BrainPOP Movie Gives Kids the Facts about SARS

NEW YORK -- BrainPOP, a leading producer of animated educational movies for kids, announces a new health movie about SARS.

Over the past two weeks, BrainPOP's Q&A email service has received many questions from 8-14 year-olds about SARS, asking questions like, "Can I get SARS at school?" and "Is it safe to eat Chinese food?" Kids hear a lot about what's going on in the world, both from media sources and their peers. With SARS as a constant presence in the daily news, BrainPOP felt that it was important to cover SARS using a familiar format that spoke just to kids -- an animated BrainPOP movie.

The SARS movie presents the facts about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome without causing undue fear. BrainPOP characters, Tim and Moby, uncover the coronavirus, discuss how it can be passed from one person to another, and chart SARS' movement around the globe. Tim and Moby acknowledge global fears about the severity of SARS, while putting things in perspective -- at this early time, there is much that is unknown about SARS.

BrainPOP CEO, Avraham Kadar, MD, commented on the need for a SARS movie geared towards kids and teens. "Most SARS information is presented for an adult audience. From the questions our characters have been receiving, we know that kids are aware of SARS and that they are concerned. The SARS movie is really a straight-forward explanation of what we know of SARS origin and behavior, in simple terms, along with some humor and reassurance from the BrainPOP characters."

BrainPOP is showcasing its SARS movie at www.BrainPOP.com.

BrainPOP is a leading producer of animated educational movies for K-12. Each month 2 million kids watch BrainPOP movies and exchange messages with a dynamic cast of five characters who lead the user through related activities -- interactive quizzes and games, comic strips and experiments. Ten percent of U.S. school districts subscribe to BrainPOP and integrate it into their lessons.

Source: BrainPOP