I have two little adventurers that are curious about everything and anything. That type of curiosity is very important in teaching little ones and as a parent, you must ensure that you nurture it at all times. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for new educational toys and accessories to enhance my little adventurers time exploring and to help them learn and grow. Two examples of such toys are the GeoSafari® Jr Underwater Explorer Boat and Jr. My First Microscope STEM Toy for Preschoolers from Educational Insights®, which I received a sample each to review.
I am sure you can imagine my little explorers’ excitement when I showed them the toys, after all children love new toys. The GeoSafari® Jr Underwater Explorer Boat is truly an innovative little toy as it combines learning with fun effortlessly, that children do not even realize it. It is a child safe, glass bottomed boat that is magnified x3, enabling little ones to explore the depths of the water as they play.
The boat is perfect for those trips to the lake or ocean, but no reason to fret if it is too cold outside or you are stuck at home, it is well suited for some bath or pool time exploration. My little ones explored the bottom of the bathtub with it, finding their toys hidden under the bubbles, as it is excessively cold for other water adventures now. If you do decide to take it on a trip to the lake or the ocean, you will not need to stress about losing this little toy as it has an orange rubber ring buoy attached to the boat, that fits comfortably around a child’s arm and serves as a means to ensure that the boat does not float away. A wonderful feature, as I can just imagine the tears if my little ones’ had to lose this toy.
The fun and games does not end with the exploring, as the fact that it is a functioning boat – the steering wheel and propellers can turn – ensures hours of pretend playtime. This way, it does not only enrich their learning, but also provide fun and helps grow their imagination. It is also a very durable toy, made of sturdy plastic. I was afraid at first that the magnified bottom might crack easily, but am happy to inform you that it has even survived some rough play. However, they do advise that it is suitable for children 3 years and older because of the small parts. For that reason, I would suggest playing with your little one if they are a bit younger or keen to put things in their mouth.
The My First Microscope on the other hand is a perfect toy to get children excited about Science and to show them the things that you cannot see with the naked eye. This child friendly microscope can magnify flat or dimensional objects up to 8 times, opening a completely new world to explore. It is not only durable and child safe, constructed with a durable plastic mainly except for the eye pieces that are soft rubber, but it also does not require any slides – instead you just place the object directly under the lens.
It even includes a LED light, which requires 3AAA batteries and is not included, which help you see the little details more clearly. My little ones enjoyed examining everything they could get their hands on and could fit under the lens. I even took a turn having a look and was decently surprised myself at the details. Overall, this is a wonderful educational toy and very easy to use for little ones. I only found one flaw, the LED light does not turn off automatically, which would have been nice, as my little ones tend to forget it on at times. Additionally, as with the previous toy they also recommend it for children 3 years and up!
I am truly impressed with the GeoSafari® Jr Underwater Explorer Boat and My First Microscope from Educational Insights®. It is definitely something I would recommend to all parents as it combines learning and fun, seamlessly into one.
**Disclosure: I received a sample of the product to facilitate this post. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.