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| Sunday, March 23, 2008 |
Bob The Builder-Building Bobland Bay |
Bob the Builder is always one of those shows that I mean to let my boys watch, but never do. No, it's not because of content, but rather the timing. My kids watch TV at 4 pm each day for 30-40 minutes. It allows them to slowly adjust back from nap/quiet time while I get dinner ready. This means that they generally watch the DVDs that we have on-hand or the occasional show that we remember to Tivo.
I was interested in reviewing Bob the Builder Building Bobland Bay for the Parent Bloggers Network because I was curious as to what Bob the Builder was all about. My 4.5 year old sat down on the staircase overlooking the family room with his plush rabbit ears on his head, and my 20 month old sat down on a kids chair with his baby doll to review a DVD all about building, or so I thought.
The first thing I liked about the DVD was that even though it was tied together by the central theme of Bobland Bay, it was broken down into individual episodes. From a timing perspective, that made it easy to chunk kids TV time into individual episodes. From an attention and continuity perspective, that made it easy to go back to the movie later and pick up where we left off.
My 4.5 year old, after whining that he would rather watch Clifford, was captivated by the movie, and moved from staircase to couch to get a closer look early on during the first segment. He really enjoyed the animation, and he said his favorite part was when they were building things. That appeared to be the part that my 20 month old enjoyed the most too. I was also impressed when they constructed buildings. It was like watching someone put puzzles together. When they put together the houses, you could actually see how the pieces were going to fit together. It was very detailed, and I remember seeing a very realistic latch.
There were lessons learned in each episode. For example, in "Loft the Lifeguard", Lofty was nervous around the camera and kept having mishaps. After being advised to pretend the camera isn't there, he ended up saving the day. In "Bob's Big Idea," Bob built a viewing tower on a house so that he could see all the houses that everyone helped to build. This led to a discussion about the importance of teamwork. My 4.5 year old seemed to pay a lot of attention to those lessons, but honestly my 20 month old played with his toys while they were delivered. However, when they were back to building, both boys paid attention.
There were a few things that I would have liked to see. One is that I wish that they could have announced the titles of the episodes verbally because my kids aren't reading yet. The second (which applies to almost all kids TV) is that I wish that they would list the names of the characters. I went to the website recommended on the cover of the DVD and was able to "meet" the cast of characters, but I sometimes confused names and in the case of two bearded gentlemen, identities. The website was helpful for more than character identification. I also learned about the history of Bob the Builder and found out that the brand message of problem solving, teamwork and having a good attitude run through every show.
My kids enjoyed Building Bobland Bay, and I would recommend it. Of course the show included Benny The Small Digger who is a male and is pink. They got big points from me for that. |
posted by Alex Elliot @ 10:55 PM
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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
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| Wednesday, March 12, 2008 |
Zula Patrol: Explore Weather |
 My older son (OS) is 4.5. He really likes talking about the weather. In fact we even recently checked a book out from the library about how rainbows are formed. I was happy when I received Zula Patrol: Explore Weather from the Parent Bloggers Network to review because I thought OS would really enjoy it. The DVD is aimed at children from pre-kindergarden through second grade. One aspect that I loved about the Zula Patrol in general is that their DVDs stress tolerance and non-violence. I definitely found that to be true from the DVD we viewed. The characters are different colors, and, except for the fact that one character wears blue eyeshadow, there are few differences between the males and the females. The DVD has four sections each explaining something different about the weather: freezing and temperatures, clouds, storms, and seasons. Each section is a cartoon with aliens aka the Zula Patrol, who have adventures. There's even a bad guy in it although he's fortunately not very scary. Finally the video has a bonus weather game adventure and sing along music video. I have to admit, when I first started watching the DVD, I didn't think it would captivate my 4.5 year old. It seemed way too fast for me. A fact was thrown in quickly and then the character would turn around and do something else. We're of more of the Sesame Street/Blue's Clues mentality where everything is articulated slowly and clearly and explained numerous times. Also, the stories seem to have plot lines that were a little more advanced. For example they went to find a golden cloud and had to deal with the bad guy. I personally was not too taken with the first section. There was just too much going on in