BrightMinds Earth and Constellations Globe review

[AD] Last year one of the subjects that Ryan covered at school was geography, and ever since he’s been really keen to get on Google Earth to show me the location of the countries and cities he’s learnt about.

Something that’s made Ryan’s love of geography so much more enjoyable is BrightMind’s Earth and Constellations Globe, which he proudly displays next to his bed, and searches for countries and cities on it each day.

However, this globe is no ordinary globe, it has what we both call a magical component to it, because at night it transforms, changing from a world globe to a star map globe, showing stars and the solar system on it, which are also subjects Ryan loves.

More on this magic below! But firstly, who are BrightMinds?

BrightMinds

Established in 1999, BrightMinds are one of the UK’s top 10 UK mail order companies as named by The Daily Telegraph, and have won over 5 national mail order awards including Best Internet Business.

BrightMinds specialise in STEAM toys, which are toys designed with science, technology, engineering, arts and crafts, and maths components to them.

They also have wooden, role play, and sustainable toys, board games, and books as part of their product range, with all of their products being backed up by a 90 day no-quibble guarantee.

BrightMinds was created by Alison Quill, who utilises her science teacher expertise to source the best educational toys on the market.

Every product in BrightMind’s range inspires children to be curious about the world, and encourages them to be creative and develop their skills in a fun way.

To learn more about BrightMinds, their product range, and the Earth and Constellations Globe this review covers, then please visit the BrightMinds website.

BrightMinds Earth and Constellations Globe

Here are some of the key things to know about the globe.

Packaging

The Earth and Constellations Globe was packaged really well.

It arrived in a large box, with a smaller box inside and a lot of small bags filled with air, so the globe couldn’t move and get damaged whilst in transit.

Ryan was so excited when the globe arrived, and loved looking at the images of the globe on the box, as well as reading an overview of what the globe did.

The box also states very clearly what batteries or USB cable is needed to power the globe up, which are discussed below.

The globe was light enough and sturdy enough to be easily removed from the box by Ryan, who immediately spun it around once it was out of its final packaging to look at it better.

What does the globe do?

During the day the globe has the world map on it, which also shows natural features like rivers and lakes, political boundaries, capital cities (which are identified with stars), as well as other major cities.

The scale of the world map is 1:55,900,000.

During the night is when the magic happens! An advanced sensor switches the globe light on to show an illuminated star map, which has key stars, and 88 constellations on it.

In this view Latin and common names are displayed, as are key stars like Sirius or Vega.

How do you make the globe work?

The only thing you have to do to get the globe to change from the world map during the day, to the star map during the night, is to push the round button down on the base of the globe.

It’s that easy and magical!

However, before pushing the round button down, you need to power up the globe with either of the following:

Power needed

For the star map to work at night, the globe needs either a:

• Micro USB cable connected to a USB port on a computer, or in a USB charger plugged into an electrical socket, or
• 4 x C 1.5V LR14 batteries

Neither of these are supplied with the globe, they need to be purchased separately.

I’ve powered our globe using a micro USB cable connected to a USB charger, which is plugged into a wall electrical socket in Ryan’s room.

Size

The globe is approximately 35cm tall.

Things included in the box

Included in the box is a leaflet describing the product, as well as some facts about Earth and constellations, which include:

• Earth is the third planet from the sun, it’s also the densest planet, and the fifth largest planet in the Solar System.
• Earth was formed around 4.57 billion years ago.
• The Moon was formed just after Earth at around 4.53 billion years ago.
• The term constellation is often used to describe stars that appear to be grouped together in a pattern.
• Most stars can be light years apart from each other.

Recommended age

BrightMind’s website recommends this product for ages 8 to adult.

However, Ryan is 6 and loves this globe so much. So in my opinion, any child who loves geography, stars, or the solar system, would love this globe.

Price

At the time of writing this post, the globe was £43.99.

Overall thoughts on BrightMind’s Earth and Constellations Globe

This globe is fantastic, and Ryan can’t get enough of what it looks like at night.

For me, I love that it can be powered by batteries or a USB cable, because if batteries power it and they suddenly run out, it still works by plugging a USB cable into it.

Additionally, batteries can be expensive, especially if you have a lot of toys that are battery operated, so being able to power it up with a USB cable, which many of us already have at home, is a big plus for me with any toy.

The globe is also sturdy, whilst being light, doesn’t take up a lot of room on Ryan’s bedside table, and the colours and details of the world map really encourage Ryan to look at it often, and search for countries and cities that he’s learnt about at school.

The first thing Ryan did when he took the globe out of the box was look for the UK. Once found, he looked at the details and read them out to me.

I asked him to find other countries and oceans on it, and he had a lot of fun searching for them.

As Ryan gets older he’ll learn more about the world around him and will be able to locate them on this globe, so it’s a toy that will grow with him.

The globe has been a beautiful addition to Ryan’s room, due to the different colours on it, and the illumination of the star map at night, which also acts as a night light.

I’m really happy with this globe. It provides such a point of interest in his room.

He often goes to it sometimes just to spin it around, but I know in his own way he’s looking at the map as he does so, and wondering about the countries that he can see.

Any toy that makes Ryan’s room brighter, whilst providing an educational aspect to it, especially if he’s not aware that it does, is a toy that’s much appreciated in our home.

I’ve asked Ryan to tell me what his favourite thing about the globe is, and he said it’s the way the star map lights up at night. He just can’t understand how the globe lights up his room, and is truly amazed by it.

For both of us this globe really is magic, and adds a touch of magic to his young life, which I love.

If you’d like to find out more about BrightMinds and their amazing product range, then please visit their website.

What’s your child’s favourite way to learn about the world?