Christmas gives parents an awesome opportunity to stock their children’s shelves with educational material. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, toys that are simple and classic can be the most educational. Years ago, when I was a child, my favorite thing to play with was my parents’ globe. I used to spin the globe, land on a random place, and try to name the location. Practicing map skills in my home was useful as it gave me a foundation of knowledge that I referred back to often later in life. Now, as a teacher, I focus on map skills through upper elementary school, so a knowledge of how to use a globe is important to students’ academic development. I chose to write a GeoSafari Talking Globe Junior review to examine how the globe helped instill an understanding of map skills in my daughter.

GeoSafari Talking Globe Junior Review

My favorite feature of the globe was that it was informative. As my daughter was younger than the recommended age, she didn’t know a lot of the questions when I used the quiz function. When I turned the dial to make the product inform me about the globe, it gave information that my daughter found fascinating. My daughter loved animals, so the animals on the continents were interesting to her. Discussing the animals on the different continents went along with a book we had been reading about the continents. I liked that the globe complimented the children’s literature that we already owned.

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Another neat feature was that with a turn of the switch, you could choose to focus on the continents, countries, or oceans. With the quiz function, I determined which city was the capital of a state. Using the informative function, I learned that the color purple outlined the continent Africa. The product was very interactive. After listening to the talking globe, I searched the globe to match the new information with the pictures and shapes on it.

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While using the globe, I had one small recommendation. After I matched up the parts to assemble the product and put the batteries in, I flipped the product upside down to screw the battery cover in to the base. The globe popped out of its metal attachment and I accidentally dropped a few parts to the ground. Nothing broke, but if you’re using the product with kids younger than the recommended age, use the item under supervision. I placed the item on a solid surface when I used it with my daughter to minimize risk of it falling and becoming disassembled. Kids who meet the age requirement shouldn’t have any issues. Even when the globe popped out, nothing looked dangerous, but I realized how simple it could be to lose the parts if my daughter took the toy apart when I wasn’t watching.

Using the globe was a neat experience. My daughter learned new content knowledge, while also applying her knowledge of map skills to identify the parts of the globe. The talking feature of the globe added to my daughter’s engagement with the product. As a teacher who has a BA in History, I appreciated the educational purpose that the product had. I would recommend the item for holiday shoppers. What kid wouldn’t want Santa to deliver a toy that teaches?

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