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Monday, March 17, 2008

Barney Animal ABC's

My first real exposure to Barney was when I babysat for a family of little girls when I was in college. The older one, who was 3, liked Barney a lot, and watching TV was a treat for special occasions like having a sitter. I got to watch my fair share of Barney...if my fair share is one episode. In fact, I got to watch that episode over and over again. When I happened to mention it in passing to a friend, he pointed out that since adults have their own interests, why wouldn't kids? They're little people too, and they know what they like. This particular Barney episode was what that little girl liked. Ever since then, I have had a soft spot for that dinosaur.

Because of that, I wanted to review Barney Animal ABC's for the Parent Bloggers Network. We have never watched Barney on TV, so I didn't expect much of a reaction. However, my older son (OS) was really excited to see him. There's just something about that purple dinosaur that's really appealing to children.

In this Barney DVD, the kids learn about both animals and letters. How's does that work? Each letter is paired with a different animal. Then the kids learn a little bit about each animal. There are a ton of nature shots too. Plus, the DVD includes all the singing and dancing that you would expect from Barney.

Even after OS's initial excitement, I thought this video would be more appealing to my 20 month-old younger son (YS). At 4.5 years old, he already knows all the letters. I was surprised by how much he liked it; possibly because the video went beyond basic ABCs. The connection between letters, animals, and neat facts about the animals, made the whole experience of learning about letters more enjoyable. I liked the fact that the video was a little longer, not just because it meant that the children were occupied for longer. It really allowed the kids time to get into the movie and to process what was going on. My 20 month-old did have a hard time sitting through the whole thing, but he enjoyed having it on in the room while he played with his toys. He would stop and look up periodically.

I've always liked that Barney appeals to a wide age-range. It's just as appropriate for my younger son as for my older son. My kids really enjoyed it. In fact, I would say that it is one of the best DVDs that we have reviewed. The only one who had a hard time with it was the dog, and that's because he always growls when he sees other animals on TV.

posted by Alex Elliot @ 9:16 PM 0 comments

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Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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