Franklin Electronics Speaking Spelling Bee ~ Review

Although Kaelyn is not reading on her own yet, she enjoys anything to do with books, letters, and words. I want to help encourage that love for learning as she gets older which is why I was thrilled when introduced to a new product from Franklin Electronics, Speaking Spelling Bee.

A world leader in electronic handheld devices, Franklin Electronic Publishers Incorporated has sold approximately 42,000,000 electronic books! Their products are available at 49,000 retail outlets worldwide, through catalogs, and online at Franklin.com.

I recently had the opportunity to review the Anybook Reader from Franklin Electronics, and couldn't have been more happy to learn we were going to have the chance to review the Speaking Spelling Bee as well.
Features/Benefits:

• 3 fun game modes: Practice, Game Show, and Competition
• 3 challenging skill levels, perfect for any grade level
• Definitions, origins and usage examples for all Spelling Bee words
• Large 2.5" LCD color touch screen
• Stylus for quick, easy game play
• 2 fun word games: Hangman and Jumble
• Headphone jack for private gaming

Speaking Spelling Bee is a digital spelling device that stimulates the spelling bee experience and provides children (and even adults) with a fun and unique way to improve their spelling as well as their understanding of the English language.

When it arrived I was immediately impressed with the size. It's lightweight and small enough to fit in a child's hands easily. There are buttons along the sides, as well as a large, 2.5” Color LCD touch screen and a stylus pen which make navigating the handheld device very simple.


The device takes 3 AAA batteries which I did not think was too bad. We have been using it a lot and have found the battery life to be very good. I could see this being great for children in the car on long trips, as it is portable and a convenient size to take with where ever you go. There's even a headphone jack for quiet play (which is great when in the car especially).

Once we had the batteries in, I was excited to test it out. The Speaking Spelling Bee includes 3 fun game modes: Game Show, Competition and Practice. The practice mode asks you to spell 15 words 3 times each, along with a timer. The Competition mode tests the child's spelling skills against computer opponents or friends (up to six players can play on one device). The Game Show mode puts you at the mike to earn money as you spell words quickly and correctly. It's really a lot of fun and something even adults would enjoy (at least my husband and I do anyways!). It's also quite challenging, even for me.

There are also word games like Hangman and Jumble that are a lot of fun too. I especially like Hangman as the words are challenging for both adults and children alike. Although a little young for most of the features on this handheld device yet, Kaelyn has enjoyed playing hangman as well. As she uses the stylus to touch the letters we talk about which letters she's choosing, the sounds they make, etc. It's definitely made for older children, but she has been having a fun time using the hangman game to improve her recognition of letters and sounds which I think is great! I would say this would be especially good for children 3rd or 4th grade and up. With 3 challenging skill levels and more than 12,000 words, definitions and sentences...Speaking Spelling Bee is an asset to young spellers of all ages.

Having had the opportunity to use the Speaking Spelling Bee myself, it really does remind me of a spelling be. You hear a word and then are asked to spell it to win, you learn definitions and word origins and also see the word used in phrases and sentences. I think it would be a great learning tool for children who are looking to improve their spelling skills. In fact, as I mentioned previously it is challenging, even in the beginner stage...so even adults will find this entertaining and educational.

Buy It: Speaking Spelling Bee retails for $49.99 and is now available online at Franklin.com, Amazon.com (currently priced at $43.99), bn.com in retail at Conn’s and select Barnes & Noble stores. For more information about Speaking Spelling Bee, you can visit Franklin.com/spellingbeeclub.

**A big thanks to Franklin Electronics for providing the product for this review. All opinions found here are my own and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own**