Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Adventure

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Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

I'm not sure who was more excited about receiving the Oregon Smart Globe Adventure a few weeks ago, little J or John and I. I absolutely love anything to do with maps, countries, capitals but have never actually owned a globe so this was very exciting. The Smart Globe Adventure is an interactive globe giving you the chance to explore and learn about 220 countries, interesting facts, play games and even unlock a 3D Augmented Reality feature using an app on your smartphone.

Oregon Smart Globe Adventure
The Smart Globe comes with a smart pen so this took little J a while to get used to. He is only really familiar with touch screen on his iPad and our phones but once we showed him how he could easily use it. 

We explained to little J that The Smart Globe was a map of the world and the first thing he wanted to do was spin it. It is so much fun spinning a globe around,  it does spin left and right but it does not spin up or down. This can be annoying if you are playing a game and it asks you to find Antarctica and the pen doesn't quite reach it. 

Once he had finished spinning he asked where we are on the globe. We showed him the UK and he used his smart pen to touch it. It played a little song but to find out more about the UK or other countries we would have to go to the base of the globe and choose an activity. If you leave the globe idle for a few moments it will ask you what you would like to do. 

First we chose a 'find' game. You can choose from Continents, Capitals, Countries and our personal favourite The Ultimate Challenge. 

oregon smart globe

Once you have chosen what 'find' game you would like to play the Smart Globe will ask you to find and touch as many of your chosen topic as possible. It does tell you what to look for and plays music while you try and find it, the music will go faster as your time starts to run out. 

The Ultimate Challenge is our favourite and is a time challenge were you have to find as many places as you can in the time provided. We are very competitive when it comes to this game as so far we can't seem to get more than 10 on Level 1 however we are still trying. 

Next you can choose a 'touch' activity. There are lots to choose from including Continent, Name, Capital, Population, Area, Currency, History, Features, Geography, Language, Highest Point, National Anthem and Amazing Facts. 

oregon smart globe
oregon smart globe

The touch activities are jam packed with lots of different facts about the countries you touch with your smart pen. Our personal favourite is listening to all the different National Anthems from around the world. 

Within the 'touch' activities there are 6 that can also be played in French.

Next you can choose the 'compare' activities. You choose 2 different countries and the Smart Globe will compare the area or the population of both countries. 

On the base of the globe there is a more detailed map of Britain and Ireland. Here you can do all the activities that are mentioned above but for cities too. 

oregon smart globe

As we live in Liverpool it was nice to hear some facts about where we live. 

The base also has a pause, repeat and volume button which you will need as it is very loud. 

What We Loved

Great Quality

Makes learning fun with lots of games and fun facts

220 countries to explore

6 French activities

Detailed map of Britain and Ireland which allows us to find out more about cities we are close to.

Love hearing little J playing with the Globe and then shouting to us 'Where's Japan Mum?"

Will be a perfect learning tool throughout Little J's school journey.

What Could Improve

There are some places, mainly on the bottom of the globe which the pen doesn't quite reach and it takes quite a while for the globe to detect the pen. 

When playing some of the games you have to be quite precise with pen, this can get a little frustrating especially if you are playing the Ultimate Challenge and trying to beat your score. 

At the moment we haven't quite grasped the AR side of the globe yet as there are just so many features to get to grips with we are just having fun exploring at the moment. 

Little J has just started reception so I know from a learning point of view the globe will be a perfect tool throughout his school journey. for now we are enjoying finding out facts, exploring the globe and playing games.

The Smart Globe Adventure is recommended for age 5+ however little J is still only 4 and he really enjoys it.

You can find out more about the Smart Globe Adventure by visiting Oregon Scientific Store and it is also available to buy over on Amazon

Michelle

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I know a lot of my readers will be enjoying Half Term this week although up in the North of England a lot of schools enjoyed their autumn break last week. We had lots of plans for half term but as you may have read little J got a stomach bug so all our plans went on hold. However as we missed out on a week of adventures we are planning a weekend away and I can't wait. You may have read recently that John and I headed to London for the day to see Wicked The Musical. We got the train bright and early and we were in the capital in no time. I love sitting on the train knowing that we will be in a new city soon, it's now one of my favourite things to do. We are lucky to be able to get a Virgin Trains Pendolino train and it's so nice to sit back and relax and let someone else do the driving. For our next break we will be taking advantage of the Virgin Trains family ticket at a fixed price for up to 2 adults and 4 children.
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We have mentioned on our blog before that we are huge fans of the Teletubbies and you may have read recently that we reviewed some Tiddlytubbies which are a new addition to the Teletubbies Dome and they are so cute. As parents we have been fans since big J was little, over 15 years ago. I absolutely love that they are still going strong and they have just released a new CD called Teletubbies - Big Hugs.
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Pumpkin Picking At Kenyon Hall Farm

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We did our first ever Pumpkin pick a few years ago and at first we had no idea which pumpkin patch to choose as there are quite a few local to us, however we heard lots of good recommendations for Kenyon Hall Farm so we chose to visit there. We loved it and chose to go again this year too.

pumpkin in pumpkin patch
What To Expect At Kenyon Hall Farm, Warrington WA3 7ED
Kenyon Hall Farm has been growing pumpkins for over 30 years and has become one of the most popular and biggest pumpkin patches in England. 

