PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors Initiative Kicks Off with Hit Series READY JET GO!, NATURE CAT and the 00 Episode of WILD KRATTS

PBS KIDS and Member Stations Encourage Exploration During Earth Month with New Content and Community Activities

ARLINGTON, VA, April 7, 2016 - PBS KIDS is springing into Earth Month with its annual Explore the Outdoors initiative, encouraging families to get outside and explore nature. The adventure begins on April 11 with brand-new episodes of the animated series READY JET GO! Then, on April 25, PBS KIDS kicks off an all-new week of WILD KRATTS and NATURE CAT, including the 100th episode of WILD KRATTS. Programming will premiere on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available on PBS KIDS digital platforms. In addition, games and activities to engage the entire family in outdoor exploration will be available at pbskids.org/outdoors. To extend the exploration beyond the screen, PBS member stations across the country will host local community educational events throughout April.

Earth Month is the perfect time to kick off outdoor adventures, said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Children's Media and Education, PBS. PBS KIDS' goal is to spark kids' natural curiosity through inspiration from their favorite characters. This Earth Month, we are excited to offer families learning tools and resources on-air, on digital platforms and in communities, encouraging nature exploration in April and all year long.

Across the country, more than 50 local PBS member stations will be hosting Earth Month-related events to connect children to the environment through hands-on learning activities. Events will feature everything from local ecology to urban hiking and biking trails. Families will also have the opportunity to dive into nature themes and environmental concepts with PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors activities and materials.

The READY JET GO! Space Explorer app launched today and is available for free on Apple, Google Play and Amazon.

The READY JET GO! Sydney's Astro Tracker game is now available on pbskids.org. New games from NATURE CAT and WILD KRATTS will be debut later this month.

PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors-related press materials are available on PBS PressRoom.

PBS KIDS Explore the Outdoors Program Descriptions & Air Dates (check local listings)

READY JET GO

New episodes air April 11-14

A Visit from Uncle Zucchini/Mindy's Weather Report - premieres Monday, April 11

A Visit from Uncle Zucchini - Celerys brother, Zucchini, and his pet, Moonbeam, decide to visit the Propulsions, but get lost along the way. The kids have to figure out where on Earth he is. As it turns out, Uncle Zucchini never made it to Earth, but has landed on a place that sort of resembles Earth - Titan, Saturn's largest moon! Titan has Earth-like features such as oceans, mountains and an atmosphere.

Mindy's Weather Report - Mindy and Sunspot, watching a weather report broadcast on FACE 9000's screen, learn of a huge storm system on Saturn. When the other kids hear about it, they mistakenly assume the storm is somewhere local. Mayhem ensues as the misinformation spreads and everyone rushes around to prepare, while Mindy meanwhile broadcasts her own weather report from Jet's house.

Solar System Bake-off/Kid-Kart Derby - premieres Tuesday, April 12

Solar System Bake-off - Mindy and Carrot are entering a cooking competition and they're making desserts representing the different planets of the Solar System. But they hit a bump when they cant remember if Saturn is cold on the inside and hot on the outside or the other way around. Jet, Sydney and Sean fly with Celery to Saturn to find out before the competition begins, so Mindy and Carrot can finish their entry in time!

Kid-Kart Derby - Jet builds an electric engine from scratch for the annual soapbox derby competition, but Mitchell, determined to win the derby, is suspicious that Jet is using some alien technology.

Asteroids, Meteors, and Meteorites/Mindys Meteorite Stand - premieres Wednesday, April 13

Asteroids, Meteors, and Meteorites - Sean's determined to beat his mystery competitor at a video game of Astro-Tracker. He realizes that the best way to learn about asteroids is to see them for himself. Celery flies the kids out to the Asteroid Belt, where they learn the difference between an asteroid, meteor and meteorite. Worried at first, Sean learns that only the rare asteroid (called a meteorite) makes it all the way to Earth, so he decides to become really good at Astro-Tracker to prepare for the future when he can be on a team of scientists who track rogue asteroids.

Mindy's Meteorite Stand - When Mindy and Sunspot are digging in the yard, they discover a unique rock that Mindy is convinced is a meteorite. The kids conduct a series of tests to find out, and amazingly the rock passes each test. Meteorite fever grips the neighborhood as Mindy sets up a stand so people can bring her rocks to assess. In the end, a scientist confirms that Mindy's rock actually isnt a meteor, but the random rock Mindy's sitting on is!

Mindy Pet-sits Sunspot/Treehouse ISS - premieres Thursday, April 14

Mindy Pet-sits Sunspot - Sean, Sydney, Jet and Carrot head out to view the Northern Lights. Mindy, upset she cant go, gets a boost - Sunspot stays back and agrees to let her be his pet-sitter. As the group in the saucer searches for, yet cant find, the Northern Lights, Sunspot and Mindy work on a backyard project - making their own amazing backyard Northern Lights display!

Treehouse ISS - When the kids realize that they all want to use the treehouse at the same time for different activities, arguments break out. Mindy tries to help by creating a schedule for each kid to use the treehouse alone. In the end, the kids realize they need each other's company and ideas in order to be successful in their own projects. In resolving their problem, the

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