Butler Co. Woman Creates Street Smart Game & App For Kids

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - All parents want their kids to be smart and to excel.

A Butler County grandmother wanted the same for her children and grandchildren so she created a game and now an app, to make them street smart.

"There's going to be questions, there's going to be tip cards, there's going to be a danger sign and these kids have to answer the questions right and if they don't, they go to a thinking chair," said Rosemarie Thompson, describing her app, Street Smart Kidz.

It began as a game she played with her daughter, Linda, when she was young. Rosemarie described Linda as, "fearless."

"We would go into a store," says Rosemarie. "She would hide. We couldn't find her."

Now, Street Smart Kidz is an app that teaches children to make smart decisions in situations they encounter in real life. Each child is given a code word.

"There's no violence in this game," says Rosemarie. "It's informative and it's going to teach the children how to become street smart."

The object of the game is for the kids to make it home safely. Rosemarie says when parents play the game with their kids, it opens up the lines of communication.

"There's scenarios in there about bullying, fire safety, gun safety, drugs…" she says. "I want parents to play with the children because one question, one scenario is going to lead to another question."

Linda, remembers playing the game with her mother, years ago.

"That really empowered me as a kid, so now as an adult, I just continuously remember those things," says Linda.

Rosemarie teamed up with Z-CO corporation to make Street Smart Kidz an app. It's available on i-Tunes and the Google Play Store.

She is surprised by the success of the app that fulfills her dream.

"If I can help one child, then I've succeeded in my passion," she said with a smile.