Canadian pubcaster TVOKids has launched several new originals and acquisitions to keep kids entertained over the summer on its linear net, YouTube, TVOkids.com and smart TV streaming services.

Preschool series Curious Crafting (40 x three minutes, pictured) from Canada’s Riverbank Pictures (How Do You Feel?) premiered on July 1 and features a rotating cast of toddlers making crafts with common household items. And TVOKids also launched Productions Prestigo’s 5 Ingredients Challenge (36 x three minutes) on July 5, challenging school-aged children with making healthy recipes using Canada’s Food Guide and just five ingredients.

Households around the world are well stocked with crafting and cooking supplies after two years of rolling lockdowns, and TVOKids has noticed that shows centered around at-home activities are doing well, says executive producer Natasha Negrea. “Crafting shows have been drawing strong audiences, and we’ve noticed high engagement with activity-based programming online recently.” With short formats and simple steps, she adds that this type of content is ideal for web-based viewing.

Negrea joined TVOKids in March, and is in charge of original programming and acquisitions. Originals previously fell under the purview of former kids TV director Marney Malabar, who left the channel this spring. Negrea says there will be more greenlights announced in the coming weeks, and several new projects are about to start production.

In the meantime, the channel has renewed Apartment 11’s original series Raven’s Quest, featuring first-person portraits of Indigenous kids from across Canada. Season three premiered on June 21, which is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

TVOKids has also acquired education-focused preschool series including BBC in-house production Number 1 Newton Avenue (10 x seven minutes) and PBS KIDS’ science and nature series Elinor Wonders Why (40 x three minutes), along with season nine of Spin Master’s evergreen hit PAW Patrol, a second season of Animanimals from Germany’s Film Bilder, and season four of My World Kitchen from Terrific Television in the UK.

With files from Ryan Tuchow