Project Overview

The Inventor, myself, has noticed that modern children, whilst possessing great manual dexterity, coming no doubt from video games and all the devices they must master these days, have very poor verbal skills. Indeed, Australian children today have rather limited vocabularies and don't express themselves with confidence, especially when having to improvise.
The aim was to remedy this by developing a colorful game, for classroom and home use, which would help children develop word skills by encouraging them to improvise stories based on the stimuli the game randomly throws up.

The device has also proven itself appealing and useful with adults learning English as a second language. Other applications are sure to emerge with further testing

It was important that the device be safe, eye catching and great fun to use. The video provided shows that it meets all these requirements.

Organisation

The Helpful Eye

Team

Mike Rubbo, designer inventor,
Adam Weaver, prototype maker

Project Brief

Spin me stories is a colorful spinning device that the person running the game mounts onto his/her wrist . When spun, 20 colorful wands, each with two pictures at the end, spin around, inviting someone to grab a wand and start the game.

It's a sort of roulette wheel into whose action players intervene with a grabbing action. Having collared a picture at the end of a wand, a dog, a tree, etc. the player starts an improvised story, based on that object.

Soon, the device is spun again and another player gets to grab another wand with picture, and take the improv. story in a new direction, depending on the picture captured. As the accompanying video shows, the game creates great creative excitement, and can be used with all ages.

Project Innovation / Need

There are other multiple choice games available, often involving boards and cards, some of which might be useful for provoking improvised story telling.

But Spin me a Story is so seductive in its look and working, that it promises to be especially successful in its aim, which is to create greater verbal confidence and dexterity in people of any age, but especially children.

Design Challenge

The challenge was to create a device with strong visual and tactile appeal that children would want handle and play with. Also, one that adults, be they parents or teachers, would want to use with their children or pupils.

This meant creating a prototype that was both soft enough to present no hazards, and yet strong enough to stand up to frequent usage, involving the rapid movement of its simple parts.

Currently, Spin me Stories comes in a Pizza Box and incorporates a colorful glove, suggesting magic. That may change if we find another way to locate the spinning rings at the right level on a variety of wrist sizes.

Sustainability

I'm sure that Spin me Stories could be made from recycled materials. I would love for it to be manufactured in Australia