Hands-on learning is so terribly effective when it comes to concepts and ideas that are difficult to wrap your brain around. Geography is one subject that fits this category. Since our world is so big, it can be a challenge to make sense of where in the world a country is located or an event from history took place. Even finding the location for current events can be a challenge on a map or globe that has small print.

TEDCO Toys has just the thing to help – a gigantic inflatable globe. Seriously! This globe is huge!! 33” in diameter when inflated, this globe is printed in full color and includes just about everything you would need on a map or globe. It is recommended that the globe be inflated with a pump but it can be blown up manually, as well. It took about 15 minutes with some breaks to avoid light-headedness in order to fully inflate it manually. It comes with a small, clear ring to inflate that is designed to act as a stand. We found this didn’t work; the globe did not stay on the ring because the ring was too small. So, the globe just sits on the floor in a corner of the room.

We have been working on continent studies recently and this globe was the perfect thing. Each of the continents are color coded with the countries labeled. Whether you teach 6 or 7 continents, this works really well. (The Americas are both green, though the shades are different.) Most countries have an image of their flag, as well. Landforms are marked and labeled, including mountains, seas, plateaus, rivers, ocean trenches, lakes, and more.

This large globe is often found perched in front of a child with a book in their hand. A glance at the book and then a search of the globe is an ongoing occurrence. There is so much that this globe can assist with. No hunting using a magnifying glass to read the tiny print of a globe. It is bold, bright, and visible. The TEDCO Toys 33” Inflatable Globe XXL is a fantastic addition to any hands-on study of geography.

—Product review by Lori Hooten, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September, 2016