okay so what about a possible unicycle, if there is such a thing. >> can anyone unicycle? >> yeah, there's a girl that rides unicycle despite having lost her leg to cancer and my daughter rides and she's six. and a man that was 91 when he started and he mastered it by 92. he was very, very careful. >> i figured, if a 92-year-old man could do it, there's no reason i couldn't try, but first, i wanted some advice. >> i'm about to unicycle, any tips or suggestions? >> try to stay on top of the unicycle and don't fall off! >> i suggest staying in the center of the unicycle and peddling not too fast but at a slow pace constantly. >> practice a lot! >> okay, i guess let's try it! >> so again, you kick a ball with your right foot, lets get

that right peddle lower, sit down first then your foot goes on without moving your right foot. >> right. >> right, not so bad. >> uh -- >> its not as easy as it looks! well, i tried! but for now i think i'll stick to two wheels. for "teen kids news," i'm adrien. a healthy tomorrow begins with a solid foundation at home, and there are simple ways to start your kids on a path to success... help your kids make all of their dreams come true.

be our guest to healthy living today... at letsmove.gov. up, college is hard. down, those books are heavy. nnamdi, voice-over: my sport is football. but my passion is education. so every year, i take promising high schoolers on a college tour. you're getting it. lights there. darks there. nnamdi, voice-over: to show them that higher education means a brighter future. [toot] [laughter] my name is nnamdi asomugha. i don't just wear the shirt, i live it. announcer: find out how you can live united for education. give. advocate. volunteer. go to liveunited.org. do you wear this? overweight teens face two big hurdles. first of all, it's hard to stick to a healthy routine. but it's even harder to stick to a weight loss routine when your "peers" are "peering" over your shoulder. nicole reports on a way to get healthy online. >> it's a sad irony, more and

more american teens are overweight. yet for many teens, being heavy means feeling terribly alone. >> i started gaining weight probably when my parents got divorced and i was about seven. and then i got all the way up to about 285 pounds when i was in freshman year of high school. it's like i was overweight and unhappy with myself and the way i looked. i avoided social situations and stuff like that. >> so how did she get from there to here in a year? jackie says losing more than 100 pounds started with a change in attitude. >> in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you have to keep in mind that it's a mental change, first. it should be you changing your lifestyle, not following a fad or trying to fit into a certain size. you should be trying to be more comfortable with yourself. >> that's where an online community called "fitsmi" enters the picture. it's a website with a toolkit to help teen girls along a journey

toward health. linda frankenbach says she created the website because she has been on that road herself. >> i was a teenage girl who really struggled with her weight. i would go up and down 35 pounds a couple of times a year! >> but the fitsmi site draws on much more than one woman's personal experiences. a lot of research went into developing the right fit for teens and their parents. and we talked to many teen girls and many moms, and both groups talked about how much they needed help. >> the moms said they really didn't know what to say and what to do to help.

and the teen girls said they wanted help from everything from a plan they could follow, to help with fashion and beauty and help just feeling better. >> feeling better includes learning how to look your best at any size. while jackie was on her ua her goal weight fitsmi saved her and her mom a lot of shopping frustration! >> that one's adorable, with leggings, i hope? we were able to go online and look a little bit before we went out, so instead of going to the trendy store of the month and going in there and being told they don't have size 16, it gave us a little reality check at home so we didn't have to go to the mall and have the arguments in a heated scenario when maybe she wasn't feeling so great. >> and of course, no one understands your situation as well as teens like you. one of fitsmi's most important features is connection. first of all, it's a community of other girls, who are going through the same kinds of things. so it's a supportive community of girls who will give each

other tips, root each other on, and be there for each other. fitsmi really helps you to stay motivated and not fall back into old habits everyone is afraid of that, once you've been overweight. jackie shares her commitment to healthy habits not only with her fitsmi friends but also with her family. she and her brother enjoy being active together. they've even organized the kitchen so that the snacks they find first are the ones that are good for them. it's tougher to make healthy choices, but at the end of the day you have to look at it like, what am i putting in my body that's going to help me that's going to benefit me. >> fitsmi has a portal for parents, too. so jackie's mom has been learning how she can be an effective partner in her daughter's efforts.

it's interesting, because jackie's weight loss has kind of inspired me to makchanges for the whole household. >> there's a lot of information available online about nutrition, weight loss and exercise. but your first move should be a conversation with your family doctor to make sure your goals, and your methods are healthy ones. >> when we return i'll show you real shrunken heads, the world's smallest car and gynormous real shrunken heads, the world's smallest car and gynormous  man on radio: mission is a go. woman on p.a.: dr. craddox, you have a visitor in the main lobby. you ready to go home today? girl: definitely. let's take a look. this year, more than 27,000 children will be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. you are good to go. through the course of their treatment, many of them will miss school. many of them will miss spending time with their family and friends.

