The Ifs makes coding as simple as child’s play!
10 December, 2019 - While learning to code may not be top of everyone’s agenda, having
some basic coding skills has become something that is valued in numerous
industries ranging from engineering to science, art and design. As more schools
have incorporated coding lessons for kids, it’s also become clear that learning
the basics at an early age can develop innate coding talent and build
self-confidence to help children grasp more abstract concepts at school.
This
is the inspiration behind a new educational toy, set for launch on Kickstarter on December 16th 2019.
Created by a team of parents, teachers and tech innovators, The Ifs is a toy that teaches children the
basics of computer programming through imaginative play – without the aid of
screens.
The Ifs are a
family of four, interconnected robots, full of sensors and actuators and are
able to work together to solve problems and complete various actions – from
measuring movements, light, sound, temperature and humidity to speaking,
singing, imitating, vibrating and lighting up.
Each
member of the robot family, including Emma, Liam, Noah and Holly, has a unique
function or ‘super power’ that sets them apart and allows them to take children
on amazing adventures by programming them, simply by placing blocks on their
heads using magnets.
This
process of tangible programming makes coding easy and accessible to children of
various ages and abilities.
“We
know kids naturally play and love making things with their own hands, and
technology is transforming childhood education. We embraced these ideas to
create a hands-on learning experience that allows children to explore, follow
their curiosity, and discover things on their own and with each other,”
explains founder Luis Martín, “At the same time, by creating a gender-neutral
toy, we wanted to inspire young girls to develop an interest in STEM to
overcome the gender gap that persists in the tech field.”
But
how do these games teach basic computer coding skills? “The Ifs are programmed
by combining different blocks using simple ‘if’ and ‘then’ statements, which
operate like algorithms, with the blocks being a physical representation of an
instruction that children then combine to create an action,” says Esther Borao,
“Each of the instructions of a computer program are executed in a sequence, so
children add different instructions by combining different blocks in different
sequences. Correcting errors and debugging is as easy as changing the blocks
until the robots work as expected.”
The
Ifs also encourage healthy habits for technology use because they require
imagination, encourage interaction with others, and promote teamwork, all of
which are integral in a coding environment.
There
are endless opportunities for The Ifs to educate and entertain children from
three to 10 years old, and even beyond and parents don’t need to know any code
to play along.
The
Ifs will be launching on Kickstarter with a stretch goal of $200,000 to get The
Ifs into the hands of parents and kids by the end of 2020. With media and
industry interest already piqued, the creators should have no problem reaching
their goal.
To
date the creators have won several awards in Spain, including the Banco
Santander Explorer Program in 2017, Vodafone Ideas Camps and Rafael del Pino
Foundation Awards and Elle Talent Project in 2018 to name a few. The Ifs have
also been featured in multiple Spanish media outlets including; Periódico El
País, La Vanguardia, 20 Minutos, Expansión, Xataka amongst others.
“Our
mission is to inspire young girls and boys to explore the digital world around
them. We want to provide children with opportunities to use their knowledge and
concepts of programming as a tool to better their futures, and we believe The
Ifs has the power to do that,” says Fergus Reig.
For
further information or PR enquiries, please contact:
Email:
info@theifs.cc https://theifs.cc/
Media
contact
Company
name: The Ifs Toys S.L.
Address:
C/Mas de las matas 20, 50014 Zaragoza Spain
Contact
name: Luis Antonio Martin Nuez
Email:
info@playtheifs.cc
Phone:
+34 619913824
Website:
www.theifs.cc