As a parent of three small ( ish ) children, reading at the end of the day is a great way to calm everyone down and snuggle together, forgetting any squabbles the day may have brought. Reading is also a great way to spend some one on one time with my children individually as we share a book which is special to them.
The Sparkup Magical Book Reader adds a whole new dimension to reading with children. It clips neatly over the back of most books and uses a tiny camera to read the book. You record the book first in your own voice adding personal touches if you wish. Sparkup will then recognise the book when attached to it again.
If you don’t like the sound of your own voice or fancy a change you can also download professionally recorded stories complete with sound effects and music from the Sparkup website. I think another lovely idea would be to ask a Grandparent to record a story, then the children can hear their voice reading when they’re not there, this would be great for us as all our Grandparents live very far away.
My girls both LOVE Sparkup, they think it’s hilarious hearing themselves read and even funnier to hear me read. It’s actually been a great way to make reading a bit more fun for S who at 5 is still learning. She really enjoys making her own sound effects and inserting giggles and shrieks into the story.
I often wake up to sounds of the girls listening to stories on Sparkup, but we also use it at bedtime together, it’s a lovely way to chill out at the end of the day.
Recording to Sparkup is very simple, my 5 year old can do it herself and we’ve been very impressed at how it recognises the books so well.
Sparkup will be available in leading retailers nationwide from July 2014 priced around £49.99. Complete with batteries, USB cable and demo book.
Oh my goodness, I love this idea!
It is REALLY good, my girls love it.