I was very pleased to have the opportunity to preview American Innovative’s new product, the “Teach Me Time! Talking Alarm Clock”, an educational, bedside alarm clock and nightlight that grows with your child. My son is heading to JK in a few months so the idea of teaching time in a fun and interactive way really appealed to me.
The Teach Me Time! Talking Alarm Clock comes in a kid-friendly design that resembles a little creature with feet. The clock comes in white and includes interchangeable faceplates in blue, pink and yellow. The face of the clock features backlit LCD with both analog and digital displays and the body of the clock has an LED nightlight that glows yellow with an optional green glow (signalling an appropriate wake-up time for little ones). The “feet” are kid-friendly buttons, one of which controls the nightlight while the other announces the time. More sophisticated parental controls are cleverly hidden in a concealed panel at the back of the clock. Other features include an interactive, talking game to help school age children compare digital and analog time, and a traditional alarm clock with snooze feature as your child’s needs evolve.
My son has recently expressed an interest in our analog kitchen clock AND his nightlight had burnt out a few days before the clock arrived… it couldn’t have come at a better time! We were very excited to set it up in his bedroom and see what it could do. He turned the nightlight off and on several times but, of course, he loved the button that controlled the voice the most. The announcer’s voice is clear and pleasant with adjustable volume. My son loved the game and took pride in repeating “AM” and “PM”, something we hadn’t focused on before. It encouraged my son and I to talk about aspects of digital and analog time by providing a visual/audio aid that truly captured his attention.
Once I had a chance to be alone with the clock, I settled into figuring out the parental controls. The instructions were clear and simple. I set the nightlight feature to turn on at his bedtime, turn green at an appropriate wake-up time, and then turn off one hour later. I told my son about the special nightlight and tucked him into bed, filled with excitement. The next morning he came bounding into my room, eagerly dragging me back to see the clock, thrilled that the green light had told him it was ok to get up.
So far, the Teach Me Time! Talking Alarm Clock has proven to be not only a handy nightlight that can visually tell my son when it is ok to wake, but also a great teaching tool that has sparked a genuine interest in telling time for my little guy. As a parent, I appreciate the soft LED light, which has seamlessly replaced his former nightlight but more importantly, I love the fact that my three and a half year old son is beginning to draw parallels between digital and analog time. The Teach Me Time! Talking Alarm Clock is an innovative teaching tool that will grow with your child as his/her time-telling needs and abilities evolve.
