I love nothing more than bringing the world to life to my children. We have the map on the wall with pins marking all of the places we have traveled to, we have puzzles of maps, we let the girls try to navigate on road trips (this has made for some interesting pit stops). Just in time for the holidays, Travelzoo has launched a new map app, available in the iTunes store, for iPads. The app isn’t just a map of the globe, but is designed to inspire children to get to know the world in which they live.

The launch of Travelzoo’s latest iPad app coincides with the findings of a recent Travelzoo-commissioned multiple-choice quiz involving 3,000 school-age children across the United States, Canada and Great Britain.  The results suggest that, while the vast majority of children know their geography, there is room for improvement across the board.

“Travelzoo’s Map the World is an excellent tool for teaching children about the countries of the world in an engaging way,” said Sir Ranulph Fiennes, described by The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s greatest living explorer.  “It should help young minds learn and inspire them to explore this magical planet.  It’s an app designed to challenge, inspire and, above all, make a difference to the lives of others.”

The app also gets families into the spirit of the season of giving. The game introduces players to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Through a giving-back program, Travelzoo is encouraging parents to donate $1 or more to Open Arms Malawi, a charitable organization that provides medical attention, shelter, education, food and love to some ofMalawi’s 1,000,000 orphaned and abandoned children.

http://www.travelzoo.com/maptheworld/

YWMUNNR3YXW5