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DiaryZapp wins Innovate UK Grant

DiaryZapp wins Innovate UK Grant

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Background

Originally focused on helping children with learning loss during summer holidays, the team behind DiaryZapp , realized that children are now facing different challenges and wanted to help.  They recognised that children are struggling with isolation and lack of routine in these uncertain times and felt that by working with schools they could play a key role in helping children develop positive well being habits which will help them through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

Research

Recent research carried out by Oxford University with parents and carers of children aged 4-10, confirmed increased emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

​​​​​Tom Madders, Campaigns Director at YoungMinds, said, ‘This research suggests that many younger children have found it increasingly hard to cope as the lockdown period has gone on, which may be because of loneliness, fears about the coronavirus or a loss of the routines and support that come with school.

Professor Cathy Creswell, Professor of Developmental Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, and co-leading the study, said, ‘Prioritising the mental health of children and young people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond is critical.’

The DiaryZapp team wanted to respond to this and felt that by writing a daily journal, children could develop good wellbeing and mental health habits.  A recent article by Kira M Newman in the Greater Good Magazine, highlighted some of the many benefits which include encouraging creativity, reducing stress, promoting happiness and creating a daily routine.

DiaryZapp Awarded Innovate UK Grant

DiaryZapp are delighted to announce that as part of Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation Fund, they have secured an Innovate UK grant to build DiaryZapp for Schools. The app will be available from May 2021 across all major app stores including Apple, Microsoft and Google.

The project is in it’s early stages but if you would like to contribute ideas or if you are a teacher with a class who would like to trial the app, please get in touch at sayhello@diaryzapp.com

DiaryZapp Top 20 Christmas Gift Ideas | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

Top 20 Christmas gift ideas for kids 4 to 10

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Here at DiaryZapp we know that it’s vital to balance screen time with the other important stuff that kids should be doing like playing, getting messy and having adventures outside so here are some of our top gift ideas for Christmas 2018 which will appeal to outdoorsy and creative kids alike…

 

Outdoor action gift ideas

  • Power kite, stunt kite, rigid, inflatable whatever – we know kites are traditional but there’s a reason why they’ve been loved for generations.  Kites give you a great reason to head outside on a windy day and feel exhilarated.  All budgets from the pocket version to more technical power kites for older kids.
  • Fire building kit complete with marshmallows – there’s something magical about sitting around a fire and toasting marshmallows on sticks, With grown-ups around, kids can learn about making fires, lighting fires, being safe and having fun.  An inexpensive gift that you can put together yourself.
  • Den kits are awesome used indoors or out, sofas become hideaways for knights or explorers and the tree at the bottom of the garden can be a den for happy days of playing, their imagination is the limit.
  • Step trackers– kids love achievements and watching the steps add up will keep them walking for miles.  Great for walking off the Christmas excesses!
  • Balance Bikes are fantastic gifts for kids at little as two and it sets them off on a journey into the world of cycling which means they can avoid stabilisers as they use their inherent ability to balance and it transfers straight onto a pedal bike as well as decent distance walks for the rest of the family.
  • Scooters are another option in the same vein which allows your little ones to get out and about under their own steam.
  • Running kit – everyone loves running kit and new gear is an excuse to get outside, do you own run or head off to your local park run, get out and enjoy!
  • Nerf guns are seen by some as controversial but we feel that a well planned nerf gun battle between friends can help to learn about setting rules, learning where boundaries are, clearing up afterwards and of course they’re great fun.
  • Binoculars or a telescope open up the skies whether it’s a love of birds or the chance to stay up late on a clear night to look at the stars, kids will feel grown-up with their own equipment, and it might mean they are happy without borrowing yours!

