Launching today: 'One, dwa, treís'... a wonderful new App

 

Learning to count in Arabic, Dutch, Swiss German or just in English? You can now in the prettiest way possible with ‘Count the Animals!’, a new children’s app launched today by Dutch publisher Appracadabra.

Of course I am proud to give you the scoop ... and also to be able to share a bit more with you the 'why's and how's' behind this very beautiful app. I believe apps like these are still hard to find but make the app-shop so much more interesting, creative and worth visiting with your kids.  

I would use this app for travelling, killing some difficult hours at the end of the day when the boys are tired. Just put the iphone or ipad on the table and turn the app in a guessing-game...

One of the founders of 'One, dwa, treís' or ‘Count the Animals' is Diana van Ewijk and she answered some questions for us:

Why this application?
Marlis and Xander were the Milan airport waiting for their flight to Palermo. It was hot and their daughters, Magali and Anais were bored. They had brought some books and downloaded some apps but soon found out that most apps were only available in English - and on top of that the girls were quickly bored... it was then that the idea was born to make children's apps in as many different languages!

 

But where to start and to do you create an app?
It starts by developing an interesting concept and doing lot's of research! By looking at our own children, seeing what they like to play with and keeps them concentrated. We also looked at the Montessori idea that every child wants to learn. Just give them the right apps and they will discover and learn. Not from a mandatory didactic tone, but playful. After that finding the perfect illustrator , in this case Caroline Ellerbeck, known for her work for Flow Magazine and four Golden books and  for translators: turned out they were easy to find at the school playground, fathers and mothers from different nationalities. And last but not least an App developer.

Nice parts of the whole process?
The collaboration with the illustrator, Caroline Ellerbeck! Marlis and Xander have invented many concepts in the past, but the illustrator often adds that special edge to the outcome ... leaving us until the end

and some difficult parts?
Finding the right developer, who not only understands the programming, but who also understands the style, feel, emotion and therefore the message behind the app...

Future plans Appracadabra and 'One, dwa, treís'?
Every two months we are planning on launching a new app for children aged 0-6 years. We already have started working together with international illustrators.

We also aim to make every app tangible... by making it possible to have a print of the app in your home too. For instance for 'One, dwa, treís' we have created the "Count the Animals!" poster.

..Appracadabra..

..Count the Animals! app available here..