1. Our Talent
I am an artist. I have been making art for over 40 years. The last 25 years I have worked with some amazingly creative people to produce animated media for preschool kids. I'd like to introduce my team, provide some samples of our work and talk about why we do what we do.
2. The Team
Creative Director/Animator/App Developer
Kristin Reiber Harris
Artist with many years experience as an animator,educator
and digital media producer
Educational Consultant:Aimee Hasinger
Educational technology specialist with Lynchburg City Schools and former classroom teacher
Programming:
Dan Hotop
Programming whiz who was co-founder of Demibooks
Voice Talent:
Vanessa Richardson
Actress/voice talent whose warm inviting voice and acting make our work shine
Marketing:
Deborah Blanchard
Years of experience in marketing for educational institutions with a background in children's media
Hilary Sutton
Expertise in brand strategy, press releases and social media strategies
3. Long Road to Get Here But What's New Now
iOS Apps
I've spent my share of time in art museums. I was lucky to grow up outside Washington, D.C. with a mother who appreciated the arts. I love the idea of introducing young children to art from all over the world. The alphabet is a great framework for doing this. Kids enjoy sharing their developing expertise in learning letters and of course it is a critical step in learning to read. This was not the first app we developed, but the first concept that I explored. We recently updated ABC.DC: An Art Alphabet. We added more interactivity and puzzles based on our testing with preschool kids.
I have a profound admiration for the work of ancient Chinese bronze artists. I also find much of this work kid-friendly art. This was so much fun to develop. I had recently come back from China and that made it even more interesting to me as I learned more about ancient Chinese art. Artwork from ancient Egypt is also included. Much of the art is thousands of years old but vibrant and engaging today.
Here is Duck Take A Ride: An Art Story.
We have released four apps. Check out the links below.
5. Our Roots
HBO Family
Our parent company, Kristin Harris Design, worked with HBO Family and HBOL for a number of years. Our projects started as animating the And Now You Know series of preschool science interstitials and culminated in our producing a series of 10 interstitials I Want To Be. Here are two of them.
The folks at HBO were absolutely fabulous clients. We had a great time working together and they gave me my first opportunity to produce as well as animate content for broadcast. Another of my favorites of the 10 in the series was I Want to Be a Chef.
6. Our Bilingual DVD Project
In 2006 we released a DVD, Bees Buzz & Lions Roar/Las abejas zumban y los leones rugen, in English and Spanish. The included a series of stories, poems and other shorts for preschool kids available in both languages. It was incredibly gratifying to hear from parents and grandparents how much their kids enjoyed the videos. Our last app includes some of the stories and poems from this DVD.
7. Passion for the Work
One of the wonderful things about being an artist is appreciating the value of passion in your work. Let's face it, we wouldn't do if for any other reason. I am a maker; that's what keeps me smiling. But it is also very much about sharing.
8. What Matters
1. A love of the visual arts
2. Art from different times and diverse cultures
3. Animation as a tool for entertainment and communication
4. Tools kids need at developmentally appropriate times to help them learn about their world and how to navigate that world
5. Profound appreciation for the digital tools that are ubiquitous in our lives and that kids need and want to learn to explore
6. Last, but certainly not least, quality content
9. Inspired by Artists and Teachers
We have been inspired by so many. A lot of the artists are included in my apps. Every piece of art I have seen that captured my attention entered my visual database, something I reference continually. I have worked with a variety of excellent teachers of young children who have shown me the kindest and best ways to help young minds develop. I am also very grateful for the time I spend with the teachers, staff and children at Elizabeth's Early Learning Center.
10. Inspired by Other App Developers
There are way too many to list. Here are a few I look to for inspiration regularly. I share their apps when I am working with kids and get ideas about functionality and design.
Yatatoy We have been playing Loopimal a lot these days
YooZoo Have You Heard is very clever with neat artwork
Tiny Bop Comprehensive handbook for their app Homes
They also offer helpful advice.
Colto Catriona Wallis, CEO of Colto wrote this post about kids, learning and tablet games on Huffington Post
YooZoo production blog about their process
We'd love to hear from you.
Are you a parent or educator? What digital media do you share with your preschool kids/students? What matters to you when it comes to using digital media to help your child grow?
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