Press Release from ZulaWorld.com
BURBANK, CA, June 9, 2009 -- Fire up your rockets and fasten your safety-belts! It's time to blast off with ZulaWorld.com, an incredible new online destination where kids ages six and older, along with their peers, parents and teachers, can spend hours exploring the Galaxies in fun and challenging ways. From racing around Saturn's rings while playing the Bumper Spaceships Game, to riding a skateboard at Greater Crater Planetary Park, ZulaWorld.com offers out-of-this-world entertainment that encourages discovery and excitement. Visit the site at: www.zulaworld.com.
ZulaWorld.com was developed in collaboration with IBM by the creators of THE ZULA PATROL, the 2008 Parents Choice Award-winning TV series whose colorful alien characters and intriguing science-based content have won legions of fans. THE ZULA PATROL airs Saturday mornings on NBC as part of the qubo programming block and weekdays and weekends on public television stations.
"ZulaWorld.com is an amazing virtual environment that's a perfect blend of adventure and learning," said Dr. Deborah Manchester, creator of THE ZULA PATROL. "Since we first began developing our television series, our goal has been to inspire young kids' natural curiosity about science so they become inquisitive lifelong learners. IBM has been the ideal collaborator to extend our mission by working with us to create one of the most entertaining, content-rich kids' sites available today."
Inside ZulaWorld.com, users create their own avatar, fly their own spaceship, and make intriguing discoveries about how things work as they explore the cosmos. "Fun" is the operative word as kids team up with their peers, parents and teachers to problem solve, play games, and immerse themselves in a community that includes traveling to other planets and will be ever-expanding with new activities. The creative, technical and educational team which developed ZulaWorld.com has designed all the games to engage kids while at the same time promoting critical thinking skills. By collaborating with IBM Research, many of these features have been made possible through the Emerging Business Opportunity (EBO) program with IBM's Virtual World Administration software tools for the creation of ZulaWorld.com and for ongoing site management.A map of the main sites on ZulaWorld.com, and a snapshot of activities on them, includes:
ZulapolisPlay Larvi's Trash Game to learn about recycling and caring for the environment.Count your "Zlinkles" (coins earned from game-playing) while improving math skills.
Greater Crater Planetary ParkRebuild the park's playground equipment while learning about core mechanical principles.Create a skateboard and let your character ride on it to discover Newton's Laws.
Ice Station ZulaExperiment with temperatures and different states of matter.Beat the Sun in a downhill sledding race to learn how heat affects melting snow.
VenusCapture a cloud in a jar for a look at weather patterns on other planets.Explore possible volcanoes on Venus.
MultopediaUse this handy interactive reference tool to view, listen to or read more about literacy, science and math concepts presented on ZulaWorld.com.
Mole GameCatch cute moles as they fall from the sky, learning about gravity, mass and other core concepts.
Bumper Spaceships GameRace around the rings of the planets in your spaceship and discover what the rings are made of, the nature of gravitational pull, and the principles of mass/weight and their effect on movement.
Recognizing the importance of social interaction versus solitary play, the developers of ZulaWorld.com have designed the site to offer a high degree of team play for kids, parents and educators. To allow this, ZulaWorld.com has been built around proven concepts of protecting children in online environments.
Basic levels of gameplay are available for free for visitors to the site. A subscription to ZulaWorld.com unlocks many more levels of exciting activity. Subscriptions rates are: $5.99, one month; $29.99, six months; and $49.99, one year.
