pltprincess | technology

Toca Boca, a Swedish app creation studio, plays in the space where things are just plain fun.  Their apps are wonderfully whimsical little vignettes of life’s interactions from a child’s perspective. They encourage kids to actively use their imagination and share the fun with those around them - be they parents, pets and friends or dolls and teddy bears.  These digital toys, unlike games, have no set rules and are meant to be played with in any way with only the imagination of those enjoying it to set any kind boundaries.

We own and absolutely adore every single one of their products. No matter where we are - home, car, restaurant, friend’s house - we’re having a tea party or styling hair or driving a helicopter. And with no timers, no points, and no pressure, there is just good old fashioned play, carefree camaraderie and a whole lot of smiles!

Particularly fascinating to me is the fact that each of these well thought out apps seem to have some  magical transformative power the somehow makes the digital nature of the hardware recede leaving the device a particularly unobtrusive part of the playful experience. I know that in every Toca Tea Party we host, knocking over a glass of liquid and wiping it up or refilling a cup on the iPad just doesn’t feel like a flat 2D experience.  We are each - grownup and child alike - delighted every time.

 
I would say that the six guidelines that drive the creativity at Toca Boca:

    1. A balance between the different needs that kids have
    2. We think it is important to play … but not just games
    3. Products that allow you and your kids to play together
    4. A positive view on technology
    5. A safe digital environment for your kids
    6. You will like our products, but your kids will love them

combine to make the perfect recipe for success and ensures this gorgeous set of apps is truly designed for delight!

When you combine a grandmother who is picky about what the little one accesses electronically with a 3-year old who is technology savvy and knows her own mind,  you quickly find that some method is needed for finding just the right apps to put on the family iOS devices. Ones that satisfy everyone’s criteria. Here’s how we do it in my household:

1. Bouncer at the Door - Just like any hip & happening urban night club, you’ve got to line up and pass the basic questions.  For us, I am the bouncer and here are my make it or beat it questions.  A ‘yes’ to each is required to proceed.

    > Is it a positive experience?
    > Is it fun, engaging and/or educational?
    > Is it interactive?
    > Is it ‘low fail’ or ‘no fail’?
    > Can it be used by non-readers?


2. Initial Awe Factor - I like to test out initial reaction to apps under the worst possible conditions, so I save the introduction of a new app for times like:

    > the waiting room at the car dealership
    > the after work/daycare grocery shopping run, or
    > the moment the child crosses over into cranky at a restaurant

If the app captures her attention and quiet, rapt attention ensues, it definitely gets a positive score!  I also take note of the length of time it keeps the little one engaged - the longer the time, the more likely it is to be a keeper.  Anything over 10 minutes moves onto the next round.

3. Autonomous Choice - This one is all about the child’s choice. With a little one whose skills allow her to wield her iPhone 3Gs without any adult guidance (or as she feels - interference), it’s all about what she uses most and what she selects only occasionally or ignores all together.

Since we commute together morning and night, this generally means whatever theme songs I hum at my desk or whichever apps I know the words to because the repetition of the apps she chooses actually embed (or dare I say burn?!) certain audio tracks of itself into my brain subliminally.



AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.  A recipe for picking the best of the best for you and your little one. As with any good recipe, please feel free to modify to taste!

There are many factors that combine to explain how I came to be the proud new owner of a Square, the incredibly hot mobile payments hardware that allows me to accept credit card payments on my beloved iPhone 4 but, unfortunately, none of them sound flattering when recounted aloud to friends and family. And actually, even strangers tend to look quizzical when the story of this electronic wonder is so exuberantly shared.

The simple fact is that my genome – which includes girl geek, early adopter and technocracy – predisposes me an uncontrollable need to acquire all things electronic which are fun and/or cool with no regard to actual necessity.  So when I first saw this little device the only thought reverberating in my mind was ‘Must. Have. One. Now.’

It took only a few minutes to sign up for the service online, a few days to authenticate my bank account, and just under a month to receive the small magnetic reader in the mail. After which point I then had my very own person-to-person payment system neatly tucked in my purse.  I could say honestly – and literally – ‘Yes, I accept credit cards.’

Now exactly when, or for that matter, why I would ever need to make that statement I have absolutely no clue.

But let’s just completely skim over the fact that I don’t own a small business, that I don’t sell any products or services, that I don’t even own a garage or yard in which to hold a sale. I still unabashedly revel in the fact that I can now easily accept payments anywhere by inserting a cute little square device into the audio input jack of my mobile phone, swiping a credit or debit card, then allowing the payor to add a tip and sign using their forefinger on the phone screen.  All in less than a minute.  And – if they so choose – they can even have a digital receipt sent to them that includes, among other things, a map using GPS which shows where the purchase was physically made.

It’s a pretty darn slick little gadget – and it’s mine.  Dare I say it?  Yep … It’s hip to be square!

I am one of those people who tend to adopt technology early and often, which means I have a trail of fairly new (sometimes only months old) electronics in my wake.  One of the beneficiaries of this electronic wealth is my 3-year old granddaughter who is the proud owner and very prolific user of an 64 GB iPhone 3Gs. 

We’ve set it up with all things geared towards a child, deleted any of the more adult-ish apps, and backed it up, so she is free to point, poke, prod, swipe and shake to her heart content.  She can even experiment with deleting if she so desires. She can also swish, swoop, and drop it. All without wreaking any kind of havoc or giving me any kind of major heart attack.  I personally return the favor by having none of her programs on my beloved iphone 4.  We apparently don’t share well with others (but we’ll save that for another blog!)

Anyhoo … as such, we’ve developed a wonderful list of educational and fun apps for any little one’s smart phone. Well, assuming they are between the ages of 2 and 6-ish.  And assuming you (and they) are not looking for games like Angry Birds or race car driving, sword weilding, or gun toting and the like.

So, if you’re in the market for some wonderfully whimsical and educational iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch fun for your little one, check out our personal favorites:

Company: Toca Boca
      > Helicopter Taxi
      > Toca Doctor
      > Toca Tea Party
      > Paint My Wings
      > Toca Hair Salon

 Company: Duck Duck Moose
      > Fish School
      > Itsy Bitsy Spider
      > Park Math
      > Wheels on the Bus

Company: Montesssorium
      > Intro to Letters
      > Intro to Math
      > Alpha Writer

Company: Critical Matter, Inc
      > ABC Animals

Company: Learning Touch
      > FirstWords: Animals
      > FirstWords: Shapes
      > FirstWords: At Home
      > FirstWords: Vehicles

Company: True Learning
      > Alphabet Air
      > Letters A to Z
      > Numbers from True Learning