Mum Splits Time And Launches New Learning Toy ‘Circa’ – The Circular Calendar

June 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Circa - the Circular Calendar - is a new innovative educational toy calendar specifically designed to help children understand the cycles of the calendar using the toy's innovative rotating and circular stacking design. http://www.circacalendar.com

“I wanted to present the calendar such that children could visually understand its cyclical nature. We are taught to use the calendar reading left to right, but intuitively, for some children, this doesn't make sense, as the days seem to come to an end when presented linearly. So I thought, wouldn't it be easier to just present the calendar in a circular form to make the concept easier to grasp?” says Melinda.

The Circa design is based on ease of learning for children in a gradual progression at their individual paces. They can explore each of the different pieces individually and fit them together as their knowledge increases.

“In designing Circa, it was also important that the calendar was presented as a toy. Time awareness is one of the hardest concepts for children to learn, so I wanted it to be fun and tactile. Children love movable pieces, stacking objects and sticking things, so it was a bonus that these were all things that were integral to Circa’s design,” she explains.

Circa is divided into four pieces that represent a major cyclical event in the calendar:

•   the days of the week disc
•   the months of the year disc, including a rotating seasons sub-disc
•   the days of the month disc
•   and a perpetual year dial


Full features are:

•   movable markers on each disc to highlight a day, month or date
•   removable and reusable vinyl activity stickers to be used to emphasise an important event
•   colour coded days of the week to separate between weekend and week days
•   colour coded months of the year to correspond with the number of days in each month
•   seasons disc that can be rotated depending on which hemisphere you are in
•   days of the week nursery rhyme on the reverse side of the disc
•   months of the year nursery rhyme on the reverse side of the disc

“The idea and design for Circa came to me overnight but its actual development to get it ready for retail has taken almost two years. The process has been long but really worth it, as I believe in the product and that children will not only enjoy it but also benefit from it.”

Circa will be launched on Thursday the 7th of July 2011 at All Present & Correct at the Courthouse Hotel, Great Marlborough Street, London W1

For general and trade enquiries, please visit  http://www.circacalendar.com

-ENDS-

Notes for Editors:

Melinda, 41, lives in Forest Hill, South East London, with her husband, Liam Holohan, 39, and two young children, Thomas, 5, and Ava, almost 3.

Raised in Denmark by Filipino parents and educated in the US, Melinda worked in advertising in New York before settling in London 11 years ago.

Most recently, Melinda worked as a project manager at an asset management firm, before being made redundant in 2009.

Utilising her education, work experience and strengths, Melinda decided to start her own business. She founded eleventyone Limited, which develops new, helpful and practical products for the children’s market. eleventyone’s tag line is “Practically essential.”

Circa is Melinda’s second product idea, where the first was put on hold due to development problems. Melinda also has a third product on the go that is currently in the design and development phase.

Pictures and further information are available upon request. Melinda is available for TV, radio and print interviews.

Please contact Melinda on 077 4711 0324 or via email: melinda@eleventyone111.com

Alternatively you can contact Laura Morris at Educate Business at hello@educatebusiness.co.uk or phone: 07909 534000.