Playful learning tools for curious kids

Made for little lightbulb moments.

A good question. A story worth writing. A new idea to try. We make playful learning tools that give curiosity somewhere to go.

Explore our apps Meet Marty & Matt
Young cartoon versions of Marty and Matt build a cardboard rocket together.

Our apps

Two so far. Each has its own website with the details: what it does, which devices it runs on, and how it handles your data.

A question card in the Loud Owl app, under a picture of a humpback whale, with Reveal answer below.

Read-aloud trivia

Loud Owl

by Marty & Matt

Trivia to read, hear, and share. For curious minds of every age.

Explore Loud Owl

Goes to loudowl.app

The Handwritten Journal writing page: two finished lines in a child’s handwriting, a line being traced in green ink, and pale spoken words waiting below.

iPad journal

Handwritten Journal

by Marty & Matt

A child’s own words become a page written in their own hand.

Explore Handwritten Journal

Goes to handwrittenjournal.app

Marty makes a silly dinosaur story while Matt draws in a notebook.

Our story

Still asking “what if?”

We’re Marty Boyer and Matt Vorst. We started making these tools for Matt’s kids, and kept following the ideas.

Our cartoon selves are still nine: asking questions, trying things, and occasionally wearing a paper crown.

The cartoon Marty and Matt are imagined versions of us at about nine. They aren’t drawn from childhood photos.

Marty and Matt look closely at a ladybug and sketch what they notice.

Why we make learning apps

We believe a little room to wonder can lead somewhere good. We make practical learning tools, test the details, and leave space for the child’s own ideas.

Three things guide what we build.

  • Follow the question

    A child’s interests are a useful place to start: a question, a ladybug, a story from their own day.

  • Make room to try

    Learning includes attempts and imperfect results. The rocket is a little wonky. We like it.

  • Keep the good stuff

    Small discoveries and personal work matter: a new fact shared, a page saved, a thing made.

Need a hand with an app?

Each app has its own help pages and its own inbox. Our Support page points you to the right one.

Go to Support