Ah Christmas.....
Santa and the relatives bring all sorts of goodies to your kids.....
And so begins Mom and Dad's nightmare with sorting out instructions, batteries and toys that don't live up to expectations....
Here's our thoughts on some of Kiddo's LOVELY (sarcasm intended) presents....
The Good:
Crayola Light Designer - THE must have toy of the season, I was ever so glad Santa brought this one to Kiddo, we didn't have to hear 'Mom, I want that one!' over and over when the commercials came on!
I really loved that we put the batteries in and it was ready to go. I hated that it takes FOUR d batteries and TWO AA for the wand, but it's not like it's constantly in use, so hopefully they will last for awhile. While not so thrilled with the not thorough instructions, as long as an adult read them, it wasn't too hard to show the kids what to do, and for them to operate it on their own. It is a little loud, and does have to be on a level service, but it works like it says it does, and Kiddo can use it without my help. Yeah team! A great item from Crayola!
iTikes i Explore: a hands on map interface system that teach and quiz different
subjects, from the 6 included maps.The US map teaches state geography and fun facts about all fifty states.
The World Cat and World Dog maps introduce a variety of pets from all
over the world (Kiddo REALLY likes these!). The World Music map plays world music and says hello and
goodbye in a variety of languages (another one that she really loves, as she loves to idetify music sources). The Solar System Map teaches the
solar system and the order of the planets, while the Prehistoric North America map lets you check out what it was like in North America during the time of the dinosaurs. Ok so pretty much she loves ALL the maps, just the North America one is a little beyond her on some of the items yet.
As a parent, I love that after she does the learning section, there is a quiz to see how much she retained. There are there difficulty levels, so she can work her way up through them. As a parent, I love that the maps are stored inside the I Explore itself and that it is easy transportable, and can be used in the car even, and NO wi-fi is required! However if you do have an iphone or itouch, you can use it with the system (and the app) to get a more enhanced experience. I found that using this after she had already explored all the maps on her own, was a wonderful way to enhance the learning, and not take away from the stand alone features.
The Bad:
This seemed like a super idea- battery powered, portable and durable. Yippee.
Problem came when we put the batteries in- NO sound! SIGH, so much for being able to use it, as it is based on the computer talking to the kids. Luck was on our side and the store had ONE left, so it was easy to exchange- whew!
BUT- once we got the sound working, we realized that the instructions are a nightmare, and there is NO way a young child can figure out how to use all the games, without adults puzzling over the instructions and trying to figure them out first... ARGH....
The Ugly:
The Tabeo Tablet
Made for kids, with a sturdy case, prior to Christmas, all the critics said THIS is the tablet to buy for younger kids! Reviews were all great! The 7"inch screen has an Android Ice Cream Sandwich system, but does not access the Googly Play system, you have to access their apps (which all prevent them from purchasing without parental consent). There are 50 apps included and over 7,000 you can download tons of apps. With a front facing camera and expandable memory card slot, it has room to grow.
It took us about 30 minutes to get it set up. It had enough of a charge that Kiddo got about 15 minutes of play time on it. And then it froze up. We were able to get it restarted, but 10 minutes later it did it again. Grrrr....So much for playing with the tablet on Christmas Day... One long phone call with support (they answered!) and determined that WITHOUT the 32g micro sd card (which run an average of $30), alot of the games WILL crash, as the device ONLY has 1g, and 90% of that is taken when it comes OUT of the box....
Ok, so I have an 8g card, so we knew we could put it in, but first I tried deleting the games that were way beyond her level, or not appropriate for a 5 year old, and tried deleting some excess system files, per the Facebook videos and support page links (as support was not answering the phone). Tablet would work for 30 minutes then freeze up.Then we kept getting notifications that the programs needed to be updated. A third of them updated with no problem. The other 2/3 required you to DELETE the app, then BUY it again, in order to get updated version. GRRRR...
Then we had to update the Android system. That was the only thing that seemed to go ok. Til the tablet kept freezing up every 10 minutes. Apparently about the same time, the Tabeo support system crashed and they stopped answering the phones, updating their facebook page and support webpage. Ok dokey, this is a HUGE sign. Poor Kiddo, all she wanted was a tablet for Christmas, and it would NOT work. So back to Toys R US it went. And I wasn't the first one- they had a steady flow of ALL the tablets strictly for kids. Apparently ALL of them had major issues like the Tabeo did. Talk about making some parents REALLY irate, and disappointing the kids. But the good news, Kindle Fires, Samsung Galazy Tabs and the Nexus & were flying off the shelves for replacements....
and The Very Good:
Asus Nexus 7
Based on our history with our Nexus 7, we decided to fork over the extra $50 and get her one. The benefits: I could TRANSFER all the apps I had already put on MY Nexus to her's for FREE.Took all of 10 minutes for 25 apps. Easy Peasy. She already knows how to use the system. I down- loaded Egg Timer app, for her to start before she is allowed to play on the tablet (simple and easy to use, even Kiddo can set it). Then I downloaded Kids Place parental control app, into which you move all the apps your kids can use. You can shut off the internet, .it blocks the ads, and keeps kids from going to he home page and messing with any settings on the tablet (including volume)- perfect for young kids.
