KIDOOZI FEATURED ITEMS: AUGMENTED REALITY BOOKS AND 3D COLORING MAGIC REVIEW

One of the things that we instilled in Sofi at a very young age was the love of reading books and listening to stories. I remember Sofi would always ask me or her daddy to read her a story when she was still very young. Even with out close relatives, she would hand them a book and ask them to read it to her. Now that she’s older, Sofi enjoys learning so many things not only in school but also from youtube or from online educational websites.  Unfortunately, like many of her age, Sofi is not as interested (as I want her to be) on reading books. They are more interested in youtube, online activities or websites, and apps on phones and tablets.

That’s why these very educational and interactive books sent to us by Kidoozi is just perfect for her! Because not only will she be able to use a physical book but she can also use her gadgets while reading it because all the pages of the books had augmented reality in it. What a time to be alive where learning , discovering, and gadgets combined can give a fun learning experience for our kids. And they can be found at www.kidoozi.com.

So we got three items from Kidoozi – 2 Evo Books, 2 Coloring Books, and 1 box of 3D Animal Observation Cards. And I can't wait to share with your our thoughts and impressions.

EVO BOOKS
LOOK AT IT, READ IT, DO IT, LEARN IT.

Age to be used: 4+ years
Dimension: 280x227mm
Materials: Hardcover, 32 pages
Price: Php 700

• This is a future-oriented smart book combined with augmented reality. 
• See realistic images
• You can have fun reading while learning
• Experience and observe active living birds and herptiles with augmented reality 

Instructions:
Three easy steps to use:
1. Download the app for free in Google Play or Apple’s App Store (with EVO BIRD I used my iPad to download the app while I used my Asus smartphone in downloading EVO HERPTILE).
2. Run the app and look at the pages through your device camera
3. You will see 3D animals coming to life!

EVO BIRD

With the 3D Augmented Reality App. you can:

• Move the animal where you want.
• Listen to the sound of the animals.
• Examine and observe the animals and their habitats.
• Take a photo with the animal and email it to friends.
• Watch the animal videos. 

EVO HERPTILE 

Impressions:

Sofi and her friends had a lot of fun checking out the book and exploring the app. She liked the fact that you can “feed” the bird and let it “sit” on your hand and taking a photo of it doing that! It definitely sparked her interest in this area and I think its so much better than just playing random games on her gadget. 

What we liked about it:

• It is interactive. I really like that Sofi got interested reading again because the book allows her to learn not only from the written pages of the book but she was able to explore the app that comes along with it.
• It gives you a full sensory experience. Of course if you just read the book, you will only see the pictures and read the written words on it and your child’s imagination will be sparked. But with the additional augmented reality, your child can have a full sensory experience as well by hearing the sound that the bird (or any animal) makes and also watching a short clip of the actual animal featured on that page! And by touching the screen, she can also manipulate the animal's movement or make it bigger or smaller.
• It comes with a game. Let’s face it, most of our kids now use our gadgets mostly for games! But with this app, our kids can play educational games as well. With EVO books, each animal has a puzzle game included. 
• It can be downloaded whether you are using an android phone or an iPhone or iPad.
• You can use the augmented reality app even without internet. So you can bring it anytime, anywhere. Perfect to entertain our kids.

Other EVO Books:

• Animal
• Ocean
• Dino
• Bug
• Farm Animal

3D COLORING MAGIC by AR EVO

What is 3D Coloring Magic?

• It is an amazing coloring book in which the animals that children color move magically when viewed through a smartphone or tablet.
• This book develops creativity, thinking, and concentration.
• Children can develop their creative thinking and concentration skills while coloring animals and seeing them come to life and move.

Age to be used: 2+ years

Dimension: 210x300mm 

Materials: Paperback, 20 pages

Price: Php 350

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Download the app for free in Google Play or Apple’s App Store
2. Check the product registration and enter

3. Run the app and look at the pages through your device camera
4. Scan your preferred picture

5. You will see 3D animals coming to life!

3D COLORING MAGIC DINO

3D COLORING MAGIC SAFARI

Impressions:

So if your kids love to color, this coloring book is definitely for you! Though the book says its for children starting at the age of two, I'm not sure if a 2 year-old can color it alone because the coloring books is a bit detailed for a young child. It should be done with adult supervision. But what a perfect excuse to bond with mommy, daddy, ate or kuya, right? :)

In the coloring book, it gave advise on how to get the most out of the coloring book:

• Use color pencils for best results (the coloring pages are detailed and would look better if color pencils will be used).
• Don’t use dark colors or cover the picture’s lines with colors because the augmented reality might not work.
• Keep the coloring book completely flat because the augmented reality might not work. In other words, be careful to not bend the book or fold the pages! 
• Point the camera of your device at the colored image. The app won’t start if the screen is red.

What we liked about it:

• Coloring Bonding Time. It is a perfect opportunity for the family to spend time with each other as the parents guide their child in coloring it. 
• It nurtures the imagination. We all know that coloring activities helps children develop their creativity. This is really evident in Sofi! She has always loved to color ever since she learned how to hold a crayon. She loves arts and coloring has been her passion. And her creativity has really been developed because of this.
• The 3D Coloring Magic may be registered with up to two devices.
• Can work without internet. You can bring these anytime, anywhere. A perfect companion for our kids.

Other 3D Coloring Magic:

• Ocean
• Bird

It's really one of the most educational books we've read. Even our friends were simply amazed how reading a simple book can be enjoyable with Augmented Reality. What a fun experience!

Now tell me if you were not amazed by these. :) They are all available at www.kidoozi.com. Really worth the money and investments.

Thank you so much Kidoozi Team for sending these. Sofi and I enjoyed learning, discovering and playing with Augmented Reality animals.

Stay tuned for my next review on Kidoozi 3D Pop-Up Cards. :)