There is nothing sweeter than scooping your little one a sundae after a hot day, hot chocolate after an afternoon sledding, or sneaking sugar cookies as you bake them for Santa! These little moments become the memories your little ones will think back on when they have children of their own. It can be tough to resist recreating this sweet moment day after day, but as parents, we know that our children won’t thrive on snacks and sweets. A precious moment, certainly! But not a wholesome, nutritionally sound diet by any means.
The same can be said of their experience with screens. With so many movies, shows, apps, games, and even their homework showing up online, how can you be sure that the sustenance your child is receiving is serving as mental nutrition and not “mindless snacking”? Each day a new app replaces the one your child couldn’t get enough of yesterday, and soon they’re lost in a world of lights, colors, sounds, advertising, and empty interactions.
According to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study done by the National Institute for Mental Health, children who are over-exposed to screens have been shown to experience a thinning of the cortex, the layer of the brain that processes the five senses. This means that while they are able to process video games, spreadsheets, and scroll through social media with a deftness that can dizzy their parents, their ability to exist and thrive in the tangible world is taking a hit.
Parents are faced with very tough challenges every day, but time is of the essence when making a decision about screen time and your children. These changes appear to be permanent and set in during early adolescence. While the world is moving toward a fully screen-centric future, we still need explorers, chefs, doctors, musicians, and ballerinas. We still need people who can see, smell, and feel the world they’re living in.
That is why, when we developed the Wonder Bunch world, we did our homework. We soon learned that the developer of many of the most popular apps for kids was also a developer of slot machines. These apps, much like snack food, is designed specifically to be addictive. That just didn’t sit right with us, and we set out to create an educational app that was enjoyable, engaging, but easy to set down.
In fact, our goal was to create learning games that enticed children to look around and truly experience the world around them! To get their hands dirty, to stare at the stars, and to learn by doing, seeing, feeling, and finally caring about the planet they call home!
With our team of innovative creators, we have designed a world that doesn’t try to pour information into your child, but instead teaches them to think, look, and find their answers in their own way. We hope that your family loves our Wonder Bunch world and we are excited to bring you even more ways to learn and grow together!
