PBS Expands PBS KIDS PLAY!(SM) with Original Content Based on CURIOUS GEORGE, BOB THE BUILDER, THOMAS & FRIENDS and, Coming Soon, SUPER WHY!

PBS Expands PBS KIDS PLAY!(SM) with Original Content Based on CURIOUS GEORGE, BOB THE BUILDER, THOMAS & FRIENDS and, Coming Soon, SUPER WHY!

Educational gaming service will be featured at Kids@Play Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- PBS KIDS PLAY!(SM), a broadband subscription service that offers a comprehensive early childhood curriculum for ages 3 to 6 using interactive games and activities, will preview original new content at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 8-11. PBS KIDS PLAY! will be featured in the Kids@Play exhibit area in booth 72406J at the Sands Convention Hall and will also participate in the Kids@Play Summit Conference, Friday, January 9 at The Venetian Hotel, Room Lando 4303.

New to PBS KIDS PLAY! are original games based on popular PBS KIDS programs such as CURIOUS GEORGE, SUPER WHY!, BOB THE BUILDER, and THOMAS & FRIENDS as well as PBS KIDS PLAY!'s online exclusive property WUMPA'S WORLD. In addition, PBS KIDS PLAY! recently expanded its unique progress tracker, which helps parents and caregivers follow their child's learning path and recommends games based on individual learning needs.

"We are thrilled to have PBS KIDS, the leader in educational media, participate at the Kids@Play Summit," said Summit founder Robin Raskin. "The Summit's mission is to showcase a new generation of digital products and services in order to assess the best. We're identifying digital play that is innovative, inspiring and safe and PBS KIDS PLAY! delivers on all these levels and more."

"Since its launch in March 2008, PBS KIDS PLAY! has been greeted with enthusiasm by children, parents and industry experts alike - and we're committed to broadening this experience in 2009," said Ben Grimley, Senior Director of PBS Interactive Businesses. "PBS KIDS PLAY! is a natural extension of PBS's mission to advance children's learning by addressing a child's total well-being - cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically - with innovative content that adjusts to children's individual learning styles."

In its first nine months, PBS KIDS PLAY! received high recognition for its original broadband content, including:

-- 2008 Parents' Choice Recommended Award Winner
-- "Outstanding Products of 2008" iParenting Media Award Winner
-- "2009 Teachers' Choice(SM) Award for the Family" Winner

The PBS KIDS PLAY! curriculum includes essential skill development areas in math, science, language, literacy, creativity, healthy living, and social studies. All games and activities are designed specifically to meet educational standards and benchmarks for ages 3-6.

An example of how PBS's content nurtures a child's total well-being: "My Journal," a unique social-emotional activity developed with Family Communications Inc., producers of MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, encourages a child to reflect on, give a name to and deal with their feelings about everyday situations like school, playtime and friends.

PBS KIDS PLAY! also provides unique opportunities to explore the animal kingdom with nine exclusive games created in collaboration with National Geographic, along with a selection of episodes from the series MAMA MIRABELLE'S HOME MOVIES.

Expanded Availability:

PBS KIDS PLAY! is offered free at pbskidsplay.org with a 15-day time limit. Payment information is not required to try the program, which may be purchased afterward on a subscription basis for $9.95 monthly or $79.95 annually. Broadband is required.

PBS KIDS PLAY! is now also available through participating public television stations that offer it as a member benefit.

Other PBS KIDS PLAY! Highlights:

-- Positive role models from CURIOUS GEORGE, SUPER WHY!, BOB THE BUILDER,
MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, THOMAS & FRIENDS, THE BERENSTAIN BEARS,
FRANNY'S FEET, MAMA MIRABELLE'S HOME MOVIES and online exclusive
property, WUMPA'S WORLD, guide children through interactive
educational activities.
-- Adaptive learning environment - the games adjust for each child based
on his or her individual progress.
-- Recommendations engine suggests varied activities to keep the child
engaged in learning.
-- Children can save creative projects - drawings, stories, and musical
compositions.
-- Streams PBS KIDS TV episodes in a child-friendly player.
-- Text-free navigation for pre-readers.
-- Personal favorites list makes it easy to bookmark activities.
-- Parents can set a timer to enforce breaks and limit their child's
computer use.
-- Full-screen "walled garden" environment.
-- 24/7 toll-free support.

About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!

PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children - from every walk of life - the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and outreach programs. With positive character role models and content designed to nurture a child's total well-being, PBS's online and community resources - including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org), PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country - leverage the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. Empowering children for success in school and in life, only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 356 public television stations, serving more than 61 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.

About Kids@Play

Kids@Play Summit is a conference and exhibition held at CES in Las Vegas that explores how kids, from toddler to teen, play, learn, communicate and entertain themselves in the digital world.

Source: PBS KIDS PLAY!

CONTACT: Victoria Renwick of 360 Public Relations, office:
+1-617-585-5781, or mobile: +1-857-350-6275, vrenwick@360publicrelations.com,
for PBS KIDS PLAY!

Web Site: http://www.pbskidsplay.org/

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