Swiss toymaker QUBS has entered education full STEAM ahead.
Screen time, data collection, and EdTech have become household descriptors in a world inundated with tech-driven advancement. Yet, after technology arrives, there’s a tendency to reflect on the substance of past learning methods steeped in a tactile world.
Wendy’s, an American fast-food institution, ran advertisements in the 1980s with an adorable older adult woman asking a simple question, ‘Where’s the beef?’ This simplistic yet brilliant tagline zeroed in on the core value proposition of the fast-food offering.
Fast forward a few decades and we might be saying, “Where’s the learning?” Education for all ages swiftly migrated to digital landscapes during Covid-19, setting aside previous concerns about the amount of time young people committed to alternative learning experiences governed by pixels, not people.
One company out of Switzerland, QUBS, is focusing on the physical benefits of learning by melding pedagogical tactile practices with technology. Pairing traditionally designed wooden toys with hidden Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) safe technology, QUBS is providing children the means to explore their imagination and develop future skills by engaging in educational, screen-free enjoyment.
The company’s technology does not utilize screens or the internet. QUBS blends the old and the new for education tied to play for early learners. The product has received STEAM accreditation by The Toy Association and The Good Play Guide for its innovative screen-free technology for ages 3-to-12. With The Toy Association’s ‘STEAM Stamp of Approval’ displayed on their product and advertising, QUBS is demonstrating a commitment to the learning aspects of play.
Development of Concept
QUBS is the brainchild of founder and CEO Hayri Bulman, a Swiss entrepreneur with over 30 years of IT expertise at General Electric (GE) and Xerox. Bulman parlayed an early passion for wooden toys into a business for early learners.
In 2015, after finding inspiration from the company TEGU, a wooden toy company out of Honduras, he started working on concepts that combined RFID technology with wooden blocks establishing the company in 2019.
The team grew to include numerous designers, engineers, and creatives across Europe, and in 2020 at the start of the global pandemic, QUBS raised CHF (Swiss Franc) 88,887 (~£70,000) from 503 backers during a Kickstarter campaign.
Learning Without Screen Time
According to the Mayo Clinic, too much screen time can be detrimental to children physically and mentally. Prolonged use can lead to obesity, irregular sleep, behavioral problems, lowered academic performance, and less time for active, creative play. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time altogether for children under two years old and suggests limiting older children’s use to one or two hours a day.
Active play away from screens is essential to Bulman’s concept and mission. “I wanted to create a smart wooden toy for generations,” says Bulman. “A legacy toy that you can pull from the cellar and give to your child, and they will be able to play without set up or an online connection.”
STEAM Learning
STEM and STEAM advancements are a consistent concern for education as skills in science, technology, math, and the creative arts are necessary for the success of future generations. A recent article in The Washington Post points to increased funding for public education in STEM being as important as chip manufacturing in the long run. Future innovations will rely on children developing the early learning necessary for greater growth in the STEM and STEAM disciplines.
QUBS integrates imaginative play for STEAM learners ages 3 to 12.
An example of early learning tools is QUBS’ first product, Cody Block, winner of the Monocle Design Award 2022 for ‘‘Best Aspiring Urbanists.” Cody (the car) moves independently and changes course as children arrange wooden blocks. The task is to plan a path that leads Cody through the city and back home. Cody shifts in response to the arrangement and rearrangement of wooden blocks that contain RFID technology. The activity teaches sequential reasoning, critical thinking, creativity, and spatial awareness while introducing the mindset of a programmer.
The reaction to the initial success of QUBS has led to the further development of other clever wooden toys. One such product is Matty Blocks, a soon-to-launch math-based product that builds confidence with numbers one summation at a time.
Sustainability
Sustainability is part of the overall goal for QUBS. Not only in terms of environmentally friendly products but also in the longevity of learning that surpasses the often shorter ‘gimmicky’ online products. QUBS leans in on the imagination of children rather than the imagination of the developer.
“These toys are screen free and sustainable, in contrast with many other non-recyclable products,” says Bulman. “Montessori techniques are applied with a coding methodology and technology that does not become obsolete or depend on the internet.”
It’s about simplicity and something solid, according to Bulman.
“We have 3% plastic in our entire set, representing much less than many other companies,” he says. “Also, some providers might claim to teach the basics of coding and programming, but in actuality, it’s difficult to measure. We don't make this claim. We wish to teach children to think independently. We want to tease the mind using the tactile placing of blocks to explore what happens externally.”
While many EdTech startups are concerned with data and proving their worth through statistics, QUBS is taking a refreshing approach based on each individual’s creative learning and exploration. “We don't collect data and we don't have any display screen,” remarks Bulman. “We are not hungry for children's data or parent’s data. We are not a data collector but a toy company for children.”
In a rush to package engaging learning experiences infused with or driven by technology, the education sector might have overlooked one irrefutable truth about children–they explore on their own. There is a reason why Amazon boxes are played with more than the contents that brought them to your door. Kids don’t always want the ending written for them. Explorative and creative play requires a degree of improvisation by the young learner.
The children will be playing on the floor if anyone is asking, which is quite fitting to Bulman. And if the question is, ‘Where’s the learning?’ Bulman and QUBS will be ready to play, one block at a time.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
