Customer Reviews

LeapFrog® Explorer Smart Globe

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I'm not one for electronic toys, normally. But this globe is terrific. The second day after she received it, my 6-year-old had learned all the continents and oceans, and could find each of them within two or three seconds after the globe called them out. She's working on countries now. Her first-grade class had to make a collection of 100 items of their choice. She chose to collect 100 country names, which she patiently copied from the globe while listening to music snippets and basic facts about each one. Last month, we read that geologists believe India was once a seperate island, which eventually crashed into mainland Asia. I asked her what mountain range was made during that crash, and she barely paused before answering the Himilayas.

But the best part is when the kids go to bed. Then I get to challenge my wife to Eureka, to see who can find the most countries, cities and continents as they are called out randomly by the globe. She always wins. But I'm improving, and one of these days....

My only complaint (like many of the other reviewers) is that the globe started malfunctioning after several months. In our case, the sensors must have shifted inside the globe so that instead of giving you information for the country you select, it tells you about its neighbor 2 inches to the left. But the company will replace the globe for free. I just had to ship it back to them (at my own cost, but no big deal). Many people complain about the stylus failing, but a replacement stylus is pretty cheap. If you play with it as much as we do, you can't expect it to last forever, can you?

Leap Frog toys are the best!! I bought this as a Christmas gift for my five year old twins. I thought it might be too advanced for them, but they had been asking me about oceans and continents, so I thought we'd give it a go. What a great toy! We have gotten many times our money's worth from this purchase. They have spent countless hours playing and learning with this toy. Every time we get in the car, the globe goes with us (a little cumbersome for a travel toy, but it's their favorite). I'm embarrassed to say I need to spend a little time with the globe to catch up with them! We recently purchased the Turbo-Twist Math - another favorite. Next is the Turbo Twist Spelling...

I bought this for my 7 year old son and WE can't stop playing. He has even found mistakes on the flat map at school(countries that have changed names recently).I would definitely recommend this toy for any grade-schooler. The Eureka game is the best! He has learned so many different countries and can usually find more than me in the time alotted. They are learning and don't even know it. Get rid of those gameboys and playstations and get an Explorer Globe! Definitely a MUST HAVE!!!

My now 7-year old twins got this for Christmas last year and absolutely love it. They learn so much from this, and absolutely love the Eureka game. One of my sons really enjoys the music that plays with all the different locations. As they have been working on geography in school, I find that they are doing really well with being able to identify oceans, continents, states and even countries in some parts of the world. Everyone loves this toy, from my seven year olds, to my parents. I would definately recommend it.

The Leap Frog Explorer is one of the best investments I have made in educational toys for my seven-year-old. It is so diverse that it entertains a four-year-old neighbour with its musical selections, and occupies my dinner guests as they play Eureka, a challenging but scalable game.

While some might be taken aback by the price, this is an item that will last years and will delight the entire family. My daughter has developed an appreciation for geography, and I now know more country capitals than most, if not all, of my colleagues.

The quality of this product surpasses other "talking globe" items, as the voice is clear and the information is mostly accurate. I have been able to find only one error; the currency in Ecuador is the US dollar, not the sucre as alleged by the Explorer. But, find me a flawless electronic game, and I will certainly be surprised.

This is an item that I will be ordering as Christmas gifts for the important little ones in my life. Don't wait! Order yours today!

I have NO IDEA why a couple of the reviews were so low. Bad batteries is hardly a reason to trash this globe. It is great and has lasted almost a year now. It has been an easy way to end some family debates about sizes and population. It has many interesting facts built in that easily turn a 5 minute "look" into a 30 minute discussion. My only fripe with products like this is the "music" sampling. A country's national anthem "theme music" doesn't help learn music history.

I bought this for my daughter when we home schooled. We loved it but after a couple of months of use the pen stopped working. You point the pen at the country/state etc. and the computer tells you facts about that area. So its critical to have the pen working! We looked the item up online and they said to mail the pen into them and we did so without ever hearing back from them. It has been months now. I read someone else's review with a different problem and they mailed the item back and haven't heard from the company. That is VERY disappointing as this item is fairly pricey and once it doesn't work its just a regular globe. Good luck!

I bought this globe for my granddaughter, but had so much fun "trying it out" that I am seriously considering getting her something else and keeping this for me! Whoever said this was for children is missing the boat. This is a GREAT game for adults. It's smart, it's competitive and has enough variety to not get boring. In all fairness, mine is a slightly different version (plain Explorer rather than Explorer II) but from what I can tell it is about the same - just a slightly different base.
It is a beautiful globe for a home reference and the interactive element is extremely easy to use. This is a gem.

We bought this globe two years ago for my daughter and she loved it! We too enjoyed learning about the countries, capitals and all the other wonderful information it provides. After GENTLY using this product for two years, I have had to replace the pen twice at $5 each including the hassle of getting one and then out of the blue, every country is being incorrectly identified. Sensors have shifted like other users have reported, HOWEVER, because the globe is more than 90 days old, the company now will offer only a replacement globe at half price ($50) plus shipping and handling ($5) AND I have to ship the old one back at my own expense. All of that translates this globe into close to $200, a lot of time and trouble, a disappointed child, and in my opinion poor product quality and service. Buyer beware.

I am a mother of twelve children. My husband and I first sawthe LeapFrog Globe at[a store]. I guess we played the game for a full hour before purchasing it and bringing it home to our brood. Our children were just as excited as we were. The kids stayed on it for three hours! This is an amazing toy that gives so much information about states, countries, continents and oceans that its hard to put down. After dinner we break off into groups and compete against each other. The children have become very knowledgeable about geography and we often take it when we visit family to share our knowledge. ... . The "Talking Globe" is the tool to keep your children abreast of our changing world and its different peoples. Thanks for such an educational and fun toy. As for the durability: My 15 month old bit the pen! ... .