Teach Children To Read Time With Eco-Friendly and Outdoorsy Watches

Until a few months ago, Mister Wolf knew better than my 7-year old what time it was. Was it bedtime yet? Too late for breakfast? Too early for school? Though she could read the time on a digital clock, my sweet pea couldn’t read time on the dial of a wristwatch or a clock. Now you wonder – is that really a big deal in our digital age? For my 7-year old, it was a problem at school. She was the only child in her 2nd grade class not able to read time on the wall clock and she didn’t dare tell her teacher. During math tests when they had to time themselves, she had to look at her class mates to know when to stop. For me it’s a different issue. Being able to read time outside of Arabic numerals is a useful life skill, just like being able to count in Roman numerals or read music in different keys. It’s all brain gymnastics and a different way to process information. When Sprout Watches contacted me to introduce their line of outdoorsy and eco-friendly watches for parents and children, I immediately looked at it.

I love that watches can be eco-friendly, functional and good-looking. Get this. “Sprout watches are made from materials that are easy on the planet from corn resin, bamboo and organic cotton – even in the form of its recycled packaging. With varieties for men, women and children ranging from colorful and classic styles to detail designed dials – these durable, affordable and sustainable watches are fitting for all active and adventurous lifestyles.”

I replied to Sprout Watches and said that yes, I was definitely interested. That’s how the postman delivered a package to my doorstep with a yellow water-resistant watch with a corn resin bracelet (for me – review later) and a teacher set (for my girls).

The Sprout Watches Teacher Set came in a case that features an owl design natural bamboo dial, a booklet “What Time Is It?” and a wristwatch with organic cotton strap and corn resin buckle. It was all pretty darn cute and my daughter loved the owl design of the dial and color-coordinated wristwatch – that she picked blue because blue is her favorite color.

The bamboo dial of the Teacher Set found its place on the bedside table of my daughter real fast and we made up a bedtime ritual to use the dial at bedtime. I set the hands of the dial on my girls’ bedtime, usually 10 to 15 minutes after my daughter goes to bed. The she looks at her wristwatch and calculates how may more minutes she can keep the lights on. Last, she grabs a book and reads until the bedtime indicated on the dial.

The first time she switched off the light by herself, I was floored. She did it!

It took a few weeks to get used to the system and we still have issues reading time in the last quarter before the hour but mostly, my 7-year old can now read time on a dial. Yoohoo! Not only that but she’s been wearing this wristwatch every day and takes care not to get it wet under the shower or knock it on hard surfaces. She even checks the time over breakfast to make sure we don’t miss the bus or don’t leave too late for school on our bikes.

Next time your child is invited to a birthday party and you’re looking for a special gift that will last, these kid watches would be a great pick. Plus, they actually have classy designs.

Now to end: my favorite rendition of What’s the time Mr Wolf.

Photo gallery – click on thumbnails to enlarge:

Disclaimer: obviously, I did receive complimentary watches from Sprout Watches. No surprise here. However, the opinions expressed in this post are mine and Sprout Watches won’t be signing the math test of my daughter anytime soon. That I promise.