As well as the Pumpkin Patch you can also enjoy a bite to eat or drink at the cafe, visit the shop or let the little ones explore the play area.

Boy in pumpkin patch

Boy in pumpkin patch
Pumpkin picking begins on the 1st of October and lasts right through till Halloween. (31st October).

Pumpkins can last up to 3-4 when un-carved so you can visit earlier on in the month however there is no guarantees it will last till Halloween. The only bonus about visiting early is the Pumpkin Patches will look prettier earlier on as they can become very muddy. 

pumpkin patch

pumpkin patch



pumpkins
If you don't manage to find a pumpkin in the patch you can head indoors where you will find lots of pumpkins to choose from which have already been picked and put on display.

Pre Booking your ticket is essential when visiting Kenyon Hall Farm. 

Tickets cost £2 each for adults and children. Children under 18months go free.

The play area is free to enjoy and was fully revamped in 2019. 

If you would like to visit the cafe, no booking is required. Turn up and order your food and collect from the hatch. There are picnic benches around the farm however indoor seating options will be reviewed during the colder months. 

Kenyon Hall Farm is open every day 9-5pm.

woman picking a pumpkin


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Michelle
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It hasn’t been that long since I reviewed the Xbox One S, the 4K slimmed down version of the Xbox One. However, Microsoft have now announced that pre-orders are available for the next version of Xbox, the Xbox One X. Released on 7th November 2017, Microsoft are challenging the PS4 Pro for power. 
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Scalextric has always been one of favourite toys, from growing up to today, there has always been at least one set around, even if it’s been stored in the loft until one of the little ones has been old enough to play.  I think I was more excited than anyone when ‘My First Scalextric’ was due to arrive for Little J to try. The box is quite compact and reminded me initially of the micro sets. We have had a couple of these over the years, transformers being the last I remember.  Included in the box are a simple track set up, controllers, adapter and 2 reasonably sized BMW cars.
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Our Sainsbury's Halloween Goodies

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Sainsbury's Halloween Goodies

What do you get if you pop into Sainsbury’s for bread and milk with a 4 year old? A trolley full of Halloween goodies!! Last week was the first time I have seen little J be so excited for Halloween. As we walked through the door of our local Sainsbury’s we were stopped in our tracks by a huge display of Halloween decorations. Little J instantly ran over and started pressing try me buttons on light up lanterns and dancing pumpkins. At one point he had three dancing characters on the floor watching them as they spun around. I do usually buy one or two new decorations each year to add to our collection so I had a silly idea of asking little J to choose two new items . . . he wanted everything. 

We always have a Halloween house party each year but as big J is too old now and little J wasn't old enough we haven't had one for a few years, just a little tea party for the 4 of us. However this year I am looking forward to hosting a Halloween party for some friends. 

Sainsbury's Halloween Goodies
Whilst little J was playing with the Halloween toys I popped in the trolley some partyware. I know that we will have tons in the loft as I buy lots of it every year and never end up using it all but I had to buy a new table cloth, plates, cups and napkins. There were 3 variations but I went for the ghosts design They say Woo and Boo and the tablecloth has lots of eyes on it and is wipe clean. They were priced at £2.50 each for packs of 10 for the cups and plates, napkins are a pack of 20 and the tablecloth is single and cost £3.50. I also bought Halloween crackers which are cute and cost £4 for 8.

Sainsbury's Halloween Goodies
Little J wanted to get some spiders and spider webs which I think are great fun and look so realistic. We have had some similar before and they are very creepy but the web gets everywhere. It comes in a ball with the plastic spiders attached and the idea is you pull the web and the more you pull the more it looks like spooky cobwebs. We always put it over the lights, around the fireplace and up the stairs. These were great value for money and priced at £3 including lots of web and 6 spiders,

Sticking with spiders I bought some door decorations. They hang over your door frame and have glittery webs and hanging spiders. These were priced at £6 each so I bought two as we have two main doors downstairs however now thinking about it I should have bought 4 as I am guessing they will only cover one side of the door. 

Sainsbury's Halloween Goodies
This was my favourite buy and I just fell in love with them when I saw them. Halloween Ghost Bottle String Lights, They are sound activated however there is a try me on them and once I pressed them I knew I had to buy them They play the Alton Towers music. For those that know us will know we are huge fans of Alton Towers so this was a must buy. They were priced at £12 for 10 lights. 

Last but not least little J decided to choose a dancing pumpkin which when pressed spins round and dances to The Monster Mash song. There were others to choose from, including a witch and a skeleton. It was priced at £12 and is really cute. 

So that is just a few of our new additions to our Halloween decorations this year. We still haven't been to Costco yet which we usually do every year and will normally find something to buy so watch this space. 

Have you bought any decorations for Halloween yet?

Michelle 
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PJ Masks Headquarters Playset Box
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Chad Valley Street Showdown Racing Track Box
You may have read our recent announcement that we are back on the Chad Valley Play Panel and we are super excited. We love receiving toys and as part of our new role we were very lucky to receive the new Street Showdown Racing Track & Cars Set last week. Little J loves cars so was super excited to try this out.
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Chad Valley Play Panel Ambassador Badge
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