Hobbies And Interests
Smart Cycle
Fisher Price's Smart Cycle models feature all-in-one stationary bikes, video game consoles and educational tools designed to support learning, problem solving and spatial reasoning, as well as improve motor skills and enhance creativity in preschool children. The Smart Cycle system plugs into any VCR or TV by connecting the bike's plug-and-play cord to a television's input jacks.
Smart Cycle Racer
The Smart Cycle Racer works with various software titles, offering distinct game levels for different ages. Children use the bike's joystick for certain games, such as "Math Mountain," "Shape Lake" or "Number Fields." Adults can adjust the bicycle's seat height for each child by pressing the tabs underneath it, lifting the saddle, placing it in one of the three preset slots and pushing down. The handlebars are not height adjustable, so smaller children may have difficulty reaching them.
Smart Cycle Racer Extreme
According to psychology researchers at University of California campuses in Los Angeles and Riverside, multi-sensory exercises may result in improved learning. The Smart Cycle Racer Extreme's "Rumble Action" feature vibrates as children pedal through on-screen games specifically marked "Extreme." An adult activates this setting by removing the peg from the frame and raising or lowering the seat post to the desirable height before replacing the peg and twisting it to secure the seat.
Considerations
The Smart Cycle Racer and the Smart Cycle Racer Extreme require four D batteries and cost between $70 and $100 online as of July 2011. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting exposure to "quality" media to just one to two hours per day for young children over the age of 2.