Source: Bughouse, Chicago
A children’s tech startup has teamed up with Mokena, Ill.-based Ozinga Bros, Inc. to add an authentic touch—ready mixed loading and delivery—to Super Nano Trucks, an interactive construction game geared for kids aged 3-8. Available for Apple devices, the Bughouse game enables youthful users to command their own construction site by delivering concrete for pavements, flatwork and foundations.
With a companion download, Super Nano Trucks players can now drive mixers and load materials on a site modeled after the Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete downtown Chicago plant. “It is exciting when a concrete company and tech startup can partner to deliver a fun, behind-the-scenes educational experience to kids everywhere. How cool is it for a child to load, mix and drive their very own concrete mixer, just like the ones they see building their communities,” says Tim Ozinga, co-owner of a ready mixed business serving northern Illinois, northern Indiana and southeastern Wisconsin.
“When we were little, our understanding of what construction workers did started and ended with a metal truck in a sandbox. Bringing Ozinga into Super Nano Trucks gives us an opportunity to connect digital toys with the real world so that children learn while they play,” says Bughouse Co-Founder John Ostler. Super Nano Trucks lets boys and girls enjoy uninterrupted creative play while developing their fine motor and spatial skills, he adds; by giving them creative freedom to cultivate their own construction site through simple tasks and challenges, it also helps players express themselves and build problem-solving skills.
Super Nano Trucks is programmed with usage time, sound and other parent control options. It is the first in a line of Bughouse digital driving apps that focus on kid-tested and parent-approved experiences. Through a continuous feedback and development cycle, games remain current with added features and refinements. The Super Nano Trucks iPhone and iPad app is available in the App Store for $1.99.