When I was in school there was usually a globe in the classroom which was made of plastic and covered with paper maps. Now there’s a different kind of globe to play with. The Wordeye actually deserves a better name than globe because it allows you to see the Earth in all its glory, but also does so much more.
Technically it is only half a globe. The rounded part serves as a screen for a projector in the other half. When it lights up it displays the Earth in nice detail, and you can choose from 16 different views of Earth including marine life, bird migration, seismic faults, altitude, forest covering and others. There are also 16 different views of other planets and 16 views of stars.
At $653 (USD) you probably won’t want one in every room, but as an educational tool, it wins hands down over my classroom’s plastic and paper model. Also, the fact that it glows and moves will make your kids more likely to look at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCOvXjp61DY