Creative gift ideas

  • Book token – great idea for a day when you have time to mooch, give kids the chance to discover the world of book shops, take time to let them browse for themselves and who knows they might find that book that ignites the flame for a lifelong love of reading.
  • Pens with a difference – Blendy Pens are great for keeping kids interested in drawing or coloring and add another dimension, we also love spy pens for writing secret messages.
  • Butterfly kit which allows children to experience the transition from caterpillar to butterfly for real and then release the butterflies into their garden and enjoy.
  • Scratch off pictures remind us of the ones we used to make as a kid with wax and then black paint over the top.  Now you can buy them ready made and all you do is scratch to reveal what’s underneath.  Fantastic when you are on the go and don’t have coloring pens or paints to hand.
  • Elasti Plasti Slime. The world of slime has gone mad and if you’re anything like us, you’ve had a go at making your own.  Elasti slime takes it to the next level, stretch and play!
  • Make your own soap – as we all try to move towards less plastic in our lives, lettings kids make their own soap is a great alternative to shower gel bottles, or a super present for them to give.
  • Kano coding kits are evolving all the time and give kids a great intro to coding computers rather than just using software that other people have written.  Choose the kit that suits and let the techy fun flow.
  • Lego is of course an old favourite but the kits have moved it onto a different level, sets from a recent movie or a motorized vehicle add interest all over again.
  • Baking sets mean that little ones can get started in the kitchen and even if the end results aren’t always perfect, it truly doesn’t matter as the learning along the way and the fun will make up for it.
  • Kinetic sand is a fantastically addictive invention which is a squishy kind of sand that sticks together when you press is and has limitless possibilities for fun.
  • Build and paint a bird box, bee hotel or hedgehog hideaway, encourage their love of nature and creativity and then watch as creatures move into their creation.

That’s a round up of our top twenty Christmas gift ideas, if you like these, we think you’ve love DiaryZapp – the kids digital diary, which allows kids to write and draw about their day and create special pages to treasure. Please check out our independent reviews by clicking Here

Here at DiaryZapp we’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to over Christmas and the adventures you’ve been having.  Get in touch @diaryzapp or #weareDIARYZAPP

For more information about how you can gift DiaryZapp to family and friends click Here

DiaryZapp Perfect Christmas Gift | www.diaryzapp.com

How to Gift DiaryZapp – The Christmas gift that lasts all year.

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Here’s how to gift DiaryZapp – the kids digital diary app, to someone from your iOS device:

  1. Click the App Store icon on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad or alternative click on this link 
  2. Tap the Search icon at the bottom of the screen and type in DiaryZapp.
  3. Open the DiaryZapp preview page. Tap the button with the three dots that appears to the right of the price for the app, (or the box with an arrow pointing up, if you have an older device).
  4. Tap the Gift App option on the screen that opens.
  5. Log in to your account, if you aren’t already logged in.
  6. Enter the recipient’s email address, your name, and a message of 200 characters or less.
  7. Leave the default set to Today if you want the gift to be sent straight away, or select a different date for a delayed delivery e.g. Christmas Day.
  8. Tap the Next Review the details of the app gift before buying it. When you click Buy Gift, your account is charged, DiaryZapp is sent to your gift recipient, and you get a receipt.

Any problems, please give us a shout at sayhello@diaryzapp.com

DiaryZapp Selfie | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

‘Me’ Time, guilt free kids screentime

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Family holidays are great aren’t they?

I don’t know about you but sometimes as a mum need a few minutes out from the madness, time to finish my book, have a glass of wine or just finish my train of thought.  At these times it seems like an easy option to hand over the iPads to my children and ignore the guilt that niggles.

What if it didn’t have to be that way?

What if there was a positive, constructive app that could keep the children busy for a few minutes in a healthy, creative way?  Wouldn’t it be even better if you could save their creations into holiday journals to remember the adventures, the crazy moments and even the funny fails?  No guilt, just delight.

DiaryZapp hits the spot, loved by kids, trusted by parents who are glad to know that their kids are using tech in the right way, and can relax knowing that there will be a diary page to share with family back home. DiaryZapp is 2.99 No Ads and No In App Purchases, download now by clicking on your appstore logo below

DiaryZapp Bedruthen Steps | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com
Noah’s DiaryZapp entry from our break in cornwall


Now doesn’t that holiday glass of wine taste just a little bit sweeter!

Check out our independent  reviews from Common Sense Media and the Educational App store

Happy Holidays!

Charlie

DiaryZapp CoFounder

 

Awards Finalist 2018 | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

DiaryZapp has made the finals of the 2018 UK App Awards

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With the exciting news that we have made the finals of the UK App Awards in two categories, Best Children’s App and Best Education App 2018. It seems like a good time to take stock – there’s still a huge mountain to climb but I figure it’s ok to take a moment to reflect.

So…. from an idea that we kicked around as a family whilst walking on the coastal path in Cornwall, to being a finalist at the UK App Awards… there has obviously been a lot of hard work and late nights along the way, but what have I learnt, and would I do it again?

