Giver, TVOKids’ award-winning live-action children’s series about kids helping to build playgrounds in their local Ontario communities, premieres today, Wednesday, April 26 at 6 pm on TVOKids, for a fourth season with a special mission. In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, Giver 150 takes playground construction to Ottawa, our nation’s capital, to build the biggest playground in the country.
“Giver 150 presents an amazing opportunity for school-aged kids to build civic engagement and deepen their learning and pride about Canada and its incredible cultural and geographical diversity,” says Marney Malabar, TVO’s Director of Kids TV. “TVOKids is thrilled to give kids a platform to see how their hard work creates meaningful impact in their communities.”
Giver 150 features a diverse group of kids from all over the country coming together to build a massive 4,600 square metre playground in the shape of Canada. In each of the ten episodes, kids focus on building a smaller part of the playground in the shape of one province or territory, celebrating each region’s unique geography, history, culture and people. The kids work alongside contractor and host, 20-year architectural design veteran Michael Lagimodiere, who helps them use power tools, dig holes and paint. New this season, Michael is joined by co-host by Dominique “Mique” Boisvenue, a talented House of PainT member and graffiti artist. As the park comes together one piece at a time, the Giver 150 team learns about giving back while learning more about their province, capital and country.
“Giver would not be possible without the unending enthusiasm from our kid participants or the dedication from our hundreds of volunteers”, says J.J. Johnson, Series Creator, Executive Producer, Sinking Ship Entertainment. “This season is the truest testament to Giver‘s mantra that anything is possible when a community pulls together.”
The Ottawa playground marks the largest and most ambitious build Giver has ever completed. Over the past three seasons, Giver has built 33 unique playgrounds around Ontario, with over 200 children and thousands of volunteers taking part.
A TVOKids original developed to help school-aged kids adopt a can-do attitude, Giver was created and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment in association with TVO.
Giver 150 premieres Wednesday, April 26 at 6pm (repeated Saturdays at 11:30 am and Sundays at 1 pm). Giver 150 is also available on demand at TVOKids.com and the TVOKids YouTube Channel.