These are somes examples of the types of messages aimed at kids. And to the people who send them, Rona Zlokower, Director of Media Smart is public enemy number one.

Rona says, “the power of media is that it works on the emotions and when your emotions are being influenced you are really not thinking.”

She continues, "if we can get children to think about what they are watching and listening to they become much more discerning and know whether they should listen to it or buy it.”

Zlokower works at Child Health Services in Manchester. She’s concerned about the effects food advertising has on children. So, she created Media Smart. Teachers learn how ads work, then they teach children.

Health teach Sarah Connolly adds, "the big thing that we teach them is (to find out) what the story being told is, whether it's a magazine ad or commercial. What is the story they want you to believe?”

Connolly and Art Teacher Claire Provencher teach kids how to take stories apart. Once deconstructed, students often find what they’re looking for: hidden messages.

Claire Provencher found, “they were pretty sharp, they watched a coca cola ad with the polar bear and we asked what’s the story being told? And they said the bear wasn’t going to go with his mother, but coke made him go. So coke will let you do anything. They weren’t fooled.”

One student, Jovan Morse said this about the classwork, "it teaches you how they trick you and how they get you to buy stuff that looks cool on TV.”

Jovan and Joven Morse are fifth graders at McDonough School in Manchester. For six weeks their class took a critical look at messages in the media.

Jovan added, “It can come from anywhere, books, billboards, tv, computers, on shopping carts and just like paper, send you messages it can be entertainment trying to get you to buy something.”

That effort to sell is impressive. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that children eight to twelve years old view more than 30,000 TV ads every year – and that’s just television. More than 70% of them are selling snacks, candy and fast food. We asked Rona if that is a new trend.

She says,"it probably has always been (that way). But food and beverage sales in the united states is a 900 billion dollar a year industry and 34 billion annually is spent marketing to children that’s a huge increase from previous years, and we know that TV is implicated in influencing obesity and weight issues.”

Rona continues, “what we’re seeing now with the fast food marketing is this appeal to men that its not manly if you don’t eat a lot of food.”

Joanne Burke teaches nutrition science at the University of New Hampshire. Watch this Burger King commercial that recently caught her eye.

Commercial: "I am man hear me roar, the numbers too big too ignore. And I’m way too hungry to settle for chick food. Cause my stomach’s starting to growl and I’m going on the prowl for a Texas Double Whopper. Man that’s good. Yes, I’m a guy!"

Joane comments, “kids watching and young boys are going to be envisioning that that’s what you do. You don’t eat vegetables or keish or tofu, or... “chick foods.” This whole distortion that men have to overeat to be manly is a step back in time.

One student said, “its like it makes it fun so that you know its healthy for you.”

Rona tells us, “one thing we teach parents is to have media in a central location so that not only can you watch media with your child but that you can comment on it and parents can use advertisements as teachable moments… You know look at those cartoons of Lucky Charms, do you think there are berries in that cereal that are popping around. And children like to talk about the story that’s being told.”

And there are some stories worth listening to. Gary Marino walked from Florida to Boston. He did it to lower his weight and raise awareness about obesity. Along the way, he made a film.

Gary says, “The Million Calorie Walk -- we met America. We walked through 1,200 miles of cities and neighborhoods and what I learned is people do want to focus on health and be in control, they do want to lose weight”

Marino stopped in communities talking with anyone interested in listening to his story. The Million Calorie March premiered at the Works Health Center in Somersworth.

Gary comments, “obesity is difficult to make a film about. This is different because it has a sense of humor and is entertaining and we hope that will hold the kid’s attention and their parents’ attention. The kids who have seen it seem to understand that if you eat too much fast food you end up walking across the country... It’s not quite what happened but they can have that message if they want it.”

Marino’s message for parents is to take responsibility for their children’s health.

Gary cautions, “parents have to counter the bombardment of messages out there by creating a healthy home. Home is ground zero. You can’t really control what they eat at school or friends’ homes, but you can control what they eat at your house. So by creating a healthy environment at home you are doing what you can.”

Sarah Connely feels, “one big thing that they learned was that media can have good messages and bad ones and just being to really distinguish between the two is important.”

After six weeks of learning how to recognize the differences, this fifth grader has some advice.

“They can be tricky they have a strategy, its sort of like a chess game we’re pawns in their little chess game.”

And what is Media Smart's hope for the next ten years?

"Our hope would be that (children) develop a different way of seeing, listening and perceiving so they become critical thinkers as they consume media, the skills they learn can be applied to anything and media particularly, once you begin thinking critically you understand how media is constructed and you can make a choice about whether you are influenced or not.”

For NH Outlook, I’m Phil Vaughn.