Been around the world back from Bombay....

The Vtech Fly & Learn Globe has been in our house about 2 years now, and I am just now taking time out to review it. It came to us as a gift, but I have seen it priced online in the $20 range. I would suggest this toy for ages 3 and up.

The toy is about 11 inches tall, and it is not all that heavy. It takes 4 AA size batteries, and they are in a compartment (not the screw in kind) on the bottom. Seems like ours came with batteries, and we are still on the same set 2 years later.

Here’s a little info from VTech about this toy from their website:

“Young explorers and adventurer can jump right into the pilot’s seat to get a closer look at our living planet. With the Fly & Learn Globe™, junior geographers explore new sites and meet around the world without ever leaving home. Five discovery modes allow your child to engage in endless travels of fun and learning. With all the opportunities to make exciting new discoveries, children will want to leave on this jet plane every chance they get!”

This is a globe that has a little person in a plane with a magnifying glass in front of it. You can make the globe move via a joystick and the plane can move up or down, while the globe can move right or left. There are different landmarks on the globe, such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, The Grand Canyon, and Niagara Falls. All the continents are represented, and they have their names printed on them as well on the globe. There are also people on the continents as well. The on/off button is right on the front of the machine, so it is easy to get to, but do note this thing is a little loud, and there is no volume control.

There are five modes to this toy, and you move a little plane slider to the activity you want to do:

My First Atlas:

Here, you can take the joystick and fly the plane anywhere on the globe. When you stop on any item, you can press the green button on the top of the joystick and it will tell information about the destination. It can do continents, oceans, places, and people. If you land on the people you will hear a phrase in their native language, either the word hello, bye bye, or thank you. There is a Canadian, Hispanic, American, and Brazilian, one from Argentina, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Nigeria, an Egyptian, China, and India.

Find Our Friends:

Here when you slide the little plane switch to “Find Our Friends”, you’ll be asked a question like “Who says Hallo in German?” then you have to take the joystick and fly the plane to the German person and then hit the button on the joystick, and it will congratulate you. If you get it wrong, it will tell you to try again. Some of the languages are easier than others, even for me. Obviously the German one is easy to get, but there are some others that are tricky, because their language is not the same name as their country.

Quiz Time:

This is where you will be asked to fly to a certain location “Can you find the Great Pyramid?” Then, you fly to that location, and then push the button on the joystick, it will congratulate you if you are correct, then it will tell you to try again if you are wrong.

Note here that you must put the little magnifier on the plane over the little square of the location on the globe. To me, it is kind of ticky to get the magnifier in the exact place, and it is a little too sensitive, because I have been exactly on the little square of the location and it told me it was wrong. Not sure if this is because of the wear and tear of 2 years worth of use or what. But, it can be a little frustrating when you know you are on the right place and to be told that you are incorrect.

Flight Adventure:

Here, you will be asked to fly to a series of locations, such as the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, and the Great Pyramid. Once you reach your first location and press the button on the joystick, it will identify that place and play a rewarding sound. Then you fly on to the next destination.

Music and Sounds:

This is where you can fly to a location and hear a specific melody for that location, such as if you land on the oceans, you will hear the sound of the ocean. To be honest, this is the least used function of the toy for us- there’s so much else to do with the toy without this mode.

Experience:

The little plane makes flying noises while you move the joystick around, and it is pretty cute. I like the fact that it is educational, and my three year old is walking around talking about the Sydney Opera House and other places on there- so they do learn something from it. My kids really enjoy flying the plane as well. I also think that this would be good for a classroom as well, my oldest is 5 and she still enjoys this quite a bit.

As far as expense goes, this really isn’t all that expensive of an item, and like I said earlier, we are still on the same set of batteries 2 years later. It is very durable-around here it has been fought over, dropped on the floor, and the plane has been slammed around from north to south, and my youngest turned the globe without the thing even being on and it is still going strong.

I do have 2 problems with this though-my main qualm being the volume on this thing- it is way too loud, and there is no way to control that. I put some clear tape over the speaker on the side, and it helps some, but I think the volume is why this stays in the closet a lot. One day I was trying to do something and it was on for about 30 minutes, and I finally had to put it up to get some peace- it’s just too loud.

My other qualm is the magnifier issue that I spoke of earlier- it is a little tricky to get it to where the toy will say you are on the right spot, and on some occasions I have been in the right place and it told me I was not.
But, overall, this is an above average toy, it is really fun and interactive, and has kept my kids’ attention and it’s still here 2 years later. I would recommend it.