Abacus Brands Virtual Reality World Art! - Illustrated Interactive VR Book and STEM Learning Activity Set - for Ages 8 and Up

First off let me just say that I have a similar set to this from another company so I was familiar with the concept and how to use it. For this set, I turned to the back page and used the QR code to get the App with the picture of the Mona Lisa. It took about 1 minute and after it loaded I was set to go. Hit start and choose how you want to watch this, either with the goggles or just with my iPhone. I chose the goggles, inserted my phone into the outside slot and turned to the page talking about graffiti…..it took me on a virtual tour down alleyways of art while it talked about the history of graffiti. You just have to move the goggles around an art object on the page of the book and when the blue dot appears, the narration begins. While looking at this I always make my grandkids sit down in a chair. (Ages 3 and 6). I will say that it makes my adult son kind of nauseous when he does this activity, and the kids only do it for 10 minutes or so to keep them from getting a headache. However, they LOVE this and I feel like it is a great learning activity. The 6 year old came home from Kindergarten talking about Jackson Pollock, so I figured he might like this. I would say this is more geared for older kids or adults, but then again, he really finds it interesting. This pretty much starts at the beginning of time and goes to 2020 taking excerpts of art along the way. This is not kid art, but a slice of pottery, sculpture, paintings, carvings, etc. that are world classics. I would advise keeping this in the box for safety and damage control. Nice that they added a kid art set, which is what makes you think this is geared for kids. Subject matter in the book geared more for adults in my opinion.

This is a fairly nifty product. It contains a visor to hold up a mobile phone (a regular 7-8'' phone will work) and an illustrated book to look at, through the visor. Note that as expected the phone is not included and it must be provided separately. It works a bit like virtual reality or augmented reality. Given the presentation is fairly static, even using a normal phone (e.g. an iPhone) results in responsive enough feedback that it can be worn and used for 20-30 minutes or so without major headaches. This being said, I find that the visor is a bit heavy (especially for kids, especially if your phone is heavy of course), and there doesn't seem to be a way to adjust focus, which is likely going to be a problem for people with vision problems. It works well enough for me, but your mileage might vary. Included with the VR set there's also a painting kit, which is a nice addition given the whole thing is art-oriented and it gives kids something to do apart from staring at a screen. Whether this is recommended or not largely depends on what sort of phone you have to use it with. If you have a good quality, high DPI phone screen then it'll probably be fine. On a cheap low-res model, you probably won't have such a good experience.

This review is for the “ Virtual Reality World Art! - Illustrated Interactive VR Book and STEM Learning Activity Set - for Ages 8 and Up” Art and art history are my favorite subjects, so I was very excited getting this set. The book looks great, the concept is awesome but the VR headset does not live up to the description. I attempted to use it wearing my regular glasses under- no way would the headset fit over my glasses. Then I tried without my glasses, I had miserable double vision and fuzzy outlines on top. The little adjustment knobs in the set did not help. I am very disappointed . The listing does not mention anything about that the VR set will not work when you need glasses. The included tiny easel and cheap paints are not impressive at all. When I ordered the set it was priced at $60, by now it costs $50, that’s still a very high price. I would not get it again.

The Abacus Virtual Reality World Art! set offers a unique and immersive way for kids ages 8 and up to explore the world of art through virtual reality. By installing the app on your phone and sliding it into the included VR goggles, children can step into a colorful, interactive virtual museum filled with famous artworks and creative activities. The illustrated VR book guides users through the experience, making learning about art history both fun and educational. The activities are designed to encourage critical thinking and creativity, providing a hands-on STEM learning experience. While the VR experience is exciting, it does depend on the quality of your phone. The headset is comfortable, but it may not fit all head sizes. Overall, this is a fantastic way to make art learning exciting and accessible, blending technology with creativity.

Extra charge of $20 annually not mentioned in advertising!

I finally was able to see and give this to my friend's son as a late, late Christmas present. He is 8 years old and loves art. She says he spends most of his time just leafing through the book looking at the pictures. She says the app is pretty neat and that you can use it in goggle or handheld mode which was great for her son as he didn't want to wear the goggles. He has not used the easel, canvas and paints yet so I cannot speak on the quality of those. Overall a cute gift.

This is a great way to teach art history! For instance in the time period 1420 - 1440, they present works from the Aztecs, Western Europe and Persia. They were all created concurrently, and it’s fascinating to see the ebb and flow of visual expression, what it represented, and what it was used for. The VR aspect of the history is amusing if a bit awkward. Even though the headset is heavy, it’s fun to have a look around prehistoric caves and Gothic cathedrals among many other tours. The painting kit is a bit of a do-dad, but perhaps inspiration will strike. All together this is a wonderful, informative and fun tour through the history of art.

This set offers a great entree into the world of fine art for any burgeoning artist wanting to learn about the masters. Given that its designed for the grade school set, the included book and content offer mostly a general introduction into themes, artists and periods, with lots of graphics and visuals to encourage children's minds to imagine and learn. The included tiny canvas, easel and paints are a fun touch, especially for a child who's already creatively included. The "VR" glasses work with apps for both Iphone and Google to allow kids to view works of art up close. I purchased a similar set themed around dinosaurs for about $40 - and I feel that's a reasonable price. Currently priced at $60, I am not sure this set offers enough value to justify that tag.