With all the talk in the media about children spending too much time looking at electronic screens, it’s great to learn about local businesses launching innovative new products and services that will challenge and sharpen our kids’ minds.
So when one of our readers recommended The STEAM Room to us, an exciting online shopping resource based in Switzerland, selling award-winning toys and games focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, we were keen to find out more!
The smartest toys in the world!
Launched from her home in Pomy, near Yverdon-les-Bains, The STEAM Room, represents over 2 years’ research by Gina Noonan, as she travelled round the world sifting through, testing and choosing the “best in class” educational toys and games for kids aged between 3 and 14 years old. A parent herself, Gina felt a need to support the educational revolution that has been happening over recent years in the best and most forward thinking schools in the world, and was especially keen to discover what she could do as a mom to help support the learning process in the classroom.
A new brand of handmade, natural cosmetics has been launched in Geneva.
Highly concentrated in active ingredients, the Forêt Bleue product range favors organic, eco-responsible and food-grade raw materials, which are free from mineral oils, synthetic texture agents and preservatives.
Asked how she got into the business of making natural cosmetics, Forêt Bleue President and founder, Emmanelle Engeli, told knowitall.ch,
"Realizing the ecological impact of conventional cosmetics and dissatisfied with most organic labels, I started a few years ago to make my own products. What was originally a hobby naturally evolved into a desire to get professionally trained and share my discoveries. By the Summer of 2017, Forêt Bleue was born: a brand of affordable, handmade, natural cosmetics that are healthy, effective, and made with respect for the environment.”
A new app has been developed by two Geneva entrepreneurs, which has the potential to revolutionise the whole process of buying gifts for kids.
Created by husband and wife team, Alberto and Cinzia, Wigigo Kids facilitates the giving and receiving of gifts for kids’ birthdays, and enables parents to create wish lists with their children that eliminate the waste of unwanted, unsuitable or unnecessary gifts.
What is more, for every gift purchased via the app, 1 € is donated towards a good cause: so every gift bought for one child is also a gift donated to those in need!
Why the new app?
Asked where the idea for their new app came from, Alberto told knowitall.ch, “It has been estimated that every year 41 billion gifts are given globally, worth around 1.6 Tn$. Approximately 20% of these are unwanted, unneeded, unsuitable or simply disliked. So around 8Bn gifts (or around 320 Bn$) just go to waste!”
He continued, “With two young children of our own, my wife and I are only too aware of the huge amount of waste that exists when it comes to buying children’s presents. We have seen family and friends spend hours choosing gifts for our kids that they really didn’t need or want, and we, in turn, have spent hours buying presents for our children’s friends, with no idea of what they really desired!”
Following the success of previous promotional offers, knowitall.ch is pleased to announce that we can, once more, offer our readers a special rate when they purchase a Body Pass, the discount scheme which gives members immediate access to 150 of the best spas, institutes and hair salons in Switzerland and neighboring France – all at half price!
For purchases made through the Body Pass website, knowitall.ch readers need only pay Fr. 75.- instead of Fr. 85.- for the "Member Card 2018" version of the pass.
The new online prices mean that Body Pass not only makes an ideal treat for yourself - saving you 50% on all further treatments booked with the pass - it also makes a perfect gift for family and friends!
With Christmas just behind us, the topic of waste seems particularly high on the agenda…what could we have done to reduce the packaging on all those presents, and did we really need to buy all that food and drink?
If you would like to support the zero waste initiative, and learn how to adopt some simple habits in your everyday life that will preserve natural resources and help prevent climate change, as well as improve your health and save you money, the association Zero Waste Switzerland has some great ideas to get you started.
Set up in 2015 with the aim of “enabling citizens, institutions, and economic parties to choose a manner of consumption and production without waste”, the association runs a series of interesting workshops to help inform and educate individuals on a variety of topics ranging from food and drink through to beauty and hygiene.
