Today, Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and apps, announced Frozen: Early Science, a series of apps grounded in early science principles, featuring favorite characters and stories from the award-winning animated film, Frozen. The new series of apps is the latest offering from Disney Imagicademy, the company’s technology-driven learning initiative for families with children 3 to 8.
Featuring four distinctly different apps, early science concepts are introduced through activities especially designed for children ages 3 to 5 that encourage learning by creating, making and experimenting. The first Frozen: Early Science app is available now on the App Store, and three more Frozen: Early Science apps will launch between now and July.
“We are excited to introduce early learners to another educational concept in a fun and uniquely Disney way,” said Jeff Sellinger, senior vice president, Disney Learning. “The Frozen: Early Science apps bring together Frozen’s hugely popular story and characters with an early sciences curriculum developed in conjunction with education experts and academics. The goal of Disney Imagicademy has always been to inspire children’s natural curiosity, and what better subject to do that with than science – where discovery and experimentation is at the heart of learning.”
The Frozen: Early Science apps are designed to reward observation, experimentation and deduction, skills that are the building blocks of the scientific process. Each app features environments, themes and beloved characters from the Academy Award-winning film, including Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven and more.
“Disney Imagicademy is such a wonderful initiative and we are thrilled that Frozen characters are featured in the program,” said Peter Del Vecho, producer, Frozen. “The focus on science is a perfect fit with each activity being an extension of the film’s storyline. It feels good to know that fans around the world will be able to practice early science skills with their favorite Frozen friends in a new, authentic and educational experience.”
“All children have the capacity and propensity to explore, observe and discover the world around them,” adds Dr. Stacy Sinclair, adjunct professor at USC’s Rossier School of Education, associate professor at Loyola Marymount, and one of Disney’s collaborators in developing Disney Imagicademy Frozen: Early Science. “These are the basic aspects of understanding early science skills, and as an educator who develops science curriculum for children in kindergarten through twelfth grade, I believe that tools like Frozen: Early Science can help children in their early years develop a lifelong love of science.”
The Disney Imagicademy Frozen: Early Scienceapps provide children with five total experiences that feature fundamental tools and concepts grounded in an early-sciences curriculum, including:
Phases of Matter and Life Science
- “Cooking Creations” – Children are invited to help Oaken – owner of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna – and Olaf prepare a variety of creative and delicious dishes for Queen Elsa. With more than 35 ingredients and various preparation tools to experiment with, children can follow basic recipes or create their own. Cooking play exposes children to principles of state changes when they add or subtract heat, causing substances to melt, freeze, or evaporate. The game also provides the opportunity to observe water in solid, gas and liquid forms.
- “Reindeer Care” – Children work alongside Kristoff, Anna and Sven as they groom, diagnose, and care for baby reindeer. Role-playing a reindeer care specialist, children learn to see and meet the basic needs of baby reindeer for food, water, hygiene and rest. By treating reindeer ailments and taking care of the reindeer calves, children can make connections to their own health and personal care. Using their powers of observation, children begin to generalize about what it takes to keep animals healthy and happy!
Botany
- “Growing Garden” – With Anna and Olaf’s assistance, children learn about the basic needs of plants by growing their very own customized garden. As they help seeds grow into adult plants, junior gardeners observe how water, sunlight and nutrients affect their plants and how they grow. With patience and care, children can grow a variety of trees, flowers, fruits and vegetables. They can even experiment with creating designer hybrid plants in Olaf’s greenhouse!
Engineering Design
- “Ice Structures” – Children will work with Elsa to build ice bridges and ramps that help an adorable reindeer calf get to a delicious basket of carrots. Through more than 100 levels, children will experiment with balance and structural integrity, use logic and reasoning, and hone their design sensibilities. In addition, they’ll use their creativity to design breathtaking ice lodges for the Arendelle Nature Park!
Ecosystems and Zoology
- “Forest Wilderness” – Children are invited to explore the Arendelle forest with Olaf and Kristoff. As they look for animals in the wilderness, children can observe and interact with a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat. They can also see how the seasons affect the forest environment and, as a result, animal behaviors. Children will delight in making surprising animal discoveries as they make their way through the forest!
All Frozen: Early Science apps connect to the Disney Imagicademy Parents app, giving parents the ability to see what their children are discovering, making and building in the apps. The Parents app was created with the belief that parents and caring adults are an integral part of every child’s learning process. It provides parents a window into their child’s accomplishments digitally and remotely, as well as ideas to extend the principles of observation, experimentation and deduction into the everyday world.
Frozen: Early Science is available now for $6.99, and Disney Imagicademy Parents, available for free, can be downloaded now for iPad and iPhone on the App Store. Additional Frozen: Early Science apps will be available in the App Store by early summer.