I’ll be completely honest. When HP approached BubbaMama to attend the launch of their industry-first tool for Primary School students and parents in Singapore last Wednesday, I was less than thrilled. I had just spent the week down with the flu and had a million and one things to catch up on. Nevertheless, I headed over to the National Library to check out what HP had to offer the busy parents of Singapore.
You know what? I am so glad I did. Just at a time where I am thinking that technology is distracting our kids from studies and robbing children of a hands-on childhood full of colouring in and crafts – HP provides a highly relevant solution.
HP has collaborated with Singapore Asia Publishers (SAP) and onSponge (a leading provider of mathematics resources) to create print apps, an educational resource that you can print directly from your home printer. Basically, with your HP web-connected printer, you will be privy to a treasure chest of resources that make learning fun.
Take the SAP print app for example…what’s the buzz and how does this work?
The SAP print application provides primary-level worksheets and test papers for your kids. All you need to do is:
1. Log on to the ePrint store
2. Click the SAP print app icon
3. You will have access to over 4000 worksheets and mock exam papers covering the areas of English, Maths and Science.
4. Eh Voila! Have the sheets delivered directly to your home printer for free, or schedule them to be delivered from Monday through Thursday, or all at once on Friday.
I love this idea, as I feel like it enables us parents to have a more proactive role in our children’s learning, without having to scour bookstores for relevant materials. At the click of a mouse, we can have premium educational material from an exclusive online source delivered to a schedule, or printed off instantaneously for our children. Technology these days, eh?!
The other app on show was onSponge. Tapping into this app online, your child will be sent a weekly practice Math worksheet and encouraged to ‘Sponge in’ with their +hinkingMath resource. This practice sheet is not only relevant to their curriculum, it is specially designed to engage their critical thinking abilities and hone their problem solving skills.
The collaboration is results focused and reinforces positive working habits. Chris Rogers, the Co-Founder and Director of onSponge says it aptly “It is about nurturing the ability to question, reason and apply, not adding to students’ work load.”
What else do these print apps have on offer? I’ve saved the best ‘til last. Not only can you find supplementary educational material on this vast online library, you can also find fun. Lots and lots of fun. From puzzles to colouring pages, eBooks to origami, there is enough to fill many many weekends. The Dreamworks Animation Printables provides colouring pages and crafts, featuring celebrated characters from Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and Madagascar. National Geographic Kids offers novelty cards, wild and wacky facts as well as craft ideas. There are even crossword puzzles, comics and Sudoku for the older kids!
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan. In an age where technology can sometimes seem overwhelming, daunting and a constant distraction in our children’s lives, it is wonderful to see that HP, SAP and onSponge have taken the initiative to keep things fun, educational and relevant, with our children’s best interests at heart!
Further details
The SAP print app is available for download free of charge for owners of HP Web-connected printers. The onSponge print app will be available later this year.
The print apps are available on HP’s web-connected printers including: HP Officejet Premium 6700 e-All-in-One and HP Photosmart 5520, 6520, 7520 e-All-in-One printers.
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