LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
Making a splash: Commission launches child-friendly environmental app for
smartphones and tablets
The European Commission has launched an environmental app that can be
downloaded to Apple and Android devices.
Zoe Makes a Splash! is an interactive digital storybook aimed at
children between the ages of 7 and 11 and is free to download.
The app tells the story of two inquisitive children who are shown the
importance of water in society. Their guide is an articulate frog, who also
alerts them to the impact of polluted water and shows them how it can be
avoided.
Fun animations and interactive features alternate with more serious
educational sections, where users learn about the hydrological cycle and water
treatment.
An online version of the story is also available, with a set of
teaching notes to encourage project-based activities in the classroom.
The app and its online version are available in English, French,
German, Spanish, Italian and Polish.
Background
The app is launched as one of several water-related initiatives.
The Commission will produce a Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water
Resources in mid-November.The blueprint is intended to steer the development of
water policy up to 2020, fine-tuning existing policy and filling any gaps.
A number of other environment-related publications are also available
for children, notably the hugely successful Tom and Lila stories for 5-7 year
olds (available here).
Ten titles appeared between 2001 and 2011, and nearly 2 million were
distributed around the EU.