kids

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 9th, 2011

Our recent Twitter party was a bit of an experiment.  We asked the brilliant artist and creator of our latest Spot the Dot app, David A. Carter (@PopArt123), to join us in a conversation with our followers.  It was unlike anything we had done on Twitter before, and we didn’t know how it would turn out.  Needless to say, not only us, but everyone who came to the party, really seemed to enjoy being in a room with one of our app creators and loved having the opportunity to ask him everything - about his work, his career, Spot the Dot and for advice on breaking into the app business.  We talked about the development of Spot the Dot, the creativity and technology behind the app, as well as Carter’s inspirations.  It was a night to remember for many of us.  We've included just a few of our favorite comments in this short wrap-up for your perusal. 

Q1 - David, how did you transition from paper engineer to app designer?  How did you bring pop art to life?  Everyone, are the concepts David introduced (i.e. counting, colors, shapes) important to you?

PopArt123: Creating an app is similar in that both are interactive. I try to integrate the interactivity into the concept.

FamiGo: Interactivity is definitely what takes a book app beyond a regular paper&ink book, +great for making reading fun 4 kids too!

PopArt123: I work mostly from drawings the straight to Illustrator.

mamagames: Concepts like counting, colors, shapes are important not just to my 4 yo but to 8 yo working on creating & appreciating art.

Q2 - David, can you talk about the process of creating an app?  How does working digitally compare to developing a physical book?

PopArt123: We start with an idea then work with the developer to make it happen.

DSloanandco: @popart123 says Bruno Munari has influenced his work. Here's a link to some Munari artwork: http://goo.gl/UhHqa.

PopArt123: The editor Marc Cheshire and I designed the interactivity.

A4CWSN: If it is a Story, it has to be a good Story, otherwise people will forget it.

PopArt123: es I use the computer along with traditional methods for my print work.

moglueDOTcom: I agree, a story has to be a good story that people don't forget it!

ostmega: I like it when an app (or digital book of any kind) highlights the words as their read. Helps with recognition.

brooks_jones: Randomization is key for re-play value--plus it adds interest for the adults too.

hoppingfun: Emotional immersion. Optimal use of video, text, audio, interaction to achieve it.

teachermomoftwo:  I think digital literacy appeals to the millenials as well as the younger generation. Much more interactive.

Q3: David, let’s talk about the special effects behind Spot the Dot.  How do you hit on such great ideas to share with such young children?  How important is sound?

A4CWSN: Agame or interactive anything will become boring over time, this is fact, it has to be a good Story or theme.

PopArt123: I think about ideas a lot, I fill notebooks with ideas and I am very influenced by the Montessori classroom.

brooks_jones: High-quality sound files essential--and they must be appropriate to the story or action.

ipad_storytime: Sound is increasingly vital to an app book's market success, but personally I like to turn off & read.

brooks_jones: I fear that my app will be outdated and trumped by better tech as soon as it appears in the app store!

Q4: David,what is your advice for other story creators who want to break into the story app world?

kishizuka: In SLJ's app advisory, educators were concerned abt how to use apps in a classrm/library. Any thoughts as the creator(s)?

popart123: Like a book, you should have a good idea or story and then make sure you work with talented people.

popart123: Interactivity is #1.

mamagames: Spot the Dot encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

mamagames: Having an app that adults enjoy right along with the kids is very important to me.

bctripletmom: Everyone, Spot the Dot in particular encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

ostmega: Sometimes the interaction is a little too close. Almost had a fight break out here today over Spotting the Dot!

Q5: David, who are some of your inspirations and favorite storytellers in the digital space? Everyone, how about you?

popart123:  I like Mike Austin’s A Present for Milo, Ben Roberts’ Alice for iPad, Sesame Street’s The Monster at the End of.

letsgochipper: Roald Dahl! Danny the Champion of the World a fav.

brooks_jones: Pretty fond of the Loud Crow, Touchoo and Auyrn story apps [and Ruckus, of course].

thedomesticexec: I love all the Christmas digital stories my kids even read them in the summer:-)

ipad_storytime: I think my personal favorite is The Fine Musician.

aaallain: Ansel's Africa is a new and upcoming interactive story app.

SimpleLeigh: My kids love digital work that goes with paper books, like Search for Wand-La app.

