We were sent the SmartGlobe Adventure for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
I’ve mentioned before how much Jack loves to learn so when the opportunity came up to review this SmartGlobe Adventure AR {affiliate link} from Oregon Scientific that currently retails at £59.99, I knew he would absolutely adore it.
The SmartGlobe Adventure AR comes with plenty of different features. For ages 5+, this requires 3 AAA batteries which are included. There is also a Smart Learning Pen included too.
The globe is very easy to set up. In fact it is pretty much already set up in the box – once you’ve cut the cable attaching it to the box, it simply slides out and you can start using as the batteries are already included. The globe is positioned on a white stand and spins on its axis like any other globe so you can always turn it to find the country or continent you want.
There are five games (one of which you can see in the video demo below of Jack trying to find the countries requested), 19 English language challenges and 6 French language activities too. There is plenty of educational content with players able to explore more than 220 countries. Jack kept revisiting Kenya as it is a country he has been learning about a lot at school recently.
When using touch mode, players can discover more about what they wish – from continents to capitals to population and more. Jack especially liked comparing the populations of countries – did you know Saudi Arabia has millions more in population than Iraq?
When doing the quizzes, you can level up. Jack completed level 1 of the capitals quiz so went onto level 2- I’m not sure if it went slightly quicker but the voice does tell you to ‘hurry up’, making the pressure greater each level you go up. If your child is currently learning where capitals are on a globe then this is a great way of getting them to refine their skills. There is plenty of quizzes in ultimate challenge mode too!
You may be wondering what the AR part of the name stands for. Well this globe is so much more than just a globe! With a dedicated app available from both the Apple Store and Google Play, users can experience Augmented Reality (AR) using their tablet or smartphone to see landscape, animals, landmarks and even dinosaurs! This is a great extra feature to the globe and one Jack loved using.
Wanting to play a game? Simply tap your pen on what you want to do on the base of the globe – do you want to play a game of finding the countries or do you want to touch and find out more about a certain country such as their national anthem or some amazing facts about them? Perhaps you want to compare populations? Simply tap what you want to do – if its a game, they will ask you to go and tap the countries or continents or capitals they mention. If you are looking to find out more about somewhere, simply tap what you want to know on the base of the globe and tap the country on the globe that you would like to learn more about.
What is great about this globe is that everyone can learn from it – not just the kids – and you can have fun whilst learning too. Jack has been spending hours learning about the different countries (especially Kenya, as I mentioned before) and playing the different quizzes. He’s only 5 so isn’t completely knowledgeable about the world around him but with the SmartGlobe Adventure AR, he is slowly learning more and more.
Once you’ve finished with the globe for the day, you can simply turn it off and place the pen in the attached holder, ready to use for another day. The globe is lightweight and easy to store away if required however Jack has this on his bedside table, ready for us whenever he wants it.
So what are our thoughts on the SmartGlobe Adventure AR? We think it is a great educational resource that certainly makes learning fun. With Jack starting to learn more about other countries at school, this will be a great help with his learning. It is also great for us as parents to learn more about the world around us. The price is incredible for the level of technology and education you are getting and I would certainly recommend this for children this Christmas – they will have plenty of fun whilst learning too!
We’ve been learning all about capitals this week – what is the first thing you would do?
My 6 year old is so into learning about the world, I showed him the youtube Video and he loves this 🙂 what a great way for little ones to learn whilst having fun x
Thanks for the great post. It’s interesting posts like this that keep me inspired to writing posts for my own blog. I love writing my posts, but get inspired by others. Keep up the great work and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
This looks like a lot of fun as well as super educational my sons only 3 but I have seen a globe which is age appropriate for him for Xmas
Ahh we have this, it’s amazing isn’t it? I genuinely love it, not just for the kids but for me too! So interesting to use!
This looks a great way of getting kids to learn about geography. Mine won’t sit and read a book but if there’s something interactive they might give it a go.
This sounds like such an awesome toy, I love the fact you can learn more about the world using the pen. Much more fun than my old globe I had as a child.
This looks absolutely amazing. My children would love this. I am definitely going to add it to their Christmas list!
Now that is what you call smart learning! I love that you can use a touch pen and can even play games with the globe! How cool is that? x
That’s so cool that there are quizzes and an educational side to this x
My son would absolutely love this, he loves learning about countries, will have to get him this Christmas.
Such great use of technology and not something where it’s just been thrown on a product for the sake of it. I think the pen and the app both would work really well together to kids interested in the planet.
This would make the most amazing Christmas gift – I have an idea who il be buying this for 🙂 x
Ooh! This looks like such a fun and interactive way for kids to learn about the world! 🙂 Adults too – I had no idea that the population of Saudi Arabia was so large! xx
This is such a brilliant product and has so many features that I’m amazed with. From the interaction of the pen and map to the languages side it would be a must for an Child!
i love the idea of these, being a home educator to 8 all varied ages i know this would be very useful in our home
We think this SmartGlobe is fab and love the pen feature. I think my folks would like one to find our more about the world x
Little man loves learning about the world and differences capitals, so I am sure he would love this globe!
Great idea to make learning about the world more fun!
I think I want this as much or more than my little ones will! Such a cool gadget! x
This is such a smart way to learn. I wish I had something like this when I was a kid.
Wow, this takes the old fashioned globe to a whole new level! I love that it shows you so much to explore.