Fun learning tool for kid,Image Istock
What is it?
The Shifu Orboot Interactive Earth Globe is a solid plastic globe of the Earth, but without any names or borders – only images that are associated with different regions or locations.
Children use the Orboot app to explore the globe through augmented reality:
as one scans the globe with the app, images appear over the globe in 3D, along with detailed information, interactive quizzes and activities.
Shifu Orboot Interactive Earth Globe.Image supplied
It was created by two dads from India, who shared a vision of making screen time more meaningful and learning more empathetic.
They started a company called PlayShifu, and turned to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform to raise the money for their creation. Contributions came from 60 countries.
The globe comes with an innovative and entertaining accessory kit, including a quick and fun guide for parents and educators, a “passport” in which kids can record their visits and impressions, and a booklet of stickers to use in the passport
These range from boarding passes, to country flags.
Every highlight that is opened via the app comes with an introduction and information about where the item is located.
This can take the user on a fairly deep dive into the map of a country and information about its culture.
In an era when screen time turns children into passive and lazy receptacles of entertainment, the Orboot flips the concept around, engaging children actively in the content they are consuming.
No batteries or power supply needed for the globe. It encapsulates interactive learning and curiosity.
It provides a broad range of information, from cultures and cuisines to monuments and inventions.
The app supports most current Android and iOS devices. The content on the app is available in nine languages.
The app can be personalised, creating a profile for a child that allows progress to be tracked over time. Multiple profiles can be entered.
The guide booklet includes games that can be played with the globe without the app, and learning exercises for the app that don’t require the globe.
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