A4CWSN: Special needs books and apps are the future:) I don't know how many times I have to say this, but it is true!

PopArt123: Watching my children grow and spending time in the classroom has inspired many ideas.

You can get the full script by going to Twitter and look at hashtag #ruckusspotdot.

Thanks to David and to everyone who came.  See you at our next Twitter Party next month about our new Hasbro-branded apps.  Details coming soon.

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 2nd, 2011

Ever wanted to hang out with the creator of one of your favorite apps for an hour and find out about its creative process?  We’ve teamed up with pop-up master and NY Times best-selling children’s book author David A. Carter to adapt his creative genius to his very first app, Spot the Dot.  You may know him from his best-selling books, perhaps it was One Red Dot that got you and your family hooked?  Or his BUGS IN A BOX series?  David gets kids and families and how to share key childhood concepts – colors, counting, colors, and more – in a simple yet absolutely mesmerizing way.  He’s agreed to help moderate our next Twitter party where he’ll answer all kinds of questions about the app, his work and inspiration.

Come hang out with us on Wednesday, June 8^th from 9-10pm EST at hashtag #ruckusspotdot on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer) for this discussion   As usual, we’ll have great giveaways.

If you're not already following us, we're on Twitter at @RuckusMedia and please RSVP for the Twitter party here.  While you are at it, please join us on Facebook for the latest and greatest Ruckus updates, check out our videos on You Tube (including one of David on the app process and the creation of Spot the Dot), sign up for our RSS feed, join our mailing list and pick up our apps in iTunes. 

by Allyson Kane, Ruckus Media Group

04/27/2011

Rainforest Survival Challenge, A Ruckus Media app in partnership with Stepping Stones Museum for Children and Rainforest Alliance, is now available on iTunes.
 

Ruckus Mobile Media proudly announces its 16^thapp, Rainforest Survival Challenge, for children ages eight and up. Designed to educate children about the connection between plants and animals in the Amazonian Rainforest, Rainforest Survival Challenge educates and entertains with fun, thought-provoking facts about wildlife. Developed in conjunction with education experts from the Stepping Stones Museum for Children and Rainforest Alliance, the iPad app gets kids learning and asking questions about one of the most fascinating and delicate ecosystems on Earth.

Help your animals and plants survive in the Amazon as survival is the name of the game! Players are dealt five species cards and play against the computer to create the best chance of surviving. Double tap the cards to learn about the rainforest animals and plants and to create the most favorable matchup. The winner is determined by having more survivors than the computer.

Check out some of the screenshots below and then head on over to iTunes to get Rainforest Survival Challenge today!

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

03/22/2011

A few months ago, our apps were featured on GreenLivingOnline as a “new, green way to read with your kids.”  The author also coined our apps as “a green choice for entertainment,” and we were truly honored.

With Earth Day coming up on April 22^nd, we want to celebrate the power of going green, and find out how you’re teaching your children to live a green lifestyle.  Many of us have changed bits of our lifestyles to become more environmentally friendly. One of the many favors we can pass on to the next generation is to teach them ways to be green so that’s it’s second nature to them to care for the world around them.

What have you done to encourage a greener lifestyle at home?  Little things, like using a colorful cloth bag, or tossing potato peels and eggshells into the compost bin - can help the environment. And if your child develops good habits now, they’ll endure as they grow.  We want to hear from you.

We’ve also got a new app coming out in April that will appeal to everyone with a green sensibility.  It’s called Rain Forest Challenge, and we’re partnering up with the folks at Rain Forest Alliance and Stepping Stones Museum for Children.  You’ll find out more about it during our Twitter party and you may even meet some of our partners.

So, come hang out with us on Monday, March 28th from 9-1011pm EST at hashtag #ruckusgreenapps on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer) for this discussion   As usual, we’ll have great giveaways.

If you're not already following us, we're on Twitter at @RuckusMedia and please RSVP for the Twitter party by email.

While you are at it, please join us on Facebook for the latest and greatest Ruckus updates, check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed, join our mailing list and pick up our apps in iTunes.  Let's all raise a ruckus over apps for kids!

by Allyson Kane, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Specialist

12/07/2010

We’re making a Ruckus again this week!

Tomorrow we release our first app that was created with original content just for Apple’s iPad.

