Arizona PBS is partnering with “Nature Cat,” a PBS Kids program, to bring nature- and STEM-focused, curriculum-based media to kids in the Grand Canyon Village community on September 22 – 23. Achieved in collaboration with Grand Canyon Schools, Grand Canyon National Park and the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, this two-day event is part of the 2022 “Nature Cat” Road Trip, presented by Chicago PBS station WTTW and Spiffy Pictures.
Taking place from 2:30 to 5 p.m., the Sept. 22 event will serve the Grand Canyon School District at the SRC Rec Center, located at 1 Mohave St. in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The Sept. 23 event, which is open to the public, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Grand Canyon Village Visitor Center. Both events will feature a costumed character appearance and “Nature Cat” activity stations, featuring Animal Teeth Hopscotch, crafts and a book giveaway. In addition to these two Arizona events, the road trip will also be visiting four other states across the U.S.
“At Arizona PBS, our Educational Outreach team is tasked with, not only sharing educational resources in all corners of our state, but also cultivating a true eagerness and enthusiasm for learning,” said Kimberly Flack, senior director of Educational Outreach at Arizona PBS. “This upcoming, two-day ‘Nature Cat’ event will help us achieve both goals.”
In addition to kicking off the 2022 “Nature Cat” Road Trip, this event will also serve as a continuation of the Arizona PBS and Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation “Have a Healthy Smile” campaign, which was launched this past January. The collaborative initiative aims to boost family involvement in good oral health practices, focusing on the importance of brushing twice a day, changing toothbrushes regularly and visiting the dentist twice a year. For more on the “Have a Healthy Smile” campaign, click here.
“‘Have a Healthy Smile’ is just one of the programs in which we invest and participate in order to advance our mission of improving lives by promoting optimal oral health,” said Michael Jones, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona and president of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. “This educational event at the Grand Canyon South Rim allows us to extend our outreach to additional communities in need of support.”
“Nature Cat” is an animated PBS KIDS series designed to encourage children ages 3-8 to explore and develop connections with the natural world. The series follows the adventures of its title character who can’t wait to get outside for a day of nature excursions and bravery, but there’s one problem: he’s a house cat with no instincts for nature. With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat embarks on action-packed adventures that include exciting missions full of nature investigation, “aha” discovery moments and humor, all while inspiring children to go outside and play.
“Nature Cat” airs weekdays at 6:30 a.m. on Arizona PBS and daily at noon on Arizona PBS Kids, the station’s 24/7 kids channel. Digital resources related to the series, including games, video segments, hands-on activities and parent resources, are available at pbskids.org/naturecat.
Created by brothers David Rudman and Adam Rudman, “Nature Cat” is a co-production of Spiffy Pictures and WTTW Chicago. Major funding for the series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
For more information about the two-day “Nature Cat” event and all other Arizona PBS Kids events, visit https://azpbs.org/education/arizona-pbs-kids-events.
About Arizona PBS
Arizona PBS is one of the nation’s leading public media organizations, with four broadcast channels and a growing array of digital platforms. A trusted community resource for 60 years, Arizona PBS fosters lifelong learning through quality programming, in-depth news coverage and critical educational outreach services. It is one of the country’s largest public television stations, reaching 80 percent of Arizona homes and 1.9 million households each week. Arizona PBS has been part of ASU since the station launched in 1961. Learn more at https://azpbs.org.
About Delta Dental of Arizona
Delta Dental of Arizona is the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona, serving more than 1.2 million enrollees and more than 3,500 contracted dentists across the state. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for nearly 50 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers, groups and individuals. Since 2010, Delta Dental of Arizona, through its Foundation, gave over $15 million to support oral health education and disease prevention programs for underserved and uninsured communities across the state. For more information about Delta Dental of Arizona, visit www.deltadentalaz.com.
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, Xbox One 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.
About Spiffy Pictures
Spiffy Pictures, founded in 2003 by brothers, David Rudman and Adam Rudman, Spiffy Pictures is a creative development and production company specializing in entertainment for kids and their families. Under the leadership of Emmy® Award-nominated puppeteer, David, and Emmy® Award-winning writer, Adam, the inventive award-winning company has created, produced, written, and directed live-action and animated series for PBS KIDS, Nickelodeon, Disney, MTV, Comedy Central, Sesame Street and Warner Brothers.
Spiffy Pictures’ projects include PBS KIDS’ critically-acclaimed Donkey Hodie, a co-production with Fred Rogers Productions; PBS KIDS’ Emmy® Award-nominated and Environmental Media Award-winning animated series Nature Cat; Nick Jr.’s Emmy® Award and Prix Jeunesse-nominated Jack’s Big Music Show; Disney’s Emmy Award-nominated Bunnytown; and Nick Jr.’s Parent’s Choice Award-winning Curious Buddies. The company’s additional credits include Warner Brothers’ Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, a puppet adaptation of Scooby Doo, and Nick Worldwide’s Frankie and Frank.
About WTTW Chicago
WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create/WTTW World, WTTW PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com and the PBS/WTTW video app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions – such as Chicago Tonight; Chicago by ‘L’; Chicago Stories; digital-first series FIRSTHAND, Urban Nature and Foodphiles; and national productions Prehistoric Road Trip and Nature Cat – WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org.