Students receiving the Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues app
“We are delighted to provide Bellevue preschoolers with our new app and spark an interest in coding, an essential 21st century skill,” said Penny Milliken, CEO of HeR Interactive. “We know that children are very engaged with this Nancy Drew mystery story.
BELLEVUE, Wash (PRWEB) November 29, 2016
Nancy Drew uses her coding know-how and de-TECH-tive skills to solve a mystery in Nancy Drew®: Codes & Clues®, a new story-driven mystery adventure hidden-object mobile game. HeR Interactive, the Bellevue-based award-winning game publisher and developer, and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, partnered to bring the gift of this pioneering app to 800 preschoolers in the Bellevue School District to acknowledge the district for their achievements in placing a priority on STEM learning at an early age. The new app introduces students to the foundational principles of coding while celebrating the importance of storytelling and positive STEM role models. Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues is ideal for children without any coding experience. Geared for early learners, the mystery unfolds in a full narrative story spanning six chapters as Nancy and friends, along with their new robot puppy, encounter students who may have taken a missing tech fair project.
“We are delighted to provide Bellevue preschoolers with our new app and spark an interest in coding, an essential 21st century skill,” said Penny Milliken, CEO of HeR Interactive. “We know that children are very engaged with this Nancy Drew mystery story. They love to program their robot puppy to get out of tight situations in the story. And, since there is no one correct path, it leads to a lot of creative coding solutions by the children.”
“The Bellevue Chamber is delighted to help facilitate this connection so all of our children are exposed to STEM and coding at an early age,” said Betty Capestany, President & CEO, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. “Bellevue is a city recognized for its great talent. With Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues, we hope to inspire another generation of talented workers for Bellevue and the greater region.”
The game play shows the importance of cause and effect learning by introducing children to the foundational principles of coding in an engaging, fun and accessible manner: At the end of each chapter, players program their robot puppy to help Nancy out of a tight spot. Coding difficulty increases as the story progresses with new puppy commands, such as roll and crawl, introduced in each chapter. Players are exposed to the basic computer programming structures of sequences and loops. They are also introduced to critical thinking skills involving pattern recognition, problem solving and spatial visualization.
“We have been developing a computer science pathway for all students from kindergarten through 12th grade,” said Dr. Tim Mills, Superintendent of the Bellevue School District. “In fact, our science program is ranked #2 behind that of Shanghai, China. An accomplishment that we are extremely proud of! Now with the donation of Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues, we believe we have a fun way to introduce STEM to our preschoolers and get them ready for the concepts they will learn in kindergarten.”
Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues brings a fresh feel and new skills to the iconic detective:
- For the first time, players will meet a tween version of Nancy and her beloved friends, George and Bess, as they work together to solve the mystery of the missing tech fair project.
- Players learn to program their own robot puppy to help solve the mystery and along the way they:
o Find clues within 20+ hidden object games
o Open new pages to Nancy’s Clue Book to review clues, evidence and possible suspects
o Select undercover disguises for Nancy, Bess and George
o Meet Nancy Drew’s new crew of school friends
o Investigate a new location in each chapter
o Play bonus coding levels in Obstacle Course mode
o Collect in-game charms
Digital animated shorts of the iconic detective and her friends solving mysteries and helping others as they find “Codes & Clues” were created to introduce younger fans to these new STEM role models. This six-part series is featured on Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues YouTube channel.
Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues is available for iOS and Android devices in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon app store for $3.99. Learn more about Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues at http://www.NancyDrewCodesandClues.com/.
About HeR Interactive:
Based in Bellevue, Washington, HeR Interactive was a pioneer in 1998 when it began developing and publishing Nancy Drew interactive games for females. Since then, the company has released over 32 games, won 30 Parents’ Choice awards and has sold more than 9 million copies of its games. From the beginning the games have been encouraging STEM education and careers as evidenced by the many fan letters, emails, posts and tweets the company has received. More information about the company and Nancy Drew games can be found at http://www.herinteractive.com.
About Nancy Drew:
The original female super hero has provided over 85 years of empowering entertainment. Nancy Drew is a smart, adventurous, kind and resourceful teen detective who can crack even the toughest case. Published in 22 languages and with more than 100 million copies in print worldwide, Nancy Drew has engaged readers and served as a role model globally for generations.
About Bellevue Chamber of Commerce:
The Bellevue Chamber serves as the voice of business on the Eastside, representing thousands of jobs in our community. Businesses range in size from sole proprietors to large corporations. The Chamber's mission is to foster a healthy business environment by providing strategic leadership, advocacy, tools, and resources for business success. More information can be found at http://www.bellevuechamber.org.
About Bellevue School District:
The district’s mission is to provide all students with an exemplary college preparatory education so they can succeed in college, career and life. It serves most of the City of Bellevue, WA and the smaller surrounding communities of Clyde Hill, Medina, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point and Beaux Arts. The district also serves portions of Issaquah, Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond and unincorporated King County.
The schools include: 15 regular elementary schools, 1 Spanish Immersion elementary school, 1 Mandarin dual language elementary school, 5 regular middle schools, 4 regular high schools and 2 alternative middle/high schools.
Copyright © 2016 Her Interactive, Inc. HER INTERACTIVE, the HER INTERACTIVE logo, DARE TO PLAY, and CODES & CLUES and HI KIDS are registered trademarks of HeR Interactive, Inc. NANCY DREW is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Licensed by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.