From the moment they turn four kids are hustled into school and have words, letters, numbers, ideas, beliefs and facts paraded before them in a never ending stream. Fascinating and brilliant information, sure, but lots and lots of it, and it can sometimes be a bit much for them to take in.
Whether your child is struggling with a specific subject, is expressing a keen interest in a specific piece of information, or is disinterested in yet another fact, your pad can bring this information to life.
Google Maps has become incredibly advanced and you can now zoom in on places like the Eiffel Tower in France or Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Whether you show them a street view, zoom in to the ground using the satellite view, or access Google Earth, the detail is astounding.
It’s a sure fire way to inspire a love of geography, and to really get them into the mood with history. Zoom in on ancient castles, on old battlegrounds, on Buckingham Palace. Let your kids explore the world and go on tour while learning at the same time. And it is free. Bargain.
Another excellent tool for encouraging kids to find out more about the world is to access any one of the online encyclopaedias that have more information about the subjects they are covering at school. Then, using your Transformer, find the animals/objects in question and even see them in the wild!
Videos on anything from sock making to woodworking can be found on YouTube so another handy source of educational brilliance is right at your fingertips. And the awesome size of the screen makes viewing them rather nice too, if I do say so myself. And many of these have been created by home schooling experts so they cover the same subjects as your school, just make sure they fit the continent you’re on!
These videos can give kids a visual kick, a boost, in subjects they are struggling with too, and they can watch them without feeling class pressure or embarrassed about not understanding a complex subject right away.
Finally, in terms of nature and wildlife, take your kids on another tour of the world but this time, this time they can watch the animals live on the screen, like with the famous Africam. There are some amazing sites which allow you to sit and watch animals in their natural habitats and the things you can see will impress you. And if the kids get bored watching an empty screen after a while, you can relax and enjoy the beauty of nature in your living room.
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Mr Phillip Austin