Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
June 23, 2016The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
Have you ever heard of Osmo? It’s a totally new way to play! And from personal experience, I can tell you that it’s a lot of fun! By enabling hands-on play and a new kind of interaction with the iPad, Osmo lets children learn by doing (rather than watching)! Kids can learn words, art, numbers, science and so much more. It’s designed for children 6 years old and older, but the whole family can really enjoy these games!
Beyond the Screen
Beyond the Screen
What really makes this system unique is how it works! Playing the games takes place not only on the screen of the iPad, but also on the table in front of the iPad! By placing the iPad on the Osmo base and inserting the Osmo mirror over the iPad camera, the playing field is the table! So hands-on play is more interactive – and more entertaining – than ever!
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
The Genius Kit from Osmo actually comes with five different games: Words, Masterpiece, Tangram, Newton and Numbers. Each of these games has a corresponding app that can be downloaded for free from the App store. Please note that this game system is compatible with Apple iPad 2, 3, 4, all versions of iPad Mini and iPad Air, iPad Pro(9.7). I can’t wait to tell you all about the different games, and how much fun we had!
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
The first game we tried was Tangram. It’s based on the popular classic game, where wooden puzzle pieces are arranged into specific shapes. With the Osmo, you move real-life wooden pieces on the table to match the shapes that appear on the screen. Osmo monitors your progress as you complete the puzzle. This was a really fun game for my child, but it’s definitely a game that I’ll be enjoying, too. With advanced levels available, the whole family can enjoy Tangram!
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
We really loved how Osmo guides us along the way, by giving us clues and lighting up each victorious move! The puzzles featured include animals, objects, humans and more.
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
You can play this with a friend or just challenge yourself to more advanced levels! My daughter really had a lot of fun with this one! To learn more about Tangram, be sure to check out this video here.
Nowadays, my daughter absolutely adores anything art-related. So we were really excited to try Masterpiece! With this game, you can pick any image from the iPad camera, the in-app gallery or a simple web search. Then, Masterpiece will transform the image into a set of lines to make re-creating the image by hand easy & fun! How cool is that?!
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
You can even share a magical time-lapse video of all the fun with friends & family. This was another big hit in our household. I appreciate that this game fosters creativity and imagination. This was probably our favorite game of the bunch, simply because my daughter is in love with drawing! Even my husband wanted to get into the Masterpiece action!
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
To learn more about Masterpiece, check out this video here.
The next game we tried was Newton. This is a super fun game, where you use random objects (pencil, wallet, coaster, etc.) to guide falling balls into targeted zones. I love that this game fosters creativity & problem-solving. As an engineer myself, I love that I can use this game to teach my children about gravitational force, angles, and geometry. To learn more about Newton, check out this video here.
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
The next game we tried was Words. With this one, you spell out the word shown on the screen by placing real-life letters down on the table. Be sure to watch the screen for the clue! The Junior level was perfect for my daughter.
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
You could even team up with someone to compete and see who will get their letter in position first. I was really impressed with how well she was spelling all the words. You can really personalize this game with trivia, geography or even upload your own family names! How fun is that! To learn more about Words, check out this video here.
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
The last game in this set is Numbers. There are modes for counting, addition, concatenation and multiplication. Once kids master one level, they may progress to the next one.
Beyond the Screen: A New Way to Play
Once you match the numbers on the bubbles, the bubbles pop, eventually creating a storm of lightning & thunder! My daughter really had fun with this one. I love that this allows kids to learn at their own pace. It also builds confidence as children complete one level and move on to more difficult stages. To learn more about Numbers, check out this video here.
We really had fun with the Osmo Genius Kit and I would totally recommend set to anyone! I love that it perfectly merges learning & play time. The set includes everything you need to get started, including the mirror, sturdy base and game pieces.
Tangible Play is the company behind OSMO. It was started in 2013 by Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler. Its mission includes creating a new play movement to really expand beyond the screen! To learn more about OSMO, be sure to follow them on Twitter. Check out this video below to see more about how Osmo works!
Now, learn more about the Osmo system and tell me: How do you make learning fun for your kids? Have you ever tried Osmo? Would you love to check out an educational game that’s also so much fun for the whole family?
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That sounds like so much fun. We don’t have an iPad, but if we ever get one, I might get this game for my kids because they would love it.
Osmo sounds like a pretty great educational tool. I love tactile learning. I believe that kids need to be interactive with the subject for the best learning opportunities.
Thanks, Crishelle! The interactivity is totally what makes this so much fun!
How cool is that!? Love the idea of screen time without wasting time.
This is so cool. I love all the fun educational ways you can use the iPad now. Osmo sounds great.
My kiddo would love something like this! He likes anything to do with his iPad and I like the idea of having it be a learning tool.
It’s a fabulous way to incorporate learning and play time.
All of the game sound great. The Masterpiece game does sound like fun! The Words game would be great for vocabulary.
Yes there is a game for everybody in the family.
This really looks like a lot of fun. I am having a hard time setting a balance this summer with our screen time. I should try something like this to make screen time a little more beneficial!
Yes this gadget would really make screen time much more interactive for the kids.
What a great way to enjoy play time beyond the screen. Very cool!
I love this way to play and learn… my kids had this in their Kindergarten class and they loved it so much they would come home and talk about it and wish we had it : )
This looks like so much fun. I loved tangrams as a kid. My kids would totally love this.
The Genius Kit from Osmo sounds like an awesome way to play and learn. This is something I am for sure sharing with my sisters and nieces for their kids. I can see how it would be fun for the whole family as well. Thanks for sharing this new way of playing and learning.
Sounds like a great addition. I love the concept of hands on learning instead of constantly watching videos.
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Nice this is all kinds of cool. My son would love this, he is such a creative. I like everything about the use of creativity and thinking and all of that.
I’m really going to look into this for sure. Great concept.
I love technology! This is such a fun and educational way for the kids to learn (without even really realizing that they are learning!)
I have never heard of OSMO but it sounds like a great way to stay entertained. I love the bright colors and fun shapes!
wow this is so amazing. thanks for sharing