Kiddipedia
Mumtrepreneur, Natalie Rebot is bringing the magic of kids’ bedtime stories to life, with an innovative and award-winning product redefining the popular night-time ritual.
Moonlite transforms any mobile phone into a storybook projector, as popular children’s stories are vibrantly projected onto a child’s bedroom ceiling or walls – creating an immersive and engaging reading experience. It combines traditional storytelling with modern technology to create a completely new way of reading with your child before bed.
The Moonlite projector is portable, lightweight and easily clips to any IOS or android mobile phone, as stories are bought to life through the projector and the phone’s torch. The free downloadable app takes storytelling to the next level, complete with sound effects and read-a-long features which are implemented through the words appearing on the phone. A glowing word signifies sound effects – an element that creates a complete audio-visual experience. While seamless page detection software automatically turns the page on the screen when you turn the reel, allowing parents to be present and enjoy the special nightly experience.
Inspired by her own daughter, five-year-old Chloe’s fascination with shadow play based stories, Natalie saw an opportunity for a child’s whole room to become part of the storytelling experience.
“My daughter loved being in her room at night, with a small light and we would create shadow puppets with our hands to tell stories. We were already passionate readers in our family, so this was just adding another dimension to the night-time ritual,” explains Natalie. “It took about six months to bring my idea to fruition and until I had the first prototype in my hand. Then it was another four to five months before I launched the product on Kickstarter (a fundraising platform for creative projects). Every day Chloe and I would eagerly watch the Kickstarter page – and to see people around the world donating funds as they believed in my product was simply overwhelming,” she adds.
With a Bachelor’s Degree in software engineering and seven years working in a variety of positions at Google, Natalie’s inventive creation has garnered international appeal, with Moonlite now sold in retail stores all over the world. It was recently awarded one of the top educational toys in 2018 by Play Advances Language (PAL).
Kiddipedia had the privilege to ask a few questions to Natalie about the Moonlite projector.
- What inspired you to create the Moonlite projector?
My daughter, Chloe. She was 3 years old at the time and I really wanted her to find a love and passion for reading. We had created our own bedtime ritual where I would bring my mobile phone up into her room, turn on the flashlight and make up our own stories out of shadow puppets. During one of these moments, I got the idea for Moonlite.
- What age group is Moonlite suitable for?
Moonlite is suitable for children ages 0-7. We have content for babies, all the way through to early readers.
- How does the Moonlite projector help children in their development?
Moonlite promotes a love of reading from a young age. It turns storytime into a magical experience that both children and parents look forward to. Reading aloud to your child promotes early literacy skills and helps develop their vocabularies.
- What reaction do children usually give with the storytelling experience?
They love it! Their bedroom becomes part of the story and with the background music and sound effects, the whole room comes to life with the big, bright projected images. It is a truly immersive experience.
- As Australia has a diverse multi-cultural demographic, is Moonlite available in a range of different languages other than English? If so, what languages are they?
At the moment, stories are available in English and French. In 2019 we plan to roll out 8 additional languages.
In late 2017 Spin Master announced a global licensing partnership with Natalie to bring her popular Kickstarter campaign to life. Spin Master Australia is now pleased to launch the successful brand in Australia this October.
Little ones can enjoy 22 titles, including favourites Spot Loves Bedtime, Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Ugly Duckling, Mr Men, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Retailing for $29.99 is the Moonlite Starter Pack which includes one projector and two Eric Carle story reels. Moonlite Gift Pack Fairy Tales features one projector and five-story reels and retails for $59.99. While additional story reels are $14.99. The Moonlite collection is presented in book style packaging to conveniently fit into any bookshelf.
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