The European Commission has launched an environmental app that can be downloaded to Apple and Android devices.

Zoe Makes a Splash! is an interactive digital storybook aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 11 and is free to download. The app tells the story of two inquisitive children who are shown the importance of water in society. Their guide is an articulate frog, who also alerts them to the impact of polluted water and shows them how it can be avoided. Fun animations and interactive features alternate with more serious educational sections, where users learn about the hydrological cycle and water treatment.

An online version of the story is also available, with a set of teaching notes to encourage project-based activities in the classroom.

The app and its online version are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish.

The app is launched as one of several water-related initiatives. The Commission will produce a Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources in mid-November. The blueprint is intended to steer the development of water policy up to 2020, fine-tuning existing policy and filling any gaps.

A number of other environment-related publications are also available for children, notably the hugely successful Tom and Lila stories for 5-7 year olds (available here). Ten titles appeared between 2001 and 2011, and nearly 2 million were distributed around the EU.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/children/zoe/index_en.htm