As part of its commitment to get kids to explore their interests long after their devices have been turned off, PBS KIDS is premiering new animated series Nature Cat this fall.

From co-creators David Rudman (Sesame Street, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom and Jerry, Sesame Street, Cyberchase), the series is a co-production from the Rudman brothers’ prodco Spiffy Pictures and WTTW Chicago.

Geared at kids ages three to eight, the series follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. In each ep, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat—a “backyard explorer extraordinaire.” With the help of his animal friends, he embarks on adventures and missions full of nature investigation.

Each episode features two 11-minute stories, as well as a live-action interstitial. In each story, the characters model age-appropriate reasoning skills that can be applied to real-world exploration, such as classifying, counting and measuring. The interstitials build on the themes as well. Each will demonstrate a variety of ways to experience nature—from “how to go hiking” to “how to pack a backpack.”

The TV series is part of a multiplatform property, which will also include interactive content online and on mobile. Spiffy Pictures has teamed up with CloudKid to develop a series of games, hands-on activities and parent resources online at pbskids.org, as well as mobile apps.

The mobile experience, in particular, will provide tools to support exploration and engagement with the natural world. Digital content will launch in fall 2015.

Major funding for the series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Van Eekeren Family, founders of Land O’Frost.