A French teaching resource created by a stay-at-home Bristol mum has been named one of the best children’s products on the market in Britain.
Amazing Milo’s Musical Plays, a series of CD Roms aimed at children aged four to eight, scooped silver at the highly respected Practical Pre-School and 5-7 Awards.
The tiny company behind it, Sparkle Speak, was launched only six months ago by writer Ruth Wood, who spends most of her time looking after her three-year-old daughter Mabel.
“I’m so thrilled,” she said yesterday. “When I saw there were entries from multinationals such as Lego and Fisher Price, I didn’t think we stood a chance.
“Learning a language when you are young is not just great fun; it is also a smart business move. Britain is a net exporter to only a few countries, most of which have English as an official language. Imagine how much healthier our economy could look if we invested in a generation of linguists.”
Amazing Milo’s Musical Plays are mini musical adventures based on common themes in the primary curriculum such as the rainforest and life under-the-sea.
Each disc stars a boy called Milo and his best friend Amélie in a story that also works as a mini play, a song, a dance or a puppet show.
Ruth, former chief reporter at the Western Daily Press, wrote and illustrated the series in collaboration with her sister Jennie, a primary school teacher specialising in languages. Already the duo are working on two new plays – Amazing Milo’s Sports Day Challenge and Amazing Milo Plays Pirates.
To earn silver at the 5-7 Awards, Sparkle Speak’s CD Roms were rigorously and independently tested by teachers and pupils, who gave them a score of 87.4%.
Ruth is celebrating the accolade by offering Bristol24-7 readers a 10% discount off Amazing Milo’s Musical Plays. Simply enter promotion code AWARD at checkout on the Sparkle Speak online shop www.sparklespeak.co.uk