A Present for Milo, written and illustrated by Mike Austin, tells an exciting cat-chases mouse story ideal for younger children.  With over 80 tap-able objects that initiate more than 125 animations, A Present for Milo is just right for active little fingers.

I was always aware of my child’s generation being highly technical.  I know that she and her sister will look at CD’s like my husband as I look at 8-tracks – what is that and how did it work?  Despite my knowing this, I was still wide-eyed in surprise when I paused a TV show to answer the phone and my Toddler walked up to the television and tapped it with her finger.  She then promptly turned around to tell me, “Mommy.  It’s broken.”

A Present for Milo features an interactive rollicking reading romp as mouse taunts best friend Milo, the cat, to go on a chase through the house.  Who’s knocking on the mouse hole? When mouse peeks out, he sees Milo…and off they go! Down the hall…through the kitchen…up the stairs…across the piano…around and around and around and around—Milo and mouse turn the house upside down as the scamper, pounce, jump, and bounce through every room. With each swipe of a finger, it’s a spirited chase right up to the exuberant surprise ending.

Every screen invites the user right into Milo’s world of toys, music, and mayhem—including a rocket, a UFO, a piano with keys that bash, paintings that jump from their frames, and a giggly pack of mischievous mice.  Children will have a new best friend in Milo the cat. 

Download A Present for Milo for your iPad on iTunes for $1.99 starting tomorrow!

Updated to add: Click here to download, A Present for Milo!

by Jill Smokler of Scary Mommy, Ruckus Media Contributing Writer

11/11/2010

Growing up, our closest family was located a good ten hours away. I have vivid memories of the endless road trips, clutching my yellow Fisher Price radio as Three Blind Mice played over and over. It was mildly annoying, but after hours of playing I Spy and My Mother Went to The Market, it was a welcome distraction. This was before the days of fancy rest stops and lunch meant soggy tuna sandwiches packed by my mom.

My children are so much more fortunate. They get the glitzy rest areas, complete with toys and indoor playgrounds. They get the built in DVD player where they can watch their favorite movies straight from the ceiling and this year, Lily will be able to read the boys' stories from my iPhone. They can sit in the back and, holding my phone, hear the tale of John Henry or The Velveteen Rabbit. No pages will be ripped and it's too small to be grabbed between car-seats. I'm almost not dreading the trip. I said almost, I'm not insane. But I have learned a few things over the last six years of road-tripping with my kids. Here are some of my tried and true tips for survival-- maybe they'll help you, too...

1. Leave early and drive late. Sleepy children are much better than wired ones.

2. Pack an emergency bag of Tylenol (for you and them,) a change of clothes, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes and extra toys.  Should you need any of the above, you can avoid having to unpack your entire trunk at a gas station.

3. Bring snacks. Lots of them. A long car ride is not the time to worry about optimal nutrition.

4. Pre-load your iPhone or iPad with lots of books and games to keep them occupied – no worries about lost little game pieces rolling behind the seats!

5. Let them pick a few of their own toys to bring, and even if they don't want their favorite animal, bring it. They will change their mind and you will regret not grabbing it.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! What tips can you share? We'll pick a favorite to try out one of our apps next Thursday!  Just leave a comment below. 

by Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Specialist

10/29/2010

This week was jam packed with activity here at Ruckus.  

We got some favorable reviews and mentions over at Ain't Yo Mamas Blog, Ma Vie Et Mon Joie, Sensible Cents, Moms with Apps and Cool Mom Picks.  Moms with Apps said that "if book apps can work together with parents to enliven a family dinner conversation, or blaze a trail to the local library, well, then we’re on to something."  Cool Mom Picks said that "one of the very, very best things about the apps is that they can grow with your kids with three different settings: kids can listen to the story and watch the animation; they can read it themselves; or they can record their own voices reading the story, then play it back."

We were also featured in Wired Magazine's Geek Dad column in which Rick is quoted several times, and we were named "one of the new, big kids on the block."

Rick and Jim were guests on Blog Talk Radio's show "I Love Authors," and Rick was on another Blog Talk Radio show called "Time Out Mom".  Both were hosted by Melissa Lierman and were lively discussions about what we're doing and how we envision the future of kid's apps and Ruckus.  To learn more about our philosophy and plan, listen to both!

Freelance writer Gale Pryor and Jill Smokler of ScaryMommy.com joined our blog as contributors, and we launched their weekly columns.

