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Timbuktu is an iPad magazine for children.
You should download it. You should subscribe.
But, don't download this app because it is an iPad magazine for your children, download it because what the team at Timbuktu offers is a space where children and parents can find joy in beautiful things, in fun and in being creative. Timbuktu has a team that seems to be like a large family that is presenting an offering that is not just about now, but about the future of children's media. It offers up a method which includes commitments to honest, quality and imagination. These are all good things. These are all things we want to see in the development of media and content for our children.
Built around a calendar design, each day new content is offered. For those keen to access more than the current day there are other purchasing options. The content includes recipes, math problems, stories and even an "ask Auntie Rita" column. There is also not excessive amounts of interactivity, but instead beautiful and engaging design that is playful and exploratory for a primary aged audience. As a magazine, this is definitely for children aged 7-12 years, and it also fits my recent interest in content that jumps off the screen. This means that the content isn't about just doing and creating on the iPad, but using it as a way to support children to also engage in the world around them. The recipes encourage activities with mum or dad in the kitchen, for example.
Ultimately, Timbuktu works and will be successful because it is respectful of children. This is so very important in a media landscape that is saturated by stories and images and content that we think children want, but increasingly lacks in diversity and lacks a spirit that aligns with a child's approach to the world. We can have stories and books that gross children out, that focus on the pungent aspects of history, that make kids giggle and hoot. These are fine, but we also need content that is gentle and appeals to the creative and the quiet and thinking aspects of our children. Timbuktu does this. It does it with a care and a concern that parents should appreciate.
What I am talking about is a digital magazine that offers quality artwork, quality stories and quality ideas that share with children something about the world and their place in it. The Timbuktu creators appear to understand this well, and I look forward to future issues and stories from this fantastic publication.
You can find out more about the Timbuktu team and philosophy at their website.
