As a family we love to travel and explore, we've got a big map up in the house with pins to show all the places that we've been to together. But having a lovely globe to look at it really takes it to another level and makes it all more real. So we are thrilled to be trying out the new Smart Globe Explorer AR from Oregon Scientific.
Firstly it is a beautiful globe, something that we're happy to have out on a shelf all of the time. It's easily accessible for the children to look at and play with, and also easy to pick up and locate places that we're talking about or that they're learning about in school.
The fun really begins when you pick up the rechargeable cordless talking smart pen and start exploring the globe. There are loads of different games that you can play that are tailored to different age ranges. The categories are touch, compare, find and general knowledge. Ethan chooses age 5-8 and can then choose to locate continents, countries or cities in a game. He can also touch different countries to hear clips of their national anthem or other facts about them. It is a fabulous resource for general learning and will definitely come in handy as the children are older and wanting to learn more about specific countries as well.
There is a tray that can be pulled out from the side which has a close up view of the United Kingdom as well as opening up to become a holder for the globe.
The globe can then be removed from the holder by simply pressing a button on the top and pulling it out. You can then open it up, which is Ethan's favourite part.
Inside the globe on one side you have the Earth's interior, so you can actually see what is going on inside the Earth as well, which Ethan finds absolutely fascinating!
Then on the other side is the solar system, which is perfect for us as Ethan has been asking a lot about the planets lately and which order they are in distance from the sun. So now he is able to look at it himself whenever he likes, and it's a fantastic diagram which makes it easy to explain to him how the planets orbit around the sun.
Next we had a go at the app, which is free to download and use along with the globe. This is where the AR (augmented reality) part comes in. You simply point your phone or tablet at the globe and are able to see it through the lens, then you can choose different options to see appear over the different countries. Ethan loved seeing which dinosaurs came from which countries as he turned the globe around and watched on the screen.
He was also able to look at animals, weather and landmarks in various countries around the world. It is incredible to watch and could be a really fun way to play and learn about the features of different countries.
Overall we are absolutely loving the SmartGlobe Explorer AR, it is so much fun to play with and explore and we know that there is still so much more that we will be able to do with it as well. I love having a toy that I know is going to last us for a long time and that the children will continue to come back to time after time. It would make a fantastic Christmas gift for any child in the family from age 5 and up.
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* This is a review post, we were sent the Smart Globe Explorer AR in order to use it and write our honest opinions about it.*
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