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Osmo lets kids become animators of their favorite Disney characters

NEWS – When I was a kid I loved to doodle and draw my own comics. Actually, I still love to do that! But back then and even now I just use a pad of paper and a pen which isn’t very Gadgeteer worthy compared to the cool new Osmo Super Studio that lets kids (and kids at heart) get in on the fun of animating their favorite Disney characters.

Available in Mickey and Friends, Disney Princesses, and the Incredibles games, the Super Studio sets are an add-on to existing Osmo sets which use a base for an iPad and a special clip on reflector that can “see” what is drawn on the included erasable and reusable pad as the Osmo app tells a story. But these aren’t static drawings, kids get to animate the cartoon filled with their favorite Disney characters by drawing objects and even choosing how the story’s plot progresses to exercise the kid’s creativity and imagination. Osmo’s AI automagically takes the drawings and makes them part of the story to bring the child’s drawings to life.

There’s even a section in the game where kids can learn step by step how to draw Disney characters just like real Disney artists do.

The Osmo Super Studio is designed for kids ages 5 and up and is available as an add-on to existing Osmo sets for $19 and Apple Retail Stores will carry an exclusive Super Studio Kit that includes the Osmo iPad Base for $59.

Get your copy of Osmo Super Studio today at PlayOsmo.com and Amazon, and in Target and Best Buy stores starting Sept. 4.

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Osmo lets kids become animators of their favorite Disney characters originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 30, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Kids may not balk so much at sunscreen applications if they can help roll it on themselves

NEWS – Kids don’t want to delay getting to the pool or the beach for a time-consuming application of sunscreen.  They don’t care how important it is; it’s just boring.  Maybe getting to help apply it with this Solar Buddies Roll-on Sunscreen Applicator will make the activity a little more fun for the kiddo, and his cooperation will make the application a little less difficult for you.

Fill the Solar Buddies applicator with your own sunscreen.  The shape is easy for little hands to grip, and the sponge and rollerball design gives a uniform coverage.  The kit is made of PET, polypropylene, and polyurethane.  The sponge should be replaced every 2-3 months.  It holds 100ml of sunscreen; very watery types of sunscreen aren’t recommended, as they can leak.  Of course, adult supervision is necessary to be sure your child is adequately covered.  The applicator isn’t recommended for children under 3.

The Solar Buddies Roll-on Sunscreen Applicator plus one replacement sponge head is $15.00 and additional replacement sponge heads are $7.95 for two at The Grommet.

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Kids may not balk so much at sunscreen applications if they can help roll it on themselves originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 24, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Lunii My Fabulous Storyteller will let your kids choose the hero, location, and more

Kids love story time and grownups will love it too when they use the My Fabulous Storyteller from Lunii. The My Fabulous Storyteller looks like a cute radio for kids, but it’s really a story making machine that allows the child or the adult to create a story by choosing the main character/hero, the location of the story, a second character, and an object. By using the large knob on the front of the device, the child can choose between different options shown as icons on the front of the device, while a female voice guides them through the process.

When all the options for the story are chosen, a story suitable for 3-8yr olds will be read aloud through the built-in speaker or through headphones connected to the built-in headphone jack. The short stories are performed by a male or female actor along with sound effects and are surprisingly enjoyable to listen to.

The device itself is kid friendly with a soft rubbery covering and large child-sized buttons and knobs. This device doesn’t use WiFi, or Bluetooth, but has a rechargeable battery.

The Lunii comes with 48 different stories pre-loaded and more stories can be added to the device’s built-in 4G of storage which allows for up to 160 stories by installing an app on your Windows, macOS, or Linux machine. The app will let you purchase stories from the Lunii digital library and then transfer them to the My Fabulous Storyteller. There currently isn’t any info on the pricing for additional stories.

You can read more about the Lunii My Fabulous Storyteller device by visiting lunii.fr or you can buy one for $69 from the MoMA Design store.

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Lunii My Fabulous Storyteller will let your kids choose the hero, location, and more originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 10, 2018 at 4:30 pm.

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Bring bedtime stories to life with the Moonlite clip-on projector for your smartphone

I haven’t been a kid for decades, but now I want someone to read me a bedtime story and use the Moonlite projector to do it. The Moonlight is a small clip-on projector that’s been designed for compatibility with most Android and iOS devices. It clips to your phone and uses the phone’s LED camera flash to project images from circular image disks called reels to a wall or ceiling. Is it just me, or do the story reels look like the disks used with the classic View-Master which were also called “reels”?

Classic Little Golden Book stories for infants and toddlers like the Poky Little Puppy, the Saggy Baggy Elephant are included with the Moonlight Gift Pack and additional stories can be purchased like Curious George and The Ugly Duckling. The app includes the words that you read along with sound effects to bring the story to life with the projected images.

The Moonlite is available in starter packs and gift packs that include the projector along with a selection of disks. You can also purchase story packs that just include the reels. Prices range from $6.60 for the story packs, up to $31.49 for the gift pack which includes the projector and 5 reels. Head over to Amazon to check them out.

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Bring bedtime stories to life with the Moonlite clip-on projector for your smartphone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 8, 2018 at 11:02 am.

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Science + music = The Happy Song, to make babies happy (especially over the holidays!!)

“YES!!!!” You say. “I need this! JUST GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!” Okay, okay! Here are the links to access the song: Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Music, and Spotify.

For those of you who are curious about the background of the song, while I was reading my Curiosity app (which I LOVE, by the way), I stumbled upon an article on “The Happy Song” that used science and music to create a song to make babies happy. If you are a parent of a baby, you know how valuable that is. When he/she decides to have a meltdown it’s like the ripple effect. The cries emanate 360 degrees from the epicenter and jolt everyone within the audible radius. Some people are understanding while others, not so much. 

At the request of C&G Baby Club, scientists Casper Addyman (lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London) and Lauren Stewart (music psychologist) were tasked to create a song based on science that babies would like (from theconversation.com).

They found that not much is known about babies’ music preferences, so they started with what they knew the song should incorporate: it should be written in a major key, have a simple repetitive melody, should be upbeat, and have a mother’s sing-song voice. Imogen Heap, the composer who also has an 18 month-old, started with four tunes and decided on a melody that when tested on 26 babies, 20 seemed to enjoy.

The scientists then asked 2500 C&G Baby Club parents to vote on the sounds that made their babies happy. According to theconversation.com,

The top ten sounds included “boo!” (66%), raspberries (57%), sneezing (51%), animal sounds (23%) and baby laughter (28%). We also know babies respond better to “plosive” vocal sounds like “pa” and “ba” compared to “sonorant” sounds like “la”. Heap very cleverly worked many of these elements into the song.

Since happiness is a shared social emotion, the scientists needed something the parents would enjoy too. After some tweaks to the tempo, lyrics, and sound effects, they had their masterpiece. I rather like it. Especially the babies’ laughter.

Perhaps this is just the song you need before embarking on your holiday travels. This one may even make it onto your favorite playlist! Again, it is available on Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Music, and Spotify. Check out the Youtube link to the song (I love it!):

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Science + music = The Happy Song, to make babies happy (especially over the holidays!!) originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 23, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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