Lastly,we wrapped up a successful week-long Twitter contest with Lucy's and Willette Designs.  We had over 150 entries and a great deal of buzz on our feed.  Stay tuned to hear about other exciting promotions and giveaways on our blog, Facebook and Twitter.

by Allyson Kane, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Specialist

10/1/2010

The buzz is all around us!  Just this week alone there have been numerous articles in the press about children and digital reading and how it's become not only a growing trend, but a plan for the future.

The New York Times ran an article this week based on a study released by Scholastic, the worlds largest publisher and distributer of children's books, that indicates 57% of children have shown interest in reading, and reading more often, on an electronic device.  While only 25% of children in the study actually have read a book on an electronic device, it was found that a third of them would be more apt to read for fun if they could do so on an electronic device.

A Wall Street Journal blogger also posted about Scholastic's study, but took a different approach in that they specifically discussed the decreased interest in reading among boys as their interest in technology, gaming, and social networking increased.  A potential solution presented here was to appeal to Dad's, and other role models that share the tech-gadget interest, and target eBooks to them.  Also featured in that article?  A screenshot from The Velveteen Rabbit, one of our soon-to-be-released storybook apps!

When I read through the study and the statistics and the clarifications/discussions that rose from its publication, I wondered what this means with regard to the constant evolution of techonology and the impact it has on our children, our future.  I thought back to my own childhood when we were still using rotary phones and only had to dial four-digits to call someone across town.  Now, the devices we carry in our pockets are used not only to call someone (10-digit minimum!), but are used for so much more!

The Ruckus Media apps, which are set to release in the coming weeks, cover all the bases.  The traditional stories everyone loves combined with the best and latest technology everyone uses have finally been joined together to entertain and educate our children.

For more information and the latest news on the release of our apps, follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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To read the entire study released by Scholastic, please click here.

A follow-up article on the study was posted by Digital Book World on Thursday.

by Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Group Marketing Specialist

9/22/2010

Here at Ruckus, we’re keenly aware of the fact that smart phones and moms go together like peanut butter and jelly, just like the sandwiches they make for their kids.  Moms are the CEO’s of their families.  They’re in charge of scheduling, shopping, planning activities, keeping kid’s routines and making sure that everyone is busy and happy.  Then there’s the smart phone, which, like the mom, is the keeper of contacts, calendars, email and other useful applications to track everyday life.  Some moms keep their shopping lists on their phones while others keep track of their calorie counts.  Many use it for personal entertainment – listening to their favorite music while they work or exercise, browsing the Internet or using entertainment apps.

Now that apps are getting more and more educational, moms can use their phones to entertain their children, and moms don’t have to feel guilty about passing their phone to their kids.  Many apps introduce a child to the world of reading, improve reflexes, critical thinking and good decision-making skills.  At the end of this month, we're launching five classic story apps that will suit moms on the lookout for digital apps that are both entertaining and educational.  And totally "guilt-free".

According to a survey by mobile advertising network, Greystripe, last year, 59% of iPhone moms surveyed let their children use their iPhone and 41% of moms who own iPhones download apps specifically for their children to use.  Our guess is that the percentage of moms who pass their devices to their kids has grown even higher in the last year, particularly with the introduction of the iPhone 4, this past April’s launch of the iPad and the increasing popularity of Android phones.  If you look around, like our founder Rick Richter mentioned in his message the other day, you’ll find kids tapping on iPads and iPhones all over the place. We've spotted kids using these devices in restaurants, on airplanes, in waiting rooms, in coffee shops, at the mall.  Step into any smart phone store and half the clientele consists of youth and teenagers exploring the various products, planning their next purchase. 

The "guilt-free" classics that we're releasing as digital apps at the end of the month include these Play-Read-and-Record-Along animated stories:

• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table, told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor, music by Elvis Costello
• The Velveteen Rabbit, told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson, music by George Winston
• Johnny Appleseed, told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson, music by Mark O’Connor
• Pecos Bill, told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin, music by Ry Cooder
• John Henry, told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson, music by B.B. King

As the count-down to launch begins, we’re asking our readers, who are some of your favorite authors or illustrators that you would like to see tell stories in this new medium?  Please send your ideas to holly@ruckusmediagroup.com.