What is Toc Toc?

Toc Toc is a surprise box (what can be more interesting for a kid than a simple cardboard box full of things to discover?) with a theme to explore through illustrations, games and complete projects. It will land directly to your doorstep every three months and this inspired its name and logo: Toc toc (literally knock knock) is a box that knocks at your door and introduces itself: TOC TOC…box for kids!.

What is inside the box?

Inside Toc Toc you will find a game, a manual activity and an experimental activity all tied together by a particular theme (related to nature, the city, the cosmos, ecc), which always comes with a riddle. This is a way to foster kids’ curiosity and to explore new themes through playing.

How does TOCTOC work?

TOC TOC is a continuous project, every three months a new theme in different fields will be presented. It will be possible to buy TOC TOC online in three different ways: individually or through subscription every 6 months and yearly.

Who is TOC TOC for?

Toc Toc is for young craftsmen, explorers and creative children... it is meant for all kids! We would prefer not to make generalization that categorize them into age groups, as we believe that kids can be different and can develop a variety of skills, independently from their age, but we can say, at least initially, Toc Toc's thematic boxes are geared for kids starting from 5 years old.

We would love to develop activity boxes for babies too, but that will be a further step!

By now also little kids can have fun with TOCTOC if mum and dad provide extra support by joining in the child's play.

To get financing we decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign which will allow us to produce more boxes at a more convenient price.

Here you’ll find the first issue, which is about “The vegetable garden”. You will be able to buy it only on this platform.

Should be reach our funding goal we will be able to bring the project into life and to produce further editions. Toc Toc's activity boxes which will follow new themes such as snow flakes, birds, home, city…) will be available online at the project’s website page.

The first issue: the Vegetable Garden

TocToc’s first issue takes inspiration from nature: the earth and its products: it is about the vegetable garden. We really liked this idea of starting the project with a seed that could grow and generate fruits.

Riddle me this

In order to tap into kids’ curiosity we don’t disclose immediatly the content of the box. We love surprises, like kids, so we decided to make a riddle about the chosen theme. Riddles are interesting, joyful and will engage kids in imaginative play and problem solving. How could we avoid to use them in Toc Toc?

It looks empty at the begining

but becomes full at the end,

needs a few and gives a lot,

water and sun is just what it needs,

It is brown at the beginig but colorfull at the end

WHAT IS IT?

The booklet

Answer to riddle will be noted on the instructions booklet that will be found inside the box. In the booklet you will find the indications for all the activities contained in the box.

The notebook inside the box will be printed in Italian but we will insert a simple print in English and Spanish for those who want it.

We will ship the notebook also translated into English and Spanish by email in pdf format, to our patrons.

Semina! (board game)

Semina! Is a board game for maximum 4 players. Each player will cultivate four kinds of different vegetables in their vegetable garden. The objective of the game is to let them grow from seed stage until the harvest. The player who first succeeds for all four vegetables will be the winner.

In the game, as for real gardeners, there are difficulties and helping strategies to face them (the birds eat the seeds, but thanks to a scarecrow they go; drought or a storm of hail can cause great losses to crops, but with a system collection of rainwater or a greenhouse you can avoid the damage...). That will let kids immagine how exiting the gardener's work is!

The game contains:

• 4 cardboards representing a vegetable garden

• 64 vegetable cards (8 different types): carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, onion, potato, peas, tomatoes, cabbage; each vegetable has four growth stages: seed, seedling, adult plant, harvest

• 16 cards “dell'Ortolano” (4 scarecrow cards, 4 greenhouse cards, 4 system of collecting rainwater cards, 4 ladybug cards)

• 45 water points

• 45 sun points

• 1 conventional dice

• 1 special dice.

Apron (manual activity)

The waterproof fabric of a broken umbrella (who doesn’t have one at home? ) can become a gardener’s apron! Inside the box you will find a pattern to create two aprons, one for a child and one for an adult and all instructions will be found on the instruction booklet.

B as Basil + Small Basil Recipe (experimentation activitie)

Toc Toc invites you to plant the basil from seeds. Basil is an excellent aromatic plant that can be cultivated on your balcony and dale essential to taste the best receipt. Watching plants grow is a fun and educational experience for kids. Growing plant seeds will teach them responsibility in caring for something and pride in themselves for their results.

You can then develop an easy recipe using their basil plant ‘s leaves (children love doing things when they find an utilitarian sense on it) , in this way kids will be given a very interesting sensory experience.

Why support us?

Toc Toc box for kids is not marketed yet. The first prototype of Toc Toc was presented in occasion of Milan Design Week 2014 (kidsroomZOOM4 event) and we also took part at the Festival of the Mind (Creative Kids event).

In these occasions we had the opportunity to deal with self manufacturing practice, which is increasing sharply among designers and professionals. It is not an easy choice but this practice can give great satisfactions.

At this stage we opted for a crowfunding campaign: with your help we will be on our way to get our project off the ground!

How we will use your contributions?

Your donations will be used in a variety of ways: to cover the printing costs of 1st issue (150 copies), the manufacture and screen printing of cardboard boxes costs (500 pcs), the production of little gadgets that will be given to you and the shipping costs.

Should the crowdfunding campaign will be successful, and should we exceed our goal the extra amount will be used to cover part of the costs related to the second issue.

Rewards

The first number of Toc Toc will be available only on Verkami, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign; should you buy one or more Toc Toc boxes, you will be part of this journey and we won’t forget your contribution!

Together with Toc Toc you will receive small wooden stationary stuff (pencils and rulers), with Toc Toc logo.

Rewards with shipping included in Italy

Rewards with shipping included in Europe

Rewads at a special price with shipping included in Italy and Europe

Planned time schedule

If the crowdfunding campaign ends successfully we will do our best to make TOC TOC knocks at your door AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Crowdfunding will last 40 days, so it will end on january the 6th.

We estimate that production of the boxes, content and gadgets is going to take three weeks, then we need some time to prepare packaging and shipping.

We estimate TOC TOC will be knocking at your door on febrary the 15th.

The project team

Projects have a soul and it is usually very similar to the one of its owners. Toc Toc box for kids is a project born from the collaboration between Kid's Modulor and Progettincorso.

What is funny is that met online and we work from different cities... but that is not a limit! We share every decision which is taken after extensive debate. We take care of every detail, every single word, every step of the design and production process because we put a lot of love and dedication on what we do.

KID'S MODULOR

It 'a design project of furniture and toys for children created by Adriana Correa, Venezuelan architect who lives in Rome since more than twelve years and who works in the architecture and design field.
Kid's Modulor
Studio Dz4

PROGETTINCORSO

Two sisters, a graphic designer, Cristina Duranti, and an architect, Emanuela Duranti, that carry on design projects for children, graphics and architecture with passion and creativity.
Progettincorso

+ Info

Sito TOC TOC box for kids
Il Blog di TOC TOC
Facebook: TOCTOCboxforkids

Email: [email protected]

Thanks

We believe that we can't do everything by ourselves, that's why we asked for some help.

We would like to thank all the people who supported us and gave their contribution for the making of this campaign:

Minnutes, the music brand, let us use their beautiful song "I can"

Fabrizio Federico and Aline Hervè, helped us editing the video

Giuseppe D'amato with the sound

Katia Gamberini, Claudette Lilly and Cindy Fornino with translations.

Thanks to you all!