Circular Species

Circular Species is a toy that combines bio materials and digital technology in order to teach children aged 8 to 11 about the carbon cycle. It comes with three components: a digital app, a physical woolly mammoth toy and a seed package. First the child plays with the mammoth and the app, using the app to learn about the life of the woolly mammoth and see its respiration process. When the child is ready, they can bury the toy in their backyard and plant the seeds nearby. Over the course of a few weeks, the external shell of the mammoth biodegrades and the seeds sprout. The then uses augmented reality to teach the child about the parts of the carbon cycle happening underground, including biodegradation and fossilisation. When a few weeks are up, the app prompts the child to excavate the skeleton just like a palaeontologist!