LeapFrog® Explorer Smart Globe
by LeapFrog
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Our Price: $289.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $59.99 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of LeapFrog® Explorer Smart Globe
Customer Review: Best present my kids ever got
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not one for electronic toys, normally. But this globe is terrific. The second day after she received it, my 6-year-old had learned all the continents and oceans, and could find each of them within two or three seconds after the globe called them out. She's working on countries now. Her first-grade class had to make a collection of 100 items of their choice. She chose to collect 100 country names, which she patiently copied from the globe while listening to music snippets and basic facts about each one. Last month, we read that geologists believe India was once a seperate island, which eventually crashed into mainland Asia. I asked her what mountain range was made during that crash, and she barely paused before answering the Himilayas.
But the best part is when the kids go to bed. Then I get to challenge my wife to Eureka, to see who can find the most countries, cities and continents as they are called out randomly by the globe. She always wins. But I'm improving, and one of these days....
My only complaint (like many of the other reviewers) is that the globe started malfunctioning after several months. In our case, the sensors must have shifted inside the globe so that instead of giving you information for the country you select, it tells you about its neighbor 2 inches to the left. But the company will replace the globe for free. I just had to ship it back to them (at my own cost, but no big deal). Many people complain about the stylus failing, but a replacement stylus is pretty cheap. If you play with it as much as we do, you can't expect it to last forever, can you?
Customer Review: Makes learning about Geography fun!
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought this last yr for my then 5 yr old son. He was pushed up a grade this fall(skipped K) and is now in a special advanced placement class which is a combo of AP 1st/2nd graders. At the start of this school yr he could take a blank US map and write in all 50 states correctly including the capitals! (well, ok....some spelled phonetically but he comes from spelling challenged parents!) :) When he had to do a report last month on a state....his teacher was amazed at his ability to fill in all the state names without refering to the map the other children were struggling with. Our main reason for buying the thing was for him to use to independently look at where dad was traveling (husband takes many international business trips) and after dad left for the airport he'd use his globe to find out how long it would take for dad to get from NY to wherever he was off to that week. Can you say parent guilt toy? Best one dad's come home with so far though! He loves the game where the toy asks you to find a place on the globe too. My other 5yr old (the boys are 11mo apart in age) is just now getting interested in the globe.....durability is great. We did have a broken pen (the globe wouldn't 'say' what you touched on the globe) but one call to the 1800 # and we had a replacement within 5 days! No cost to us at all-And that was during the Xmas holiday season! We have no complaints at all-overall a great investment in your child's education!Customer Review: Great educational value; we'll see how it lasts
Summary: 4 Stars
We bought this for my 6-yo son for Christmas this year. It has definitely been a BIG hit for him (and I'm grateful for the headphone capability). He loves playing with the different settings and is already trying hard to 'study' for all the games so he can 'win' them. It's definitely a good challenge for him, and my husband actually stole it after my son went to bed last night so he could test himself. I can see head-to-head matches taking place in the coming months.
I had read most of the reviews here before I purchased this globe, so I was worried about durability (and still am). It came in one piece and worked great in the box, so that was good. The worry now is how long it will last. It is NOT meant to be hauled around the house. It's definitely something you'll want to stick in one spot and leave it there. We've chosen my son's nightstand so he can use it at night or during rest time if he wants. My son is also having to learn that picking it up by the globe itself is a no-no; you have to pick it up by the base or it starts messing up a bit. The pen seems to work fine now, so we'll see how it goes in the next few months. Fingers crossed, because it's a great toy/tool and I want it to last long enough for my 3-yo daughter to inherit it!
Customer Review: Still the best talking globe out there
Summary: 5 Stars
This is still the best talking globe out there. It is a great investment in your child's education, and it's an incredibly useful reference. It is a very well thought out design, with something to learn for various levels of geographical knowledge. I enjoy playing the Eureka mode, which is a game for finding places on the globe. I love that it gives you smart clues that help you when you're stumped, but doesn't just give the answer away. I love that you can switch it to continents, countries, or states and provinces (but of course as an American, what do I care about Canadian provinces, eh?? hehe). It has a nice collection of interesting facts about each location to explore, and this toy has captured the attention of every person, child or adult, that I have ever shown it to.
As for durability, I bought ours 12/2005, and it's still going 3/2010. I don't let the kids (my two boys are 3 and 9 now) throw it around, but it has cracked open slightly once around the equator, and my boyfriend gently put it back together. The stylus sometimes goes haywire if you touch it to your hand or other things it's not meant to point to, but we find if we have good batteries and just push the on button to reset, it generally works fine.
Customer Review: Remains to be seen
Summary: 5 Stars
This Christmas, we gave our 6 year old grandson the LeapFrog Explorer Globe, at his Mother's request. The product sounded like a wonderful learning tool, and seemed appropriate for our grandson who loves facts and figures. He recently had a vacation in Disney with his family, and since then has been fascinated with travel distances. "How far was it to fly from Pennsylvania to Florida?" was typical of the type of question he would ask his parents. In the past, trucks, then car names and models, then dinosaurs were of interest. He would learn them all, and recite them back. (On one memorable trip around our neighborhood, he named every car make and model that we passed!) It is our hope that he will enjoy exploring with this new "toy" and become interested in geography. While he didn't seem too thrilled when he opened the gift (At the moment, he has memorized football team's stats and their logos.) but his "thank you" note said he was having fun exploring the globe with his Dad. It is a great product, but only worthwhile if the child is taken in by it. In our case, the results remain to be seen, but we are very hopeful.