JACKSON — Consumers Energy Thursday announced the launch of Empowered Kids, a new smartphone app that teaches children how energy is generated, how it travels to their home, and how to use it safely.
“We want to provide kids with a fun, interactive experience when it comes to learning about energy,” said Mary Palkovich, Consumers Energy’s vice president of energy delivery, adding that the app “will serve as the backbone for the hundreds of classroom presentations our education team will make this school year, and students can take these lessons home.”
The app is free and available for all smartphone devices and iPads. It guides elementary school students and their parents through ideas that touch on their everyday lives, and it includes games and exercises to keep them connected.
Kids can learn about such concepts as:
* How electricity is made from coal, wind, water and even cow manure.
* How to recognize danger signs involving electricity and natural gas. tel
* What natural gas smells like and what to do to stay safe.
To download the app, to got the App Store and search for “empowered kids.” The app is available for both Apple iOS and Android devices.
More about Consumers Energy resources for teachers, parents and students at www.consumersenergy.com/students.
Last year, Consumers Energy education teams visited hundreds of elementary school classrooms, reaching thousands of students. Consumers Energy also produces Powered Up, a quarterly educational newsletter.
Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.