TVO Expands Suite Of Educational Children’s Apps To BlackBerry 10

^[1]TVO ^[1], Ontario’s public educational media organization, is pleased to partner with BlackBerry to offer six TVOKids educational children’s apps for BlackBerry® 10. TVO’s app offerings for BlackBerry 10 come as part of an extensive relationship with BlackBerry built on a shared commitment to inspire young minds through the power of education, and are available affective today as new devices hit Ontario stores. As the most trusted and most educational media brand for children in Canada (Ipsos Reid, 2011), TVO fosters early learning development by creating award-winning, classroom-tested educational resources, including apps for mobile devices and online games and videos. With content that supports the Ontario Curriculum, TVO provides educational resources across a variety of platforms, with more educational apps than any other Canadian broadcaster.

The free apps available for download on the BlackBerry® World™ ^[2] storefront include Alphabet Goop, Explore the Night and Sign Match for kids ages two to five years, and Cake Artist and Tumbletown Mathletics for kids ages six to 11. A sixth app for kids ages six to 11, Reading Rangers, is also available for download for 99 cents. Additional TVOKids apps will be released throughout the year for BlackBerry 10 customers.

Offering parents a safe, educational alternative in gaming, TVOKids apps support a wide range of learning objectives from the Ontario School Curriculum including math, literacy and science. Each app includes information for parents on how the game supports the curriculum and how to maximize the educational outcomes.

“TVO is committed to building children’s math, literacy and science skills and we are delighted to join forces with BlackBerry for the launch of BlackBerry 10,” said Lisa de Wilde, Chief Executive Officer of TVO. “TVO’s partnership with BlackBerry enables us to foster more innovation in the digital space, by combining on-the-go learning opportunities that reinforce the Ontario curriculum with cutting-edge technology.”

“Customers appreciate a solid and innovative content offering and TVO brings that through their variety of interactive and educational games for kids,” said Martyn Mallick, VP of Global Alliances and Business Development at BlackBerry.

The TVOKids apps available for download at BlackBerry World are:

Ages 2-5

• Alphabet Goop ^[3] (free) – Kids can learn letters with Gisèle from TVOKids early learning block Gisèle’s Big Backyard. Gisèle asks players for the first letter of objects she stirs up from her gooey alphabet soup. This phonics-based game helps children recognize and match letters of the alphabet.
• Explore the Night ^[4] (free) – Kids explore the world outside Tia’s window with a magnifying glass, binoculars and telescope in this app aimed at helping children understand the natural world around them by fostering a respect for the environment.
• Sign Match ^[5] (free) – This fun memory game teaches children about the signs they encounter in their everyday lives such as “Stop,” “Poison,” and “Do Not Enter,” alongside Gisèle and Robbie from Gisèle’s Big Backyard.

Ages 6-11

• Cake Artist ^[6] (free) – Kids can learn all about colour and texture while helping Princess P serve delicious cakes.
• Tumbletown Mathletics ^[7] (free) – There’s a brain workout in store for kids in this fun app that combines math, athletics and the zany characters of Tumbletown Tales.
• Reading Rangers ^[8] (99 cents) – Kids get two-for-one word fun with two Reading Rangers games, Clip Clop Puzzler and Spin-a-Tale, in this app which allows players to solve crossword puzzles and create funny sentences with nouns and adjectives.