Interactive learning: Osmo now also speaks German and French
We have had Osmo, a multi-award-winning interactive learning game system, in our range since 2018. The starter kit is now available in a new edition. This is particularly good news for little word artists who speak German or French.
Two years ago, toy expert Ramon Schneider described what Osmo can do when the set went on sale. To summarise, Osmo offers a combination that allows your children to combine their movements with virtual play worlds.
In 2014, Time magazine named Osmo one of the 25 most interesting inventions of the year https://time.com/3594971/the-25-best-inventions-of-2014/. And the following year, the magazine once again wrote a short eulogy to the system with the "reflective AI" https://time.com/3741176/osmo-masterpiece-review/. To use the Osmo apps, you need an iPad. Place it on the Osmo base and attach a small mirror to the camera. With this, the iPad "recognises" everything that happens on the table
With umlauts and "accents francais"
The starter kit includes various games. The hardware, such as the wooden tangram elements or number tiles, stored in sturdy plastic boxes, is not much new compared to the previous version. It is interesting to take a look at the "Words" game. Here you can now also find letters for the German language. With the umlauts "ä", "ö", "ü" you can now also place German words from the app. There is even an "ß
" is in the box, but that's something for the big canton. Improvements have also been made for French; the letters with diacritical marks (é,è,à,â,ç) are now included. Only the ligature "œ" is missing. So if you really want your child to lay the French "egg", you have successfully explored the limits of Osmo and will fail. Otherwise, however, the free apps offer you lots of fun. In "Words" you can create your own word libraries. This way, your child will always find new challenges - until you run out of ideas.
And here are a few other things I noticed about the starter kit:
Incentives for motivation
In the apps - you need a separate one for each game - there are different levels to complete and there are also rewards. For example, you can earn extra gold pieces by solving various tangram puzzles on the way to a castle. This principle is familiar from smartphone games as well as games for consoles and should keep motivation high, especially for older players.
App for parents
Parents can keep an eye on Osmo's learning progress with a parent app. This means you always know how long your child has been playing. And you can also see where he or she is making it through the levels particularly quickly.
Fun from the age of five
The starter kit is labelled "6 to 10 years". However, depending on your child's development, a child as young as five can also get started if the parents help a little. Especially when starting a new game, children who are not yet able to read will need mum or dad to read the instructions on the screen to them.
Paper for the artists
Masterpiece" and "Newton" do not require playing pieces. This is an app for drawing and one for discovering physics. However, I recommend a small whiteboard or another writable and wipeable board. Or alternatively, a large supply of copy paper because at least my little artist, with whom I was testing, always demanded a new sheet of paper straight away after a failed drawing attempt.
Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.