The GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope by Educational Insights makes for a fun, educational activity for kids ages 4+. The site recommends ages 5+, but I found it to be simple enough for my 4 1/2 year old to operate 90% on his own.
The microscope comes with 12 slides. On each slide is a small insect. After you slide the slide into place, the child punches in an easy 3 letter code. The GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope then tells the child 4 or 5 different facts about that insect. After playing with the microscope on fact mode, the child can then press a button that will switch the microscope to quiz mode. The microscope will quiz the child on the facts it gave about the insect.
Big Brother has had a wonderful time playing with this. He loves learning about the insects and then afterwards tries to gross his mom out with the creepy things he’s learned. The microscope isn’t a true microscope in that it can magnify microscopic organisms, but it is strong enough to magnify the slides of tiny insects that come with the microscope. The one draw back to the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope is that there are not, as of yet, any replacement slides that you can purchase for the microscope. That means if your kids lose the slides, or if your kids are brilliant and memorize the slides and questions quickly, then the microscope becomes obsolete.
Buy It:
You can purchase the Educational Insights Geosafari Talking Microscope from Amazon.com for (currently) under $25 (retail $39.99).
Win It!
Educational Insights is giving one reader their own GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope!
Disclosure: I was provided with the above-mentioned product by the company, at no cost to myself, in order to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed are honest and are entirely my own.

Comments