Getting The Little Ones Involved With Tech and Learning

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Technology has come a long way since I was in Kindergarten or Elementary school. Anyone remember the old DOS based programs and the coolest computer game around was Oregon Trail. Now my daughter can use an iPad as well as most adults. And personally, I think that’s okay. Technology is the way of the world and it will continue to be that way. Since she’s going to have to be able to use these devices as she grows older (all our high schooler’s text books are on and iPad instead of physical books now) so it’ seems reasonable that her father and I are the ones that begin that part of her learning with her. What all this means is that I have to be aware of what I let her access and play on these devices.

 

 

Fortunately for us there are a ton of games and activities out there, a lot of which are actually educational as well so that’s a start. What you often lose with the tech world is some of that hands on learning. OSMO by Tangible Play has bridged that gap.

To say I’m excited about the OSMO Genius Kit and the OSMO apps is an understatement. We’ve had the kit a little over a week now and my daughter has asked every single day since we first set it up for her if she could play and she will spend hours solving puzzles, counting, and even learning to spell.

 

 

What You Can Do With OSMO

There are several apps and kits available depending on what you want your child to master. Some of those include:

● Tangram ­- Arrange wooden puzzle pieces into matching onscreen shapes. Play with your child or challenge yourself to more advanced levels with Osmo acting as your mentor by lighting up with each victory.

● Numbers ­- With a counting, addition, concatenation and multiplication mode, there is a challenge for everybody. As kids get more confident in one mode, they can move on the the next one, allowing them to learn at their own pace.

 

 

● Words ­ – Be the first to guess and spell out the onscreen hidden word by tossing down real life letters faster than your friends. A related picture gives the clue.

● Masterpiece ­ Supercharge your drawing skills with Masterpiece. Pick any image from the camera, curated gallery or integrated web search and Masterpiece will transform it into easy­ to ­follow lines and help you draw it to perfection. You can then share a magical time ­lapse video of your creation with your friends and family.

● Newton ­- Use your creativity with inventive objects such as a hand­ drawn basket, grandma’s glasses, dad’s keys or anything around you to guide falling on­screen balls into targeted zones.

 

 

 

It’s things like this that keep me excited about technology and make me feel confident that we can incorporate it into our daily lives in a way that’s healthy and educational and that supports the fundamentals of learning – practice makes perfect! Does OSMO sound like something that your family could benefit from? What types of learning tools do you find the most beneficial? The most fun? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!