PBS Kids has rolled out a new storybook application that aims to educate and engage children, as well as develop early science exploration.

The Sid the Science Kids read and play app is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. The application is based on the animated preschool series Sid the Science Kid and was developed by iStoryTime.

?PBS Kids is America's largest classroom,? said Sara DeWitt, vice president of PBS Kids Interactive, Arlington, VA. ?Just as we did with television in the 1960s, we are looking at technology and saying ?how can we use this to create age-appropriate, educational content to engage kids and help them prepare for success in school and in life.? 

?We are dedicated to serving children wherever they live, learn, and play ? on TV, online, through mobile devices, and in the classroom,? she said. ?Mobile apps can be great learning tools for children.

?With nearly 20 apps available on the App Store, one Android app, and many more projects in the pipeline, PBS KIDS continues to develop content across media platforms to both engage and educate America?s children, reaching increasingly more kids and families on-air, online, on mobile, and beyond.?

PBS Kids offers children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs.

Story time
The Sid the Science Kid app features two storybooks, jokes, games, sing-along music videos and coloring pages.

The first storybook, ?Trouble with Germs? lets children follow Sid and discover why he has to wash his hands to get rid of germs.

The second storybook, ?What?s That Smell?? follows Sid as he finds out that smells, while invisible, are molecules that can pass through the air even without wind.

Additionally, the app features sing-along music videos that lets parents and children sing along to the songs from the show, as well as a coloring book that includes different color scenes that users can save, share and print. 

There is also the Sticker Book feature that lets users select from three separate scenes with different objects and characters. They can be saved to the photo album and shared with friends and family.

An app such as this is a great way to educate children, as well as engage fun activities.

Getting the word out
PBS is getting the word out about the app through its extensive social media community.

In addition, the company is encouraging parents to help spread the word out.

?PBS Kids is constantly looking for new ways to connect with kids wherever they are, including in the mobile space,? Ms. DeWitt said. ?Our mission has always been to provide age-appropriate, educational content for children and we continue to expand on that mission with new offerings such as the new Sid the Science Kid Read & Play app ? bringing the same educational value of our TV programming to a mobile device.

?Our approach is also highly research-based,? she said. ?We do a great deal of testing in the development process of our apps, and have also done some of the earliest studies in the kids mobile apps space to test our apps for educational impact. 

?Apps can encourage children to look at the world around them, and the touch screen technology makes it much easier for young children to navigate. The proliferation of new media platforms has enabled us to extend the reach of our educational content and beloved characters to new frontiers ? from touchscreen mobile apps, to streaming video, and gesture-based and augmented reality games. It?s exciting to track what the next technological advances are and to think of ways that we can leverage them to help kids build key skills.?

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York