so, have you made your decision yet? yeah, i think so. [ singing ] and many will simply miss being a kid. here we go. but you can lift their spirits and give them a special kind of hope. there are thousands of wishes waiting to come true. you can make it happen. find out how today at wish.org. [ flippers slapping ] tommy's a really good kid. my tommy would never even think about trying alcohol. isn't that right, sweetie? the mailbox... [horn honks] and the traffic light. both are ideas from the minds of african americans. support the united negro college fund. because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

there are all kinds of museums in this world. from art, natural history, to science and industry. but did you know there's a museum dedicated to some of the most bizarre things you've ever seen? >> welcome to the "ripley's believe it or not odditorium" in new york's times square. >> an odditorium is a museum, but like no museum you've ever seen before. when you walk in, you will be

confronted with some of the strangest, most unusual artifacts that have ever been compiled in one place. so we felt it was very important to differentiate ourselves from a typical museum. especially for kids, because as they come in they'll constantly be looking around and say, "i don't believe what i'm seeing." hence the name ripley's believe it or not odditorium. >> so who was robert ripley? >> he actually started as a newspaper journalist and through his travels became fascinated with the bizarre and unusual. was kinda like the real life indiana jones and lived by the adage that fact was stranger than fiction. >> the odditorium has hundreds of exhibits. from freaks of nature to medieval torture devices to some very strange customs. stephen ekstrom is our guide through this weird and wonderful place. >> there's so much to see, that i asked steven to show me his top five favorite exhibits. so where to do we start. >> this way, follow me. >> we're going to start with my fifth favorite attraction and that is the world's largest display of shrunken human heads. these are all real human heads

like this one right here, that were shrunk by the havirov tribe of ecuador and peru. we've got about two dozen on display here and that's more than you'll find at the smithsonian. >> how does a head shrink like that? >> we actually have a ten-step recipe up on the wall, but it starts with beheading your enemies, preferably when they're dead. then you stew it and smoke it, its kinda like leathering and you remove the skull before that and you fill it with hot sand and stone and rocks so that it actually shrinks down to the point where its only about big enough to fit in your hand. >> so that's just the skin? >> that is just the skin. >> no bones. >> no bones. >> all right, i hope you're ready because i'm going to show you my number four favorite thing at the museum. it's this right here. this is the world's smallest production car. it's a peal trident they come from england and as you can see they seat two people rather uncomfortably. it's electric power, it goes

about 40 miles per hour and its easy to park. you can put it about anywhere! >> so what makes this different then a toy car, or a golf cart? >> well golf carts don't go 40 miles per hour, that's one thing. the other thing that makes this different from a toy car is that this is actually street legal. and this is street legal and sold in england. >> i wanna drive it! >> you wanna drive it? you have your license. okay let me give you a lesson here! >> beep beep, hey move out of the way! okay, so what's you're number three -- >> the funny thing about number three is i almost ate it, and its this right here. it's a portrait of barack obama but its made entirely of gumballs, almost 13,000 of them! >> say hello to my little friend. so we're up to two. what is your number two favorite exhibit? they're right over here. >> climb on in. these are live hissing cockroaches from madagascar, there's a whole family of them. and they're edible! >> oh, my gosh.

>> and you can see you're completely surrounded by these loveable, delicious, and friendly characters that we call our pets. >> i'm out of here. no really, it's a little creepy. >> if you thought that was creepy, i actually got one out earlier, so i can hold it, and i appreciate the fact that you tucked yourself into the corner because -- >> i just -- >> here you go. >> i really don't want to hold him. >> you sure? do you want to just pet him? >> i don't want to. >> would you mind just petting him, making him feel friendly. they don't bite all you have to worry about is them running up hand and up your sleeve. >> thits weird -- >> just like this. >> okay, i think we're ready for your top favorite out of your

favorite exhibit out of all of the exhibits. >> we are and have you ever heard of mad scientists? >> yes. >> well, mad scientists were studying what made the mad, mad. what made criminals, criminals, what made the crazy, crazy. this gentleman over here about 200 years ago was convicted of a crime in france. after he was beheaded, his head was set in this preservative by mad scientists who were trying to figure out what made him mad. and if you take a look at it, you can see his brain his eye sockets, his tongue and if you look at it from the side you can even see his eye lashes. >> oh, my gosh. >> there are ripley's odditoriums all around the country that attract thousands of visitors every year. >> in the movie "night at the museum," ben stiller has to spend a night with all the exhibits that come alive. would you spend a night in a museum like this? >> we actually have people that do. we do fascinating overnight programs here at the attraction. >> would i like to spend a night

here in this museum? are you kidding? for "teen kids news," i'm amanda. that wraps up our show, but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." >> thanks for joining us, and have a great week! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> write to us at info@teen kids news.com. [vibrates] g morning, sunshine.

wakey, wakey. text me back. [chattering] [vibrates] hey. did you tell your parents about us? let's skip first period together. did you get all my texts? is practice over yet? where you at? are you with your friends? that's laaaa-mee. capital "x," lower-case "o," capital "x," lower-case "o," i love you. jk. i hate you. jk. are you ignoring me? we're in a huge fight right now. is it something i did? i can see your lights on. i'm coming over. this isn't a joke. what did you dream about? [overlapping] is it me? i'm lonely. holla back. holla back. let's try something new. nude pics. send me some. text me. when your kids eat healthy and get active,