VTech Fly and Learn Globe. Where will it take your child today?

A learning toy is meant to help you learn, does the VTECH Fly and Learn Globe do that?

We purchased the Fly and Learn globe for our 3 ½ year old daughter. I figured it’s a great time to learn about the globe as she understands her US map puzzles and this was a great stepping stone.

The toy itself states it’s for 3 – 6 year old children. It has an easy to grip, large joystick on the side and is easily maneuvered with the joystick. You can either go up and down or left and right. This moves the globe right and left and the up and down moves you, the airplane pilot, to different destinations.

Fun Facts

This is a 2005 winner of the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries Silver Award. This appears to be mostly a United Kingdom association, from what I have read. Quite a while ago in 1967, they started a “library” of sorts where families could check out or rent educational toys that were reviewed and specially picked to be a part of the library. This library was another way to exchange toys or allow an outlet for parents to try toys before purchasing or just being able to reduce the expense of purchasing all new toys for sometimes very little play time.

Back to the toy itself

It states this helps children with the following items:

Discovery and Exploration:

They learn about the world, continents, different languages spoken and even some world wonders like the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China, etc)

Independent Play:

There are quiz modes allowing the child to adventure around the globe, locating what is being asked of them.

Language Development and Phonics:

It will ask about foreign languages such as something like “what language says Hello HALO” –German.

Features

The pilot is your child and you have a fun magnifying glass to get a close up look at special items on different continents.

There are five different discover modes, which are as follows:

My First Atlas
Find Our Friends
Quiz Time
Flight Adventure
Music and Sounds

Briefly, here is what each of the above sections offer:

My first atlas allows the child to fly to a location, let go of the joystick, press the button on top of the joystick and you will hear about the languages, places and wonders where you stopped. (If you stop in the ocean, it will tell you the name of the ocean.)

Find our friends is the section where they try to match up someone saying either hello, thank you or bye bye in another language, correctly spoken. For example, find our friends that say hello “halo, danke or Tshuss”. These are all German. They have French, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, German, Portuguese, and Chinese listed.

Quiz time they ask you to fly somewhere in particular and if you land or stop on the correct spot there is a good sound to keep you trying. If you land incorrectly, it will encourage you to keep looking or searching for the correct spot. For example, “look for the great pyramid” of which there is a picture on the globe.

Flight adventure encourages children to find a series or group of spots like the Sydney Opera House and Eiffel Tower. If you land on one in the correct order it will advise what the location is and encourage you to locate the other spots. I believe it normally puts three together at one time.

Music and sounds offer children to fly to a location and hear a melody for that spot. Example, fly to Antarctica and you will have a special song or melody for that particular spot. China, there is another melody.

General Information

This uses 4 double AA batteries and does not have a screwed on plate to hold them in the unit, it’s just a friction fit drawer holding the batteries in place.

There is a basic warranty available for one year for the defects in manufacturing, workmanship, and materials. Normal use doesn’t count. You can return the item to the store where purchased or return it directly to VTech Electronics Europe but if you don’t have proof of purchase, no replacement will be sent out. So, keep your receipts. Also, they will inspect the unit and as long as they agree it was manufacturing, workmanship or materials that were faulty, then they might replace the product if you have the receipt. It’s at their discretion.

One drawback

This, like most toys, do not have a volume control and it’s set too loudly (I think) in the manufacturing process. I have taken a little bit of scotch tape, covered the speaker holes or slots and it has muted down the sound enough that I am not concerned about hearing loss from laying her head so close to the unit while driving with the joystick.

Overall impressions

My daughter really seems intrigued by the joystick and flying. She really has not gotten into the quizzes, but enjoys the sounds and the flying because she’s in control of the unit.

She has put quite a bit more time into this than some other toys I have seen her initially pick up and use and she has a lot of items to grow into. I almost think it is a bit over the head of a 3 year old, but she does enjoy certain aspects of the toy at this age.

It’s a decent toy, gives the child a physical representation of the globe and possibly helps them put something into perspective. I show her the flat US map puzzle we have put together for years. She has a concept of the states, their lay out and knows a lot of the states names and can name them as she puts them into their spots. I have pointed out the shape and shown here North America and where that puzzle she knows would fit into this spot on the globe.

I don’t think she completely understands, but I do think she is starting to grasp that we are a small part of a LARGE world, and is learning more all of the time. If you are looking for a nice toy, this is a great learning tool, has a lot of information for little ones to grow into and they should not bore of it easily as they can keep stepping it up and learning more all of the time.

I am glad I purchased it for my daughter, and I think you might be happy you get it for your little ones too.

Thanks for spending time with me today!