Friday Fun - Vtech Storio

Recently, my girls were sent a Vtech Storio to try out. It's an interactive reading console to helps 3-7 year-olds read and also play games, a kind of Kindle for kids if you will. I'd actually flirted with the idea of buying Lil-lil one for her last birthday as she loves reading and words. She and Goose are also glued to my iPhone and iPad whenever they get the chance and I get sick of fighting them for them.

I tell you games have come along way from the Game'n'Watch I used to have as a kid, they even make the Speak'n'Spell look prehistoric. (Why did electronic games in the '80s have "'n'" in them?)

When the pink package turned up they were thrilled! I was a little dismayed when I discovered it took batteries, but it only needed 4xAAs and they have lasted amazingly well. I haven't had to replace them yet, despite a lot of use.

Immediately, the girls were reading the Dora story that came with the console. They could turn the pages as the story was read, the words illuminating as they were said. Before long they were playing all the games, which Goose loved. Lil-lil loved that she could practice writing numbers and letters with the pen that comes with the Storio. Drawing and creating artworks was another hit feature. 

The Storio comes with one story cartridge and other cartridges can be bought or stories downloaded from the Vtech website store. The Storio comes with three free story downloads. I jumped online and downloaded them, which took a little time. Then I was dismayed to find that I needed a SD memory card for them to work on the console. This was disappointing, but I should have read the instructions beforehand. 

You can keep an eye on how the kids are progressing by syncing the console with the website. This give parents data on what they're reading and what questions they're answering correctly in the games, etc.

I was also happy to discover that the Storio could be linked with a Vtech camera that Lil-lil had. They could upload photos and drawn on them and create their own artworks. Very funky. 

Overall the kids have had a lot of fun with it and it's been a hit. The only cons were needing an SD memory card for the additional downloads and features (which doesn't come with the Storio) and needing to buy additional cartridges for new stories. 

The Storio retails for around $130 in the shops. I have one Vtech Storio to giveaway to a lucky reader (the winner can choose from the Dora or Cars 2 consoles). 

To win, comment below and tell me who in your life would like a Storio and why.

Open to Aussie residents only. Entries close 11.59pm, Thursday May 24, 2012. 

One entry per person.