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