For parents who seem to see their children running around and continuously playing, some of them would think of a way to rather get their energies in focus, preferably leading to education and overall mental development. Fortunately, educational toys have been made for such cases. One of the known brands is Vtech, fostering the right education with their “Electronic Learning Products” or ELP.
The company has been creating different educational age-appropriate toys since 1976. It calls the activities of children being “smart play” – learning while having fun, as they call it. The pink Vtech Nitro Web Notebook is made specially for children aged 5-8.
Features
- The standard colors of the Vtech Nitro are pink and green. When opening the box, the product has a semblance of a real computer that mom and dad use, which would be a plus, since children are naturally attracted to computers. Its length is around 11 inches while its width is 9 inches. It runs with 3 AA batteries. An AC adapter is sold separately, for a more consistent power supply.
- Below the screen, the child can find buttons to direct him or her to different activities. The activities are interactive, which ascertains that your child enjoy and learn at the same time.
- The keyboard follows the standard “qwerty” format used in real computers. It also comes with a mouse and a free mouse pad. The mouse, in relation to the activities included in the product, is not really utilized that much, since the child will mostly tinker with the buttons and keyboard. The sense of realism is quite nifty, though.
- Expect an explosion of colors, once you turn the gadget on, immediately grabbing the child’s attention. It sustains that attention, with the number of fun activities that will appear, thereafter. Just help your child get accustomed to the controls and mechanics, if he or she has trouble following the directions presented by the program.
Connectivity
- A USB connection is provided, so parents can downloadable more activities via the Vtech website. Just hook up the gadget to a computer’s USB port and you’re all set.
Activities
All in all, there are about 70 activities that can be played by your child. They are categorized in 8 major activities, namely:
- Creative Studio
- Game Time
- Language Lab in Spanish
- Math Mania
- My Tools
- Science World
- Social Studies
- Word Zone
In each of these categories, there are around 15 activities that your child can engage in. In addition, there are 2 cartridges included for Story Telling and Sing Along. As the name of the activities imply, your child can enjoy a story and can sing along to the songs stored in the cartridges, which come along with the gadget. Story Telling, though, leaves something to be desired, as there is only one story. Just check the website from time to time for more stories.
With regard to some of the activities such as Language Lab and Math Mania, children may have difficulties in playing them, since some of the math problems are a bit too advanced for 5-8 year olds. Then again, children are known complex stuff quickly.
Parents are advised to read the instruction manual, first, before letting their kids have a go at the Vtech. Children may have a tough time accessing some of the activities or getting accustomed to the controls. A little parental guidance should make the ordeal fun-filled.
In a Nutshell
Advantages:
- The Vtech helps develop a child’s cognitive and language skills. He or she will also grasp the basic foundations of academic subjects, which is helpful in school.
- The product is portable.
- It monitors the child’s learning progress, so you would know which areas to focus on, for improvement. This works wonders, if he or she is getting poor grades in school.
- Playing with the Vtech promotes learning through fun, which is sometimes more effective than the formal classroom setting. Take it from Sesame Street and Blues Clues.
Disadvantages:
- The interface is a bit dull – black and white coupled with a dim screen.
- The active screen is a bit too small.
- The AC adapter is sold separately, as opposed to coming as a default accessory. A child will have to spend much time with the gadget to learn, and a handful of AA batteries could only provide limited power.
All in all, the Vtech Nitro notebook equates to a fun-filled learning experience, despite of a screen that is grayscale and a rather complex activities. Guidance from the parents can help every so often, in case the child gets confused with anything. It is a worthwhile purchase. After some time, you may start seeing your child ace every subject in his or her curriculum. You, by then, will thank yourself for purchasing this nifty little gadget.
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