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Cyberchase, the Hit PBS KIDS GO! Math Series, Launches Extensive Multi-Media Math Site for 8 to 11-year-olds

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Parents and teachers concerned about children falling behind in math can take heart that an online destination designed to captivate, entertain, and improve problem-solving and math skills is now bigger and better than ever. THIRTEEN for WNET New York Public Media, one of America's most prolific and respected public media providers, and producer of Cyberchase, the Emmy Award®-winning PBS KIDS GO! math series for kids 8 to 11, has redesigned the Cyberchase website with all-new features and hundreds of videos, math games and hands-on activities in support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning.

The online experience, relaunching today, captures the fun and adventure of the series while strategically engaging children in standards-based math concepts across different types of media. Produced with funding from The National Science Foundation (NSF), the site will take its place as one of the largest math resources on the web for kids. For nearly 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local documentary and children's programming to the New York community.

"With a nine-year legacy of millions of kids, parents, educators and community organizations using our resources, Cyberchase is well-poised to be the number one destination for those seeking a content-rich and whimsical online math adventure," says Sandra Sheppard, Executive Producer and Director of Children's & Educational Media for WNET.

The website (PBSKIDSGO.org/cyberchase) brings together in one place all of Cyberchase's rich multi-media content - 94 episodes, hundreds of videos, including videos in Spanish, and 100+ math games and activities - and is a culmination of nine years' research which demonstrates the power of Cyberchase to improve children's problem-solving and math skills, and increase positive attitudes toward math. The site is restructured for kids, parents and educators to make their favorite experiences more thematically and mathematically linked, and easier than ever to find.

Executive Producer and Editorial Director Frances Nankin explains, "Recent NSF-funded research using Cyberchase revealed that engaging children with a combination of media on the same topic produces greater learning than using one medium alone. Our site's new recommended content paths were informed by this research. We know this will serve kids well, and that parents and educators will love it."

Central to the redesign are new recommended content paths -- prompts designed to keep kids moving through math experiences across a single theme. When users select their favorite Cyberchase games or episodes to play, they automatically can choose from other media selections related to the same math topic or character. With the all-new Find It! page, users can browse through content organized by popular topics such as fractions, science & engineering and geometry.

Vice President of PBS KIDS Interactive Sara DeWitt notes, "STEM education is one of PBS KIDS GO!'s top priorities, and supporting math learning is a critical component of that, so we're excited to relaunch Cyberchase's online destination for kids. The site combines a variety of video and game content to help build critical math skills such as reasoning and problem solving, which we know play an integral role in school success."

Visitors to the Cyberchase site will now discover:

    --  An exciting new look and feel that immerses users in the world of
        Cyberchase and engages them in character- and math-driven adventures
        across a vast media offering
    --  A Find It! section that allows users to navigate collections of content
        by math topic or themes like Holidays and Money
    --  A video player on which kids can watch all of Cyberchase's 94 full
        episodes plus hundreds of short videos
    --  Videos En Espanol and videos with embedded games
    --  A math games area that features rotating recommendations for nearly 50
        interactive games, including four immersive Quests
    --  An activities area that makes it easy to select fun, hands-on printables
        kids can do alone or with others both in and out of school

Targeted for kids 8 to 11, the redesigned Cyberchase site will also serve older and younger kids, along with parents and educators looking to bolster math learning with engaging - and entertaining - math content. It was developed and designed by Smashing Ideas, an interactive agency known for creating break-through, entertaining experiences for kids, tweens, teens and families across all screens.

About Cyberchase

Cyberchase--the Emmy Award®-winning animated series and website on PBS KIDS GO!®--is the only mathematics project for school-age kids using broadcast, web, new media and educational outreach to impact millions nationwide. The TV series airs on PBS KIDS GO! across the country. Check local listings at PBSKIDSGO.org/cyberchase. Cyberchase spans across platforms with the Cyberchase Lucky Star Game Show application for SMART Board(TM) and the brain-boosting app for iPhone and iPod Touch, Cyberchase Math Match. The traveling bilingual museum exhibit, Cyberchase: The Chase Is On!, continues to tour the country and is permanently installed at the Children's Museum of Houston. Cyberchase reaches into local communities through partnerships with organizations who share a mission to improve STEM literacy, including PBS stations nationwide, children's museums and science centers, and national community organizations. Learn more about Cyberchase's partners or read about the educational philosophy and research behind the project. Cyberchase is produced by THIRTEEN in association with WNET New York Public Media. Funding for Cyberchase is provided by the National Science Foundation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Ernst & Young, LLP and PBS. Additional funding is provided by the Volckhausen Family.

About WNET New York Public Media

WNET is America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces such acclaimed PBS series as Great Performances, American Masters, Nature, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Noah Comprende and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through SundayArts, Reel 13, NJ Today and the new online newsmagazine MetroFocus.

About PBS KIDS GO!

PBS KIDS GO! offers early elementary children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS GO! content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, join our community online on Twitter and Facebook, or visit PBSKIDSGO.org.

Websites: PBSKIDSGO.org/cyberchase & facebook.com/cyberchase

SOURCE WNET New York Public Media