Tag Archives: Education

Television

It Is Time to Use Your Imagination With Kazoops

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This post is part of a sponsored campaign for Kazoops. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

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Andrew and I watched the first episode of the new Netflix show, Kazoops. It was adorable. The show is for children ages 3-6. It is bright and colorful and there are some cute songs, which did not get stuck in my head, so that is great. I’ve watched so many kids shows in the past 10 years that I am grateful to ones that have solid songs that you can enjoy, but not find yourself absentmindedly singing. The show follows the adventures of six-year old Monty and his best friend, Jimmy Jones, the family pet pig. Monty has a mom, dad, grandmother and older sister also in his family. Monty uses his vivid imagination to challenge preconceptions about life such as “you have to wear matching socks” or “all games need rules” and, in doing so, demonstrates the value of critical thinking and creative play.

You can watch the official trailer on the Kazoops YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdf8VLC8sjQ0D0-aI8_59A

Creative is an excellent way to describe the show. From the episode I saw it was a nice show with some creative animation. There are moments in the show when Monty closes his eyes and tells his pig, Jimmy Jones, “just imagine”. It is then that the animation changes from a 3D sort of animation to a more 2D animation. Those moments the animation has a real paper feel to it. It is quite beautiful. You just know that Monty is in his creative zone during those moments of imagination. Monty is a kid who is so full of life and curiosity. He’s looking for ways to accomplish things, but in his own unique way. The problem solving is also more subtle than other kids shows, it does not hit you over the head with the message. Kids pick up on the message without hearing it over and over. Continue reading It Is Time to Use Your Imagination With Kazoops →

Toys, Video Game

Ozobot Brings Excitement for Science to Kids Through Play

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ozobot for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

creating Ozobot Trails

Ozobot is a pretty amazing little robot. For a parent of a child so excited about science and technology this is the perfect toy to spark her imagination. Together the two of us used the two Ozobots that we received to create trails for them to follow, racetracks for them to dash along and mazes for them to escape. All the while Eva is secretly learning the fundamentals of logic and coding but she thinks she’s simply playing a game with a cute little robot. Learn more about Ozobot on their official site.

We used our Ozobots on both paper and on our iPad. The Ozobot is at home on either surface. When creating a playing surface with paper all you need is some markers and imagination. The black marker will be used to draw out the trails and the red, blue and green markers are used to draw different color code combinations. There are codes for the Ozobot to go left, right, straight, speed up, slow down or even do a U-Turn. Then you can get more complex and tell your Ozobot to jump left, right or straight. Jumping means that the Ozobot leaves the track and moves in one of those three directions until it catches another piece of track. Some of the materials that we received had BrainTeasers where we filled in the color codes to solve the puzzle and got the Ozobot to the finish line.

This smart robot isn’t just fun to play with it is also a multi-award winning product. A few of the awards that have been won are:

  • Best of Toy Fair 2014 – Techlicious.

  • Best of CES 2014 – iPhone Life Magazine.

  • Toy of the Year Finalist 2015 – Toy Industry Association.

  • Best of Toy Fair 2014 – Popular Science.

  • 2014 Holiday Seal of Approval by The National Parenting Center.

  • Dr. Toy 10 Best Technology 2014

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It is not surprising at all that Ozobot has won so many awards, it is a fun product. I loved the way it was packaged as well. We received the Competition Series set which included 2 Ozobots, 2 standard cover skins + 2 limited edition skins, game & instruction cards, 2 protective carrying cases, 2 custom micro-usb cables. This is perfect for a parent and child because then you each have an Ozobot to control. You can make tracks and mazes for each other to try out and you can race your Ozobots.

Once you have moved off of the physical page you can take your Ozobots into the digital space with the Ozobot Suite of apps. Download the Ozobot apps for iOS or Android here. Those apps include OzoDraw, OzoPath and OzoLuck. Games have solo modes as well as head to head modes with varying degrees of difficulty. As your child (and you yourself) gain more experience with the Ozobot you can move up to more challenges.

There is also an OzoGroove app that allows players to create dance parties for their Ozobots. Players can create routines and have their Ozobots perform up to 500 moves set to their favorite songs. 

The Ozobot is a good value, too. Offered at just $49.99 for a single pack, and $99.99 for a dual pack, Ozobot offers a one-of-kind education and gaming experience at a significantly lower price point than competitors. Purchase your Ozobot today!

Ozobot will be attending Toy Fair 2015 in New York City on February 14th-17th. I just so happen to be attending the event as well. I cannot wait to see the team there and learn some more secrets about Ozobot and take them home to my daughter.

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OZOBOT’S #LUCKY7 GIVEAWAY:

Ozobot is currently hosting their #Lucky7 giveaway on the Ozobot website and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ozobot/app_228910107186452)

There are three methods of entry for the contest:

  1. Tweet out pre-drafted message that links to the app and announcing their entry to their followers:
    “I just entered @Ozobot’s #Lucky7 giveaway! Prizes include an #iPhone6, a #GoPro, #BeatsbyDre and more! Enter today!” (+1 entry)
  2. Subscribe to our mailing list (+1 entry)
  3. Enter a valid Ozobot serial number (+5 entries)

Give Away Prizes:

1. Polaroid 300 Instant Camera PIC-300L and Polaroid 300 Film 10 Pack (PIF-300)
2. GoPro Hero
3. Apple iPhone 6, Space Gray, 16 GB
4. Crosley CR8005A-TU Cruiser Portable Turntable (Turquoise)
5. Beats by Dre Solo 2 On- Ear Headphones (black)
6. Nabi 24” tablet
7. iPad Air

Eva and her Ozobot

I find myself very fortunate to have had the chance to test out the Ozobot with Eva. These toys will certainly give her an advantage when it comes to STEM and STREAM activities in school. I just wish I could get a while set of Ozobots to run a session with the kids. This is the kind of toy that brings excitement to education.

  1. Tweet out pre-drafted message that links to the app and announcing their entry to their followers:
    “I just entered @Ozobot’s #Lucky7 giveaway! Prizes include an #iPhone6, a #GoPro, #BeatsbyDre and more! Enter today!” (+1 entry)

  2. Subscribe to our mailing list (+1 entry)

  3. Enter a valid Ozobot serial number (+5 entries)

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