  1. App developers and creatives are a different breed to me. I’m a Mum and a project manager and I’ve learnt that lists and being organized are essential for survival.  However, I quickly realised that creatives don’t work like me, so I try to find people who are great at their job, even though I don’t understand it, who I trust and then step back, sit on my hands and let them do their best.
  2. The world of apps and social media is a strange place, just when you find something that seems to be working, an algorithm changes or some regulation steps in and you have to change. I am nowhere near nailing this yet and I’d welcome advice but, in the meantime, I’m just going to keep trying different things and learn to be resilient until something works.
  3. Take the benefits – for me, a huge part of running my own business is flexibility which means that I can be there at the school concerts and the days when a poorly little one needs sofa cuddles, or I can head outside to clear my head, so I should take that time and enjoy it without guilt. I’m sure you’re like me and you drive yourself hard enough so it’s ok to make the most of the benefits.
  4. Working with my husband brings its own challenges, and we are still slowly learning to put walls in around our work time so that we get some down time. Chatting about work issues in bed is a passion killer!
  5. Plug In, Lean In, whatever you call it, just do it. I am fortunate to be surrounded by lots of lovely people who are in different stages of starting businesses.  It’s really valuable to talk to them, share the ups and downs, sometimes be able to pick up a tip, learn a shortcut or even just wrestle with the challenges together.  After a catch-up like this, I return to my desk re-focused and invigorated to carry on.

So, looking back, to draw the strength for the next phase, would I do it all again… hell yes!  And please keep your fingers crossed for us at the UK App Awards!

For more info on our story click here

To find out more about DiaryZapp click here

 

Child with DiaryZapp DiaryZapp | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

At last, an App that kids love and parents can say “Yes” to….

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Screen time battles

Let’s face it, kids love screen time.  As parents we worry that they are spending too much time on their screens and not enough time engaged in creative, positive activities.   Most importantly, we know that we need to embrace technology but we need to hit the right balance.

When we wanted an app that would help our kids keep motivated to write holiday diaries we couldn’t find one, so to cut a long story short – we built DiaryZapp.

DiaryZapp is an app designed by our family for families.   It is a safe place for kids to get creative so they can write, draw, add photos and stickers to create a record of their day.  When you think they are ready, if you decide, you can set up a closed group of parent approved ‘buddies’ for your children to share diary pages with.

Meet the Zappicons!

Children create their own guides or helpers which we call Zappicons.  Through writing regularly and accepting vocabulary boosts, children unlock rewards and accessories for their Zappicon.

Family Treasure

Your children’s diaries become true family treasures.  If you take a minute to look back and remember family adventures, we think you’ll be delighted to see how far their literacy and creativity has come.

Here’s a page that my son created …

Weekend Entry | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

I’d love to see the diary pages your creative kids come up with.

Happy Half-Term!

Charlie

Co-Founder DiaryZapp

DiaryZapp is available now in all app stores priced 2.99.  No in-app purchases or adverts.

Top 10 Tips for Stress Free Family Holiday | DiaryZapp | www.diaryzapp.com

Family Holiday Travel Tips – from a Mum who’s had her share of epic parenting fails!

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As a family we love travelling on holiday.  Along the way, we’ve made a load of mistakes and endured epic parenting fails.  Here are our top travel tips for a stress-free family holiday.

 

Rock, Paper, Scissors….

Trying to encourage independence and a travelling spirit in our kids from a young age, we would read articles like this about travel tips and let them pack their own rucksacks for the holiday.  You know the kind of thing, a few books and a couple of toys.  In hindsight it would have been better to check these carry-on bags before we hit Security and the Officer found the kiddie scissors that our daughter planned to cut up her magazine with.  Another time there was the saga of the water-filled toy that our son didn’t want to be parted from.  The looks of shame from the other travellers!

Get a stand-in (or a look-a-like)

Our kids always want to take their favourite teddy, which they’ve had since birth and this is high risk.  We are still looking for ‘blanky’ who fell out of the car somewhere between France and Switzerland on a road trip four years ago.  If you don’t want to spend the whole of your holiday checking that Tigger is still with you, then have a backup teddy!!

I can admit it.

Back everyone else away from the main packing.  This is one area where I don’t let everyone get involved.  Maybe I’m a bit of a control freak but I am old enough now to bravely admit that I am ‘A List Person’.  I’ve made lists for all kinds of holidays – Devon beach holiday Winter (I have another one for Summer), Hot holiday, Skiing, Camping kit list, Poolside kit etc. I know, so sad, shoot me now.  What it means is that I have a list of the majority of the stuff we’ll need and I refine it over time and take stuff off the list that we didn’t use.

