Candy and Dave: It began with a wild “What if?”

Learning does not need to be hard work, and the recently launched virtual characters Candy and Dave prove just that.

The heart of a colourful and fun-filled educational application made for the iPhone and iPad, Candy and Dave teach kids all they need to know about colors, animals, continents, health, and plants with the “Learning with Candy & Dave” series.

The application which hit virtual shelves last August 2 is recommended for learners aged 5 and below.

What inspired the innovative animation company Beyond Notebooks to produce this application? “Beyond Notebooks started as a wild ‘what if’ by one of its founders,” partner Jordan Imutan said. “What if we animate the everyday lessons of children?” This paved the way for the creation of a series of applications which make learning fun for the tech-savvy little ones.

Versions available

“Learning with Candy & Dave” offers five interactive books: “Animal Kingdom,” “Wonderful World,” “Health Book 1,” “Discover Plants,” and “Color Your Life.”

As their titles suggest, the “Animal Kingdom” teaches children the different types of animals, the sounds they make, and what offspring they produce. Kids will also learn which animals can be considered a pet, a farm, or a wild animal.

The “Wonderful World” on the other hand will serve as the little ones’ first mini tour around the globe as this e-book will teach them about continents as well as the cultures of countries found in each.

Meanwhile “Health Book 1” is more about ailments which could hit toddlers at their tender age.

And lastly, “Discover Plants” will discuss plants in general, its different parts, and also its various types.

Each e-book app offers a video component, a summary of the lesson, things to remember, and a quiz which can be used to evaluate the learner’s understanding of the subject matter, while also subtly promoting interaction between the parent and the child using the application.

Except for “Animal Kingdom” which is free to download, the other versions are affordably priced at $2.99 in the Apple Appstore. The apps can be viewed using iPhones and iPads.

Creators

The “Learning with Candy & Dave” application is published through the joint effort of the Inquirer Group of Companies’ mobile content and applications developer, MegaMobile, and Beyond Notebooks, an emerging education-animation company that produces informative, instructional, and curriculum-based videos for young learners.

Beyond offering fun learning, the series’ interactive electronic books offer other benefits:

1. iPads and iPhones are now common family devices. In fact, they have taken the role of a “cyber nanny”—keeping children engaged during long trips and times “in-between” family activities. Learning with Candy and Dave turns their screen time into learning opportunities.
2. Multiple ebooks can be stored on one device. This allows parents and kids to easily take this along anytime and anywhere.
3. The lessons in “Learning with Candy & Dave” are visual and entertaining. With its interactive features, kids learn faster and better.
4. Each version covers one topic at a time. This allows children to gain mastery over each topic in a short amount of time.

The work goes on

Although the application has only been in the Appstore for a month, it has already received positive ratings and good reviews from its users.

But the books available in Apple Store are just the tip of the iceberg. “In the coming months, readers can expect to see more books for the higher grade levels,” said Joe Concepcion, MegaMobile’s Business Development Manager for Publishing.

“We have over a dozen additional books in the pipeline,” added Jordan. “In the near future, we may go into physical books that are linked to the digital lessons or videos through what is called augmented reality.”

The people behind Beyond Notebooks are Vanessa Tangco, President of the iAcademy and the Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine Women’s University; Jeffrey Imutan, a seasoned animator with over 25 years of experience with various studios and US animation projects like “Tom & Jerry Kids Show,” “Yogi Bear,” “Johnny Quest,” “Uncanny X-men” and “Kim Posible;” and Jordan, a seasoned IT and operations executive with 20 years of work experience with the largest commercial bank in the Middle East.