Arizona PBS Invites Families to Join a PBS KIDS Summer Safari of Learning

Research shows it is critical to support children’s learning during summer months to prevent loss of learning, explains Eight’s Kim Flack. Photo courtesy of Eight, Arizona PBS.

PHOENIX – (June 26, 2015) This summer Eight, Arizona PBS is encouraging kids and their families to continue learning beyond the school year with a PBS KIDS “Summer Safari” of content and activities.

Developed to help bridge the summer learning gap, PBS KIDS’ Summer Safari includes specials and new episodes from “Dinosaur Train,” “Wild Kratts,” “Curious George” and “WordGirl”; free digital tools for parents and kids; and partnerships with AARP Foundation Experience Corps, I Can Read books (published by Harper Collins Children’s Books), Reading Is Fundamental and National PTA that bring learning activities directly to communities. Eight, Arizona PBS will also partner with Read On Yuma to host “Super Why” Camps in order to help prepare children for kindergarten. In addition, Eight, Arizona PBS will host PBS KIDS “Odd Squad” Camp the week of July 6, a free learning camp specially designed for kids between the ages of five- and eight-years-old.

“Research shows that it is critical to support children’s learning during the summer months to help prevent learning loss while they are out of school,” said Kim Flack, associate general manager of Educational Outreach at Eight, Arizona PBS. “Eight is committed to making summer a fun and enriching time for all kids. Through this year’s Summer Safari programming and community activities, we will provide free PBS KIDS resources to Arizona families, helping them learn and explore during the summer months.”

Programming

Wild Kratts Wild Wednesdays: July is jam-packed with “Wild Kratts” fun every Wednesday. The month kicks off July 1 with the hit movie “Wild Kratts: Back in Creature Time.” Two new episodes of “Wild Kratts” premiere each of the following Wednesdays at 3 p.m. In addition, “Rhino Bowl,” an online game from “Wild Kratts” debuts this summer at pbskids.org. In this new mobile-friendly adventure, players must use rhinoceros-strength creature power to save the day.

Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle: The world television premiere of “Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle” airs on Monday, August 17 at 8 a.m., followed by the hit 2009 movie “Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey" at 9:30 a.m. Follow George in an all-new movie as he goes on an epic adventure to space that crash lands in the jungles of Africa, leading to an unforgettable journey with some new animal friends.

WordGirl: This summer, “WordGirl” flies onto screens from coast-to-coast and flexes her crime-solving muscles in 20 never-before-seen episodes on PBS KIDS digital platforms, including pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. Catch “WordGirl” on air Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. and on digital platforms throughout the summer.

Partnership Activities

AARP Foundation: PBS KIDS has partnered with AARP Foundation Experience Corps to extend the learning from this summer’s new “WordGirl” episodes. Through this initiative, AARP Foundation Experience Corps tutors, PBS member stations, and their local partners will provide “WordGirl” literacy activity booklets to children in kindergarten through third grade. The activities build on the literacy and vocabulary skills addressed in the new “WordGirl” episodes, which will premiere weekly this summer. Episodes and materials will be available online at youtube.com/pbskids and youtube.com/aarpexperiencecorps, as well as pbskids.org/learn.

I Can Read! books published by HarperCollins Children’s Books: PBS KIDS and HarperCollins are offering free reading party kits for hosting an I Can Readathon event through participating retailers and PBS member stations. The kits include an I Can Read! activity booklet, reading logs, activity pages, stickers, certificates, a PBS KIDS Summer Safari activity chart and activity sheets.

Reading Is Fundamental and National PTA: PBS KIDS is partnering with Reading Is Fundamental and National PTA to encourage families to explore reading and learning through a variety of activities this summer. Access an assortment of enriching educational activities such as activity calendars, summer fun games and tips for family outings provided by RIF at pbskids.org/learn/summer.

Digital Resources

azpbs.org/read: Eight, Arizona PBS provides Arizona parents and educators with educational resources that correspond with all of the PBS KIDS summer shows in order to help students stay focused on learning throughout the summer.

PBSKIDS.org/learn: PBS KIDS provides parents with daily learning tips, extended learning ideas and recommended games and activities now through August 30 at pbskids.org/learn.

Free apps: PBS KIDS offers a variety of free apps for parents and kids to support summer learning, including the PBS KIDS Super Vision App, now available on Apple Watch, and the popular PBS KIDS Video App. Information about the apps is available at pbskids.org/apps.

Free PBS KIDS videos: PBS KIDS will once again offer free episodes of favorite PBS KIDS series through iTunes this summer.

Community Activities

“Super Why” Camps: Eight is partnering with Read On Yuma to host “Super Why” Camps at various locations across Yuma in order to help prepare young children for kindergarten.

PBS KIDS “Odd Squad” Camp: Join us at Eight’s studios on the Downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University the week of July 6, for PBS KIDS “Odd Squad” Camp, a free learning camp specially designed for kids between the ages of five- and eight-years-old.

Summer reading event: Celebrate summer reading at Wildflower Bread Company in Goodyear on June 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. for a fun-filled evening of reading activities and interactive games designed for children between the ages of two- and eight-years-old. Curious George will make a special guest appearance to visit with children and their families in support of summer reading.  A portion of food and beverage sales that evening will be donated to Arizona PBS Education Early Literacy programs.

Parents can follow Eight, Educational Outreach on Twitter and Facebook, and PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook for more information on free summer learning resources and special offers from PBS KIDS and its partners. Press materials related to PBS KIDS’ summer learning initiatives are available on PBS PressRoom.

About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.