Canadian Classroom, a seller of educational tech products targeting the classroom, has become a distributor of Smart Gurlz in Canada.
SmartGurlz is a line of fashion dolls that ride around on Segway-style scooters called Siggy Robots, and using an app, girls learn how to code their Siggy Robots to accomplish story-based challenges in order to carry out missions and adventures. The app takes girls through the basics of coding by asking them to program Siggy to take their fashion doll for a spin – whether to cruise in a straight line, zig-zag or in a coordinated dance routine. Girls can also share their code with friends.
“We have a long way to go when it comes to inspiring more girls to get into STEM,” said Johanna Garcia, founder of Canadian Classroom. “STEM jobs in Canada pay higher than other industries, yet women only represent 23% of the STEM workforce.” She continues, “Canadian Classroom is committed to improving Canadian girls’ access to technologies at an early age so that they will be more confident in pursuing future careers in STEM. We are thrilled about our partnership with the creators of SmartGurlz and are proud to be the exclusive distributor in Canada.”
Founder Sharmi Albrechtsen launched the product after failing to find a toy that would in inspire her daughter who was struggling in math.