Square Panda Begins Shipping its Phonics Playset

Silicon Valley-based ed tech company will demonstrate its product at ISTE 2016.

Square Panda, a Sunnyvale, CA-based ed tech startup, has begun shipping its new phonics playset designed to improve reading skills for children ages 3 and older.

The playset, which is compatible with the iPad 3 and later (including all iPad mini models), includes 45 “smart” letters that interact with learning apps available for download from the Apple App Store. The playset costs $119 and is available through squarepanda.com. Square Panda will also be showcasing the playset during ISTE 2016 in Denver at booth No. 4104.

“We are thrilled to start shipping the Square Panda phonics playset, a groundbreaking reading fluency tool for early learners that teaches phonics and alphabetical awareness in a completely multisensory way,” said Andy Butler, CEO of Square Panda, in a prepared statement. “The tactile experience that the playset provides, along with our fun and engaging learning apps, introduce key reading readiness skills like learning the alphabet, exploring letter sounds, discovering rhyming and building vocabulary.”

Square Panda uses connected letter toys and multisensory apps to explore early reading skills. Drawing from the latest research on phonics and pre-kindergarten instruction, Square Panda’s technology combines multisensory learning, humor and exploratory play, the company said.

App titles include “Letter Lab,” where children discover letters and sounds using a microscope; “Chameleon Word Creator,” which introduces users to phonics in a fun and exploratory way; and “Island Bowling,” which helps build children’s vocabulary.

“As a child growing up with dyslexia, I know how much of a struggle learning to read can be for some kids,” said Tom Boeckle, founder and chairman of Square Panda. He founded the company in 2014. “That’s why I’m excited that our new playset is now available to improve early reading skills and unlock a child’s potential.”

Earlier this year, the popular website Mashable named Square Panda “one of the coolest gadgets for Generation Z” to come out of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the product debuted.

Square Panda has a partnership with the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, and the former tennis champion is a board member of Square Panda. Agassi’s foundation, which helps underserved K-12 children in Las Vegas and supports public schools nationally, is helping to promote the phonics playset.

About the Author

Richard Chang is associate editor of THE Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Point to Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warns of the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.