My first reaction to Little Scholar Mini was “Wow! What a variety of learning content for kids!” Loaded with over 200 educational apps, including games, songs, videos, and activities geared for preschool, kindergarten and first grade children, this mini tablet doesn’t just entertain kids but engages them in lessons on learning letters, math, reading vocabulary and music. The “Charlie and Company” videos were favorites as a sweet golden retriever visits the zoo, painting class, an airplane museum and other fun spots with accompanying songs describing the adventures–“a grunt is for the monkey, a hiss is for the snake.” Kindergarteners can practice the alphabet, telling time, numbers, shapes and even bones in the body. “Napoleon Bone Apart” named “femur” and “pelvis” as we dragged them to the correct part of the skeleton, while “State of Confusion” taught the states and capitals, giving kids science and geography vocabulary. First graders can get practice with addition, subtraction,”Fraction Attraction” spelling, and reading. The Start to Read Books (on three different levels) are cute and clever, as they have to be to keep up the interest of beginning readers. “Jog, Frog, Jog” is about a dog that does not like the frog so the frog has to jog (in the fog, into a log) until the pursuing dog gets stuck in the log! What a fun way to engage kids in reading in addition to physical books, particularly reluctant readers who might be more interested in physical play on a digital book. Parents loved the A+ Reporting where they can view which apps their child used and for how long as well as track their performances through extensive options by category, graphing performance over several days. AND this mini tablet comes protected with a heavy duty bumper with “Charlie’s face on the back to remind kids of all the fun they’ve had learning language, reading, math, problem solving and cognitive skills to support learning in the classroom!
Contributing writer: Bob Artemenko
