BALANCE Edutainment, a leading Extended Reality EdTech firm, has launched Pacha’s Pajamas, the first-of-its-kind augmented reality (AR) children’s book that gets kids to fall in love reading again.
Children learn about living in harmony with nature through an engaging and interactive experience. The book introduces a new category of augmented reality edutainment, the Zbook, where every illustration in the book becomes animated through the included free “Pacha Alive” app. An Indiegogo campaign which is being managed by LaunchPad Agency, has launched with a $20,000 USD funding goal and features limited Early Bird specials of $25 USD for a 2-book and music package (50% off retail) and several other rewards for early backers.
Pacha’s Pajamas features a diverse array of characters and an environmentally conscious storyline that inspires children to see the world in new ways. With the augmented reality technology, reading the book just got way more fun. This unique innovation in multimedia storytelling not only encourages children to pick up physical books, but also positively impacts reading comprehension and literacy skills.
The book opens where children meet Pacha, the main character and a budding Youth Leader. They join her and the animals and plants on her pajamas on a magical dream adventure. Through the dream, Pacha remembers that she is part of nature and discovers how to use her unique gifts and innate compassion to save the planet. With the augmented reality Pacha Alive! app available for free on iOS and Google Play, children connect with Pacha on a personal level and they can see the story come to life before their eyes.
The Pacha’s Pajamas book has the lyrics of 10 award-winning songs in a 2-CD set that gets kids singing, dancing and learning about connecting with nature and the community around them. The CDs feature over 70 artists including celebrities Cheech Marin, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, as well as 30 youth artists.
Additionally, Pacha loves to dance and the “Connected Dance Challenge” invites young people to submit their dance clip for a chance to win prizes and be in a video with children from all over the world. Using the “Play with Pacha” feature in the Pacha Alive app or the Connected Dance Challenge ARKit app (Apple’s recently debuted software development toolset for AR), children can bring Pacha and friends into the room, take their picture with Pacha “sitting” right beside them, as well as make videos dancing with Pacha and her friends.
“Today, most children’s entertainment is like junk food, it may satisfy cravings, but ultimately, it’s unhealthy for the child,” said Dave Room, CEO and co-founder of BALANCE. “With Pacha’s Pajamas, we’re catalyzing the emergence of a new genre of healthy children’s entertainment with compelling social learning that encourages kids to discover their unique gifts and bring them to the world.”