Kiddo was extremely happy that a) it worked right to of the box, b) there was no freezing up, as it has 32g built in, so it has LOTS of room and c) she knows how to use it, and it is EASY to her. I just have to find a thick bumper cover, to protect it.
So that was how our Christmas went....
How was yours?
Santa and the relatives bring all sorts of goodies to your kids.....
And so begins Mom and Dad's nightmare with sorting out instructions, batteries and toys that don't live up to expectations....
Here's our thoughts on some of Kiddo's LOVELY (sarcasm intended) presents....
The Good:
I really loved that we put the batteries in and it was ready to go. I hated that it takes FOUR d batteries and TWO AA for the wand, but it's not like it's constantly in use, so hopefully they will last for awhile. While not so thrilled with the not thorough instructions, as long as an adult read them, it wasn't too hard to show the kids what to do, and for them to operate it on their own. It is a little loud, and does have to be on a level service, but it works like it says it does, and Kiddo can use it without my help. Yeah team! A great item from Crayola!
As a parent, I love that after she does the learning section, there is a quiz to see how much she retained. There are there difficulty levels, so she can work her way up through them. As a parent, I love that the maps are stored inside the I Explore itself and that it is easy transportable, and can be used in the car even, and NO wi-fi is required! However if you do have an iphone or itouch, you can use it with the system (and the app) to get a more enhanced experience. I found that using this after she had already explored all the maps on her own, was a wonderful way to enhance the learning, and not take away from the stand alone features. The Bad:
Discovery Kids Teach 'n' Talk Exploration Laptop
The Discovery Exploration Laptop allows you to play math games, word puzzles, music, and more. Perfectly compact, it is easily portable for car or plane rides, and fits into most backpacks.This seemed like a super idea- battery powered, portable and durable. Yippee.
Problem came when we put the batteries in- NO sound! SIGH, so much for being able to use it, as it is based on the computer talking to the kids. Luck was on our side and the store had ONE left, so it was easy to exchange- whew!
BUT- once we got the sound working, we realized that the instructions are a nightmare, and there is NO way a young child can figure out how to use all the games, without adults puzzling over the instructions and trying to figure them out first... ARGH....
The Ugly:
The Tabeo Tablet
It took us about 30 minutes to get it set up. It had enough of a charge that Kiddo got about 15 minutes of play time on it. And then it froze up. We were able to get it restarted, but 10 minutes later it did it again. Grrrr....So much for playing with the tablet on Christmas Day... One long phone call with support (they answered!) and determined that WITHOUT the 32g micro sd card (which run an average of $30), alot of the games WILL crash, as the device ONLY has 1g, and 90% of that is taken when it comes OUT of the box....
Ok, so I have an 8g card, so we knew we could put it in, but first I tried deleting the games that were way beyond her level, or not appropriate for a 5 year old, and tried deleting some excess system files, per the Facebook videos and support page links (as support was not answering the phone). Tablet would work for 30 minutes then freeze up.Then we kept getting notifications that the programs needed to be updated. A third of them updated with no problem. The other 2/3 required you to DELETE the app, then BUY it again, in order to get updated version. GRRRR...
Then we had to update the Android system. That was the only thing that seemed to go ok. Til the tablet kept freezing up every 10 minutes. Apparently about the same time, the Tabeo support system crashed and they stopped answering the phones, updating their facebook page and support webpage. Ok dokey, this is a HUGE sign. Poor Kiddo, all she wanted was a tablet for Christmas, and it would NOT work. So back to Toys R US it went. And I wasn't the first one- they had a steady flow of ALL the tablets strictly for kids. Apparently ALL of them had major issues like the Tabeo did. Talk about making some parents REALLY irate, and disappointing the kids. But the good news, Kindle Fires, Samsung Galazy Tabs and the Nexus & were flying off the shelves for replacements....
and The Very Good:
Asus Nexus 7
Kiddo was extremely happy that a) it worked right to of the box, b) there was no freezing up, as it has 32g built in, so it has LOTS of room and c) she knows how to use it, and it is EASY to her. I just have to find a thick bumper cover, to protect it.
So that was how our Christmas went....
How was yours?
Comments
Post a Comment