Portuguese edtech startup Magikbee has launched Skrappify, a paper book that connects to a tablet and combines scrapbooking with digital design. Fusing physical and digital, Skrappify is the latest addition to Magikbee’s lineup of educational and interactive toys and apps, and is made for teenagers, families and scrapbook enthusiasts alike.
Each page of the Skrappify book is synchronised to a unique digital design created by the user on the Skrappify app. The book comes in a case that folds out into a tablet stand, ensuring a comfortable user experience and ease of drawing on both the pages and the device. The app, which offers painting tools, photo and video imports, fun fonts, emojis, stickers, and frames, is available for iPad on the App Store and Android tablets via Google Play.
“Scrapbooking is a very popular hobby,” said Magikbee CEO Hugo Ribeiro. “We want to make it even more fun by adding the richness of digital content, but without removing the crucial physical essence of scrapbooking.”
“We’ve developed the Skrappify app to include some design features that will be familiar to young users of Snapchat and Instagram. The idea is to combine the fun that kids have on mobile devices with traditional arts and crafts.”
“There are countless ways to use Skrappify. It’s the perfect way to unleash creativity and a great gift for the whole family this Christmas.”
Skrappify is a blank canvas, and can be used to create a photo album, interactive diary, school project, personalised gift, and much more.
The Skrappify Kit, available now for €39.99 at Skrappify.com, includes the blank book and case, four marker pens with erasers, and a series of emoji stickers.
Skrappify uses a similar technology to Magikbee’s magik play starter kit, a set of wooden building blocks that interact with an iPad in a series of puzzles and games. The tech requires no batteries, wires, or pairing and is straightforward to use.
Magikbee, the Portugal-based edtech startup, has released kiddZtube, a video-quiz app that makes YouTube content educational and completely safe for preschoolers. The app offers a wide range of popular videos, all selected by a group of real-life teachers who, using the kiddZtube technology, add questions to each video that teach children spelling, colours, emotions, directions, and more – all by asking kids about what they are watching. It is available worldwide now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Amazon for Android.
We are testing out the Android version at the moment and it seems pretty good and its safe,on starting up the app the parent will need to fill in some particulars and can check out some settings to get going. Ideal for kids not accidently strolling onto things they are better off not seeing.
See the full press release below…
The app was developed in response to both kids’ love for YouTube videos and parents’ concerns over the quality of time spent in front of a screen. As kids watch videos on kiddZtube, questions – which are asked aloud – appear and are answered with a row of four coloured stars combined with emojis, making the experience interactive and visually appealing to the youngest boys and girls.
Because all of the content is chosen and curated by teachers, kiddZtube is completely safe for kids to use. Parents can also track their child’s progress and set time limits on use of the app, giving them full control over its usage.
kiddZtube Lite is available for free with access to 20 videos with quizzes. Meanwhile, the full version of the kiddZtube app costs €5.99 and offers the full experience with more than 1,000 videos and 7,000 quizzes to view from your device. You can get in touch for a promo code that will give free access to the full version.
kiddZtube is easy to navigate and designed to appeal to children. As a child watches a video, for example about autumn apple picking, the quiz question appears: what colour are the apples? The options to respond appear inside four stars, coloured blue, yellow, red or green. To respond, a child just has to select the star with the correct answer. Kids will instantly know if the answer is correct or should try again. It’s a fun and engaging way to learn.
Hugo Filipe Ribeiro, magikbee Co-Founder & CEO, said: “We wanted to develop something positive, safe and at the same time engaging and fun for kids.”
Some parents may currently be familiar with YouTube Kids, where preschool content is freely available. The big difference is the ability of kiddZtube to transform screen time into an active learning experience. Moreover, YouTube Kids promotes passive screen time and sometimes very young children can get dragged to inappropriate contact that makes it past YouTube’s filters. That’s not possible with kiddZtube.
About magikbee
Headquartered in Braga, Portugal, magikbee is a member of the Portuguese Startup Braga Innovation Hub (Microsoft Ventures partner) and has the ambition to become an important player in the edtech market for preschoolers with the use of phygital toys and interactive apps. magikbee’s mission is to reimagine screen time by creating an ecosystem that promotes active fun & learning through a range of innovative technologies. This team of parents and university researchers are experts in interactive technology for education. Their numerous awards include honours at the global Advances in Computer Entertainment Conference (ACE) and top prize at the World Technology Awards in the Entertainment category. In 2016 they were one of the finalists of the Silicon Valley World Tech Cup Challenge, in the AR/VR category.
kiddZtube • €5.99 • Ages 2+
The newest product from magikbee, this is the world’s first video-quiz app for preschoolers.Try for free kiddZtube Lite with access to 20 starter videos. When ready, parents can download for €5.99 the kiddZtube full app that offers more than 1,000 videos and 7,000 quizzes.
Launched earlier this year is another magikbee edtech tool that utilises tablets and its own tech:
magik Play Starter Kit • €49.99 • Ages 2+
magik play is the world’s first iPad smart toy that merges traditional wooden building blocks, which connect to devices using advanced magnetic field technology, with educational games, in an engaging, physical and truly fun experience for preschoolers. Each kit includes 10 “smart” blocks, a wooden iPad stand and 3 games, adapted to different ages and that explore educational challenges. In each game, kids are asked to find solutions by assembling the physical wooden blocks. This iPad toy enhances a child’s motor skills, spatial reasoning, creativity and collaboration.
kiddZtube Academy is a FREE educational resource designed to support preschool Educators in teaching core skills in a fun and engaging way.
The platform allows Teachers to create educational video-quizzes which teach spelling, counting, colours, directions and more by adding pop-up questions to existing YouTube videos.
