Took a trip to NJ & NYC over the winter break and it was frigid. Always good to see family and the sights - but no trip there is complete without a stop at the Nintendo Store!

New Animated PBS KIDS Series Harnesses Gaming to Open a World of Possibilities

SKILLSVILLE is the name of a new series coming to PBS Kids on March 3rd and it is one I have my eye on. With a goal of depicting the benefits of video games (sounds familiar to anyone who has been a reader here), SKILLSVILLE will encourage kids ages 4-8 to “power up” the skills they need for future success.

"SKILLSVILLE uses something kids already love—gaming—to help them practice essential life skills that can shape their future," said Carol-Lynn Parente, Executive Producer and Co-Creator, Twin Cities PBS (TPT). “Our goal is to empower young viewers with simple, effective self-regulation strategies as the tools they can use to overcome challenges and pursue their dreams. By combining the fun of career exploration with practical skills like pausing to think, planning, organizing and persevering through setbacks, SKILLSVILLE inspires kids to see themselves as problem-solvers and change-makers who can lean on their unique strengths to help their community.”

The show features three friends who have their own gaming alteregos. The trio play together both in the real world and in a digital video game to learn life skills and career possibilities.

I’ve been a big advocate that gaming can provide a lot of benefits to growing kids and I’m excited that PBS Kids is bringing this to life. We’ll definitely be tuning in next week.

SKILLSVILLE will launch on March 3, 2025 on PBS KIDS in English and Spanish. You can learn more at their website.

• My oldest son has a “homework bingo sheet” he has to complete every two weeks. They’ve been including a lot of CODE.org - which is a cool resource to learn the basics of coding. His favorite part of that is the Minecraft Learn to Code segments that has you build out code in Minecraft to accomplish certain tasks and scenarios. It’s a fun way to feel like you are playing a game but learning at the same time.

• Love this little mini-rant from VICE around the lack of edutainment games for kids - There are some out there but with appstores there is a ton of junk out there rather than proper educational games.

• Saw this press release about a new parental control app for the home called Geenee - something to keep an eye on for parents looking to limit screen time, website access, and even do it by geolocation.

Pokémon Quest

A free-to-play action-adventure game where familiar Pokémon are transformed into cube-like shapes. Set on Tumblecube Island, players control a team of Pokémon to explore, battle wild Pokémon, and collect items. The gameplay is fun, but simple.

One of the unique features of Pokémon Quest is its cooking system, where players prepare various dishes to attract Pokémon to join their team. The game has a light, accessible style appropriate for both Pokémon fans and gaming newbies

The Basics:

Released: 2018

Platforms: Nintendo Switch / Google Play Store / iOS store

Pricing: Free

Here’s what you’ll be seeing on screen:

1. Pause the game here but also see what you’ve collected so far

2. Track your progress until the boss phase

3. All the action takes place here! Your Pokemon have outlines that match their colors at the bottom of the screen and you can see their health bars in blue above their heads. Enemies have red health bars.

4. Press this to have the computer automatically do all the battling for you!

5. This scatters your Pokemon - a really strong way to avoid big attacks from boss Pokemon.

6. Each of your Pokemon is shown here - they have one or two moves that have a cooldown timer before they can be used again

The flu is currently running through our house and it’s been awful, probably the worst I’ve felt in years.

Not a lot of gaming being played but a ton of TV watching - we’re loving Planet Earth III and the new Americas spin-off with Tom Hanks on NBC was pretty good too. Nature is wild! The stuff they capture is mindblowing.

GL HF,

Chris