TVO launches five new educational apps for kids for the BlackBerry PlayBook

I'm always on the lookout for quality educational apps for my kids, especially my daughter. She loves the BlackBerry PlayBook, so anything I can find to help reinforce the subjects she learns in school is great, and if they are fun and keep her engaged, then it's a win. TVOKids and Research In Motion just launched five new educational apps for the PlayBook, with three free games for ages 2-5, and two paid games for ages 6-11.

• TVOKids Alphabet Goop  (Ages 2-5) - Helps kids recognize and match letters of the alphabet. (Free)
• TVOKids Get Growing  (Ages 2-5) - Teaches kids how and why plants grow. (Free)
• TVOKids Sign Match (Ages 2-5) - Helps kids learn about important signs they encounter every day. (Free)
• TVOKids Spelling Fleas (Ages 6-11) - Asks kids to fill in the missing letters in words, find the correct spelling of words, identify verbs and select pictures to match sentences. ($1.99)
• TVOKids Space Trek Galaxy (Ages 6-11) - Strengthens kids' deductive and logical reasoning skills. ($1.99)

You can find all of these games and a few that TVO previously released at the link below. Full press release is after the break. 

More information/screenshots and to download any of these games from TVO

TVO launches five new educational apps for kids
TVO's new apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet offer on the go learning opportunities for early learners and school-aged kids

TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2011 /CNW/ - Today TVO launches five new educational apps for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet from TVOKids, Ontario's most trusted and most educational media brand for children.

Offering parents a safe, educational alternative in gaming, TVO's apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook support a wide range of learning objectives from the Ontario school curriculum including: math, science, reading and writing. All TVOKids content is developed using TVO's Educational Blueprint, a rigorous process which ensures a quality educational experience, and is tested in classrooms with teachers, students and TVO's on-staff educational expert.

Each app includes information for parents on how the game supports the curriculum and how to maximize the educational outcomes. Each app also offers "at home activities" for parents who want to engage their child in more learning at home.

"Using interactive media to support today's young digital learner is a key priority for TVO," says CEO Lisa de Wilde. "We're adding value to the trusted educational games created for tvokids.com by repurposing them as apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook."

TVO is committed to equipping Ontario's children to be successful learners by providing educational content developed for on the go learning - anywhere, anytime.

"The TVO educational applications offer fun, interesting and challenging content for kids and are a great example of how the BlackBerry PlayBook is being adopted by consumers in the home," said Alec Saunders, Vice President, Developer Relations & Ecosystems Development, Research In Motion.

These new apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook are available for free download on BlackBerry App World™ (www.blackberry.com/appworld) today:

TVOKids Alphabet Goop - Ages 2-5
Alphabet Goop is a fun and engaging phonics based game that helps kids recognize and match letters of the alphabet. TVOKids host Gisèle asks players for the first letter of objects as she stirs up her alphabet bowl.

TVOKids Get Growing - Ages 2-5
Get Growing is a fun, engaging science activity that helps teach kids how and why plants grow.

TVOKids Sign Match - Ages 2-5
Sign Match is a card matching game that helps kids learn about important signs they encounter every day in their environment.

The TVO apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook for $1.99 are available for download on BlackBerry App World (www.blackberry.com/appworld) today:

TVOKids Spelling Fleas - Ages 6-11
The mini-games found in the Spelling Fleas activity focus on the following areas of the language curriculum: spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension and phonics. Spelling Fleas asks kids to fill in the missing letters in words, find the correct spelling of words, identify verbs and select pictures to match sentences.

TVOKids Space Trek Galaxy - Ages 6-11
Playing Space Trek Galaxy helps kids strengthen their deductive and logical reasoning skills. Through trial and error, kids will have tons of fun trying to clear the board without uncovering a meteor.

About TVO
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.