i bought a Ben-Sher a while back for my son and of course i've been shooting it. was wondering how to and how often these things should be cleaned?

Don't bother trying to clean inside the barrel.
No burnt powder, so no problem.
If it's not used for a long time, a tiny little bit of gun oil down it won't hurt.
But NEVER get oil in the air chamber of any airgun.
Just clean the metal bits with an oily rag to prevent rust.
And lightly lube the pivot pins etc. every 250 or so shots.
For pump ups, CO2 or PreCharged guns, I put a drop of silicone in them every now and then and shoot it through.

how about these caliber specific cleaning pellets? read where you can put a little air gun cleaning solvent on them and just shoot it. sounds good...does that do any good? i'm new to this air gun thing but it's a lot of fun.

cleaning pellets are a waste of time, and in the case of springers a piston seal killer. Just use a pull through & patch with simple green,goo gone,spray nine ect. most any household degreaser. DO Not use firearm solvents as they will kill seals. Once you have the gunk out of the barrel your good untill accuracy drops off.

You should really clean a new barrel, but it's usually too late, by the time a new airgunner asks about airgun maintenance.
But for what you guys in The States pay for guns, I'd never clean anything, just get a new one when it gets dirty.