We abandoned an inflatable unicorn and x-wing at the packing stage last time as their weight alone was more than one person’s allowance – doh – what was I thinking?  I add any stuff that we needed (refillable water bottle for by the pool and walkie talkies).

Plan ahead and then let the kids take charge.

We went to the Azores last summer and did some amazing hikes, we were a bit apprehensive, but it turned out the kids loved it!! We found some route maps and let the kids take it turns leading our hikes. It got them involved in planning the route and spared us the ‘how much further?’ whinging. Try to plan ahead and book some kids activities in advance, this means this you can get them excited about some of the adventures they are going to have.  It also avoids doing it all on your phone when you get there or wasting precious family holiday time in queues.

Step to it

If you’re planning to do much walking, take a step tracker.  We stumbled on this idea by chance but taking a step tracker (even a really basic one which literally just counts steps) transformed our hikes.  It was even great on the trek through the airport.  It turned a slog into a challenge and they ended up happily walking further so they could beat their step target. Result.  When it came to putting these travel tips together, this one had to make the cut.

Holiday Screen-time

Hmmmm, this is always a challenge in our house and the cause of many battles – the kids want more and we want less but secretly it is handy at times and I’m guilty of relaxing the rules when it suits me.  Travelling brings another dimension as suddenly tablets can be your new best friend. We try to download movies onto their tablets and take head-phones, so they can watch whilst on long car journeys or plane trips – the upside of this is that you get to listen to the music you want in the car!! And not the kids play list for the thousandth time.

Once you arrive at your destination the usual screen-time battles emerge. Apologies for the shameless plug at this point, but one of the reasons we created DiaryZapp was that we believe that if our children are going to spend time on their tablet then as parents we want to make sure they are also learning something. DiaryZapp is an interactive and fun kids holiday diary app, which allows kids to capture timeless memories and gives you some guilt free screen time and a few minutes peace. You can take 20 minutes for yourself, have a glass of wine in peace, finish the chapter of your holiday book or chill.  To download and get more information go to www.diaryzapp.com or search for DiaryZapp in your App Store. Don’t just take my word for it check out the reviews.

Rash-tastic

Sunscreen, I know this is obvious but make sure you have super good sunscreen protection for kids.  We’ve found that a reluctant small person who argues about sun-cream will probably be happy with a cool rash vest with a hidden SPF of 50 and this reduces the areas that need covering!! If you get any bright ideas on how to get boys to wear sun hats and keep them on, I’d love to hear them!

Healing Power

When we travel we always take the basics and plasters are an essential.  Currently Star Wars are the favourite, which is a relief to my Husband as last year he ended up sporting a Disney princess plaster as it was all we had available! Other key items are the mandatory bottle of Calpol, not sure how we would have got through the early years without it, some kids antihistamine and antiseptic wipes  If you’re off somewhere exotic then spray to keep the bugs at bay is an essential.  Oh and I always take the precaution of picking up a bottle of gin in Duty Free if we’re going abroad (not sure that counts as medical kit but it certainly helps to counteract my own holiday trauma).

Think of it as an investment

Take photos of your travel documents.  Yawn.  This sounds like a pain to do and most of the time it will be unnecessary but if something happened and you lost your passport, bag or hire car, then having this info to hand will really help.  It also means then when you need a reference number or an address it’s all on your phone rather than buried in reems of paper.

Go Tactical on car journeys

If you’ve got a lot of miles to cover, write the day off as a travel day and plan a visit on the way that everyone will enjoy.  Going to see Grandad 6 hours away is a lot more appealing if there’s a stop at a country park or a pub with a garden to look forward to.

The other option, and we did this lots when the kids were tiny is to Go Tactical and drive through the night.  Get the kids ready for bed as normal, even into pj’s or something comfy, then into the car and drive.  Get going and cover the miles while the goings good and the kids are asleep.  Take shifts and share the driving if you can – I made the mistake of thinking it would be a great surprise to have covered loads more miles then expected on my shift while everyone was asleep but at 3 am I missed a turning and overshot the motorway and ended up adding another 6 hours and an accidental tour of Europe.  They still haven’t let me forget about it.

I’ll just chalk it up alongside the other parenting fails.

DiaryZapp is available in all app stores now for £2.99 with no in-app purchases or ads click here to buy now  If you want to find out more about DiaryZapp or the madcap parents that are behind it www.diaryzapp.com