A current selection has been Animal Atlas on DVD.  If you like to learn something from your entertainment then this is a great choice.  It’s been great to keep all three kids AND me from walking away. 

Lots of current facts, this dvd was just released in April 2009.  I’ve noticed with boy2001 he’s really into non-fiction, like most kids his age he loves to know things.  His favorite thing lately has been, “I know that…” Facts and figures are like gold to him, I’m often surprised by what he retains and spurts out in conversation.  Of course I want something that he likes but I also want to entertain and inform my younger two.  Animal Atlas fits the bill for all three!

