Earlier this month I heard from Nat Sims, Founder and CEO of Night & Day Studios, about a new product launch. Nat made the world famous app Peekaboo Barn. If you make apps for kids, or if you’ve used apps with young kids over the past five years, Peekaboo Barn is probably a familiar name. This brilliant little barn opened up doors way beyond animals. It opened up an industry, and set the stage for young audiences to be included in technology’s newest platforms.
I connected with Nat originally back in 2011 when he guest posted about the role parents play in their children’s experiences with apps. His statement about parent and child involvement still holds true:
“So, let your children play, and let them play with apps. But get involved. Have them sit on your lap the first few times they play. Pay attention to what interests them, and what new conversations–funny stories or learning moments–the app affords. Point out interesting details in the images and sounds you experience. If the app is a dead end, just delete it! But if not, talk about the app over breakfast, and if the app has a useful educational activity, recreate it in other parts of the child’s life. Integrate the app into their larger lives, and in turn you will bring the energy of their vibrant young lives to all of their learning experiences.”
What’s lovely about Nat, is that he chose to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. Under Nat’s leadership, Peekaboo Barn transcended the digital dimension and landed straight into a board book on our laps. By 2014, families could cuddle up on the couch with Peekaboo Barn to physically lift flaps, turn pages, and say the word “moo”. If you are a parent, I’ll bet you can remember the verses of your child’s favorite board book. Sometimes out of nostalgia, I still recite pages from First Book of Sushi, or Sometimes I Want To Curl Up In A Ball (to my tweens’ embarrassment). Board books introduce language. They have a rhythm. They stick in your brain.
Today, our family gets to enjoy even more cool stuff coming through from Night & Day. Now we have a customized “Akemann Family Notebook” to keep track of to-do lists and general household reminders. If you are curious to check these out, get prepared to hear a collective “aaaaaaaaaw…. how cuuuuuuuuuuuuute” upon opening the package.
So thank you Nat, for sending me a complimentary copy of your new product to enjoy. And thank you also, for keeping me in the loop about what’s new at Night & Day Studios. Your brand represents the beginning of a journey for myself and many people I know, and I wish you continued success.