there, and I found it a little hard to follow. I have to say that my son did not feel that way. He really enjoyed the whole DVD. His favorite section was the section on the clouds. The DVD did a really nice job of explaining the different types of clouds, and I learned a new fact or two as well. My 20 month-old was also captivated by it. My favorite section though was the section on seasons. I thought they did an excellent job of explaining why we have different seasons. In this section, they did repeat the information multiple times. I learned how it's the tilt of the earth that determines the season. OS still liked the cloud section better, but I think that's because the seasons section was just a little bit too detailed for him, meaning that it would be great for a slighter older child. He did enjoy that section though and did learn about the seasons. OS's only complaint was about the previews that they did before each section. He kept on thinking it meant that the DVD was over. After watching it a couple of times though, he understood that was not the case. Personally I wish that they had put the name under each character when each character was first introduced, because I had a hard time understanding the name. That's not unique to this DVD though! Overall, I liked this DVD. It's definitely the most educational DVD we own, but it does a nice job combining fun with fact so it's not boring. It was also very unique in that the characters are very original (I haven't seen anything else that resembles them), they use lots of bold, bright colors which I personally prefer to the pale colors used in a lot of kids TV, and the characters are from outer space. This is the type of DVD that would make a great birthday gift. This DVD is sold at Borders. |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 8:10 PM
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| Wednesday, March 5, 2008 |
Highlights High Five |
I have to admit, that I don't really remember reading Highlights magazine as a kid. It's actually celebrating turning 60 years old. Alright, that's not true. I remember reading it once a year at the doctor's office. However, I always wanted to have a subscription to it. For whatever reason, that never happened. When Parent Bloggers said they were looking for bloggers to review Highlights High Five, I was excited that I would finally be able to read Highlights magazine at home.
You may be wondering why I said Highlights High Five instead of just Highlights. Highlights High Five is a magazine specifically aimed at kids ages 2-6. Since my older son just turned 4.5, it seemed like this would be the perfect fit. It was.
The first thing I liked about the magazine was the presentation. It is the size of a regular magazine, and it is printed on good quality paper. I don't care about that with adult magazines, but I have found it makes a difference with kids magazines. Everything is written neatly and clearly. Maybe that sounds a little strange. Sometimes I finnd kids books and magazines to be overwhelming. There can be too many words, too many bright colors, and too many pictures crammed into one page. That was not the case here. The best way to say it, would be that the pages were neat and tidy. They were clear and easy to follow. Each page was numbered and the number was in a circle with a different color background so it's easy to find. There is also an easy to follow index in the beginning of the magazine.
The second thing I liked about the magazine was that it was interactive. It's actually designed to be an interactive magazine and to also allow independent reading of it as well. I sat down with both of my boys (my 20 month old also liked the magazines) and we would read the short stories in them and the rhymes. They also had a English/Spanish story (with pronunciation key for the Spanish) in each issue which the boys enjoyed as well. Their favorite part was the hidden picture. It was nice because some of the hidden objects were pretty obvious while others were much harder to lpcate. Neither boy could ever find the really challenging objects which I think means that the magazine has appropriately hit its target ages. I think a 6 year old would really enjoy the challenge of the hidden pictures.
There are also crafts and recipes you can do with your kids using items from around your house. I'm always lacking on ideas on that area so this part of the magazine was something I particularly appreciated. There are also cutout games. Every issue has a section where they explain something. My 4 year old particularly liked when they explained how you mail a letter. There is also a cute cartoon strip called "The Adventures of Spot". I think that older kids would particularly like this.
I was really pleased with this magazine. It' s good quality with lots of fun activities. My boys also flipped through them on their own. A one year subscription is just under $30.
Parent Bloggers is having a Blog Blast on Friday March 7, where you can win a one-year subscription to Highlights High Five or to Highlights. Click here to read more information. |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:55 PM
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My Profile
| 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. |
| See my complete profile |
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