Tiny Creations

I am SO impressed by these little scenes that were made by one of my new friends, Eviahn!
As you can see above, these figurines are smaller than 1/2 of a toothpick - it's amazing how her little fingers can roll and mold them with such detail. 

Evi enjoys using our Tiny Tastes app with her family, and she has been inspired to make all kinds of different scenes that feature me, Tiny, doing lots of fun & healthy things! Here she prepared a picnic full of fruits and vegetables that grew in my tiny garden, which you can take a peek at here:

Tiny picking fresh flowers for her mom from the garden

Are you as curious as I am to know how she makes these intricate figurines? At only 8 years old, it is fascinating to learn how she creates such beautiful scenes! So I asked Evi some questions, and her family gave me permission to share her answers with you:

TINY: Evi, these are fantastic, thank you! First I have to know -- how do you make these??

EVI: I make them out of modeling clay, since it doesn't dry out and I can use it over and over again. I use toothpicks to help with the structure.  

Characters from Timmy Time

TINY: What other types of characters have you made?

EVI: I have made characters from Dr. Suess, Chronicals of Narnia, Sesame Street, Timmy Time, a nativity scene, and lots of other things I see. I made 48 complete outfits for my tiny Ariel doll (3 1/2 inches tall) and a zoo with lots of animals. I love making everything miniature, like food and things for your house like furniture. I made a coral reef and I love making scenes for my characters so I can play with them!

TINY: This is awesome!  We'd love to learn more about the talented artist too :)

EVI: I am the oldest in my family, and I have 2 brothers & 2 sisters. I am homeschooled and I like that because I can spend all my free time doing clay. I wake up early and work on my clay before starting school. I take breaks and do my clay. Sometimes I play but most of the time I just like to make things. My other love is Food network. I love making clay to look like the food I saw on TV. Sometimes my brother and I play “Chopped” with clay!

Tiny looks inside her mystery basket, picks more ingredients, then cooks the challenge!

EVI: I like to make what I am watching on TV or a movie but Mommy doesn’t like the clay on the carpet so I have to remember what things look like to make them later in my art space. I wish I could do clay all day and not do anything else... I especially hate cleaning my room!!

TINY: Yeah, this looks like a lot of fun! And I completely understand, sometimes it is hard for artists to keep as neat as we should, but it's great that you have this special workspace where you can let loose your creativity and inspiration!

Evi in her artist's studio

TINY: Evi, I'm curious what your favorite thing is about my Tiny Tastes app?

EVI: I love picking out the different spoons and plates that you use when you eat, and I like the little sounds you make while you're eating. The app is really fun!

TINY: What kind of new foods have your family eaten with Tiny? And what's your favorite food?

EVI: We tried tomatoes and now my sister Jaxon likes to eat them. I tried them too! I don’t like eating even a bite of new foods, but when Tiny eats them I don’t mind trying some too. My favorite healthy foods are broccoli, potatoes, carrots and many fruits. I love Chia! 

TINY: I have a great time eating with you too ~ and I'm glad your family is trying new healthy foods together!

CARA: (Evi's mom) Our kids love eating with you Tiny… and they ask me who gets to watch the iPad this time, because they are spread around the table -- usually the 2 year old wins out! The app has been helpful for the over-analytical child who needs a “reason” to try new food (my 4 year old) and such a great tool for toddlers who just want something to be fun! I often hear “can Tiny eat with us??” It's great because I let them “share” healthy foods they already like with Tiny and then they can eat some of the foods that are “Tiny’s” healthy favorites too. Give and take keeps Tiny Tastes fun and not associated with “trying new foods I don’t like”, especially for the older ones.

TINY: Thank you both so much for talking with me about this, I love all of the creativity your family has! It's been a lot of fun getting to know you better, and please keep sending us pictures of some of your favorite Tiny scenes... I'm sure more friends would love to see them too! You can follow us on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter to get Tiny updates!

Yours,
Tiny

Tiny bird watching with the PA Eagle Camera

Visit us at www.tinytastesworld.com

Toy + Tech Fusion is Trending!

In my 3-part Toy Fair exposé, we've been taking a look at toys that enhance learning through play. 

This final article explores the intersection of digital & real-world play experiences....
Where "old-school" toys are combined with "new-era" technologies, for an interactive experience that activates various senses and skills throughout play!

A cool new example of this type of enhanced play is the Moff band: a wearable device, essentially a 'smart' wristband. The Moff band is equipped with an accelerometer and bluetooth which syncs the wristband with an app that creates sound-effects as the child wearing the wristband does different actions. Kids can play tennis, sword fight, cook, be in an air-band, play carpenters, and many other types of imaginative activities -- while they are wearing the Moff band, their hand-movements will instantaneously produce "sound effects" to go along with their actions! Tennis balls pop, fencing swords 'clink' together, food sizzles in a pan, guitar solos rock, saws cut and hammers build! Their imaginary play situation is vividly brought to life with the augmented reality provided by the Moff band & app!

Dream Hut is another example of real-world play that can be enhanced by digital experiences. It is an adorable playhouse with lots of incredible features, one of which is an iPad/tablet holder inside of the playhouse. Dream Hut features animated friends that help your children to create an immersive "fantasy world" within the play space. The Dream Hut app includes games & stories that are coordinated with the theme of your Dream Hut. I love this feature not only because they have their own app to enhance play, but I could see other parent-approved apps in use within the Dream Hut space too! 
For example, even Tiny Tastes could be used within the play space, as children are invited in the app to eat healthy meals or snacks along with Tiny -- if they are eating a snack or a pretend-meal in the playhouse, they could "eat with Tiny" in their Dream Hut  :)
Their play space here becomes a hub for the intersection of technology & real-world play experiences!

Another great integration of physical toys with digital software is the Osmo (click here to see it in action!). Essentially it offers a sensor that clips on to your tablet, allowing you to use real-world blocks and other accessories to interact with the apps which pose fun challenges, ranging from pattern recognition & simple building skills, to sketching & drawing, to word games using letter-cards. 
In our current era of technology, we still recognize the importance of motor skill development and other parts of the brain that can be enhanced by more traditional toys... in short, we don't want to just take every "old fashioned toy" and replace them all with apps. 
But there seems to be incredible potential for traditional play experiences + digital technologies to = enhanced experiences and new skill development for kids. 

For older children, there is the OZOBOT! It's a little digitally-powered guy that's smaller than a golf ball and it interacts with apps and real-world materials. You should definitely check out their website to see more about what it can do - they have apps called OzoGroove, OzoDraw, OzoPath, and OzoLuck, all of which have been designed to interface with little Ozobot in incredibly neat ways! You can teach Ozo how to dance, create paths for him to travel along your uniquely coded pathway using patterns that you can draw onto plain white paper, the variety is astounding! I love the way Ozobot offers simple yet very engaging ways to interface between this adorable little friend and the environment you decide to create for him.

And even classic brands like Lego and Crayola have products now that bridge between their physical toy products and what the digital world has to offer!

Ultra Agents include app block pieces that interact with Lego story app

These are just some examples of the movement towards more digital/physical interplay. Children are growing up in an environment full of so many fun opportunities for learning & exploration! 

Feel free to add any comments here about some of your digital & physical play experiences or your favorite toys that integrate these features.

Tiny Tastes app is happy to be a part of this trend by offering interactivity between eating real-world foods and digital engagement, designed to help improve children's enjoyment of quality foods together.

Best wishes to you and your family! 

Yours,
Tiny

PS - Keep scrolling down to read more about STEM toys for girls and other educational toys from Toy Fair 2015!

Visit us at www.tinytastesworld.com