Today I took Zachary, my three-year-old-little-treasure, for a spin into the South Street Seaport. Ignoring the huge sailboats, he zoomed into the mall, which everyone knows is much more fun. To our great amazement, we found there an interactive carpet with brightly colored animated games. By stepping on the carpet, hitting and rubbing it with our hands, or just hovering and making shadows, we were able to kick soccer balls, help a frog cross a scary highway, race cars, make pop-corn and even swim with beautiful Chinese goldfish, while pushing them and the water-lilies around. The game was actually an ad for an exciting new cellphone, but it was very attractive in itself. I could see lower school kids having lots of fun, and having a full-body learning experience with such a cool device.
On a tech note, it works with an overhead projector and a camera. The camera recorded Zachy’s movements and translated them to the computer. The effect was fast and efficient. Wow.
Thanks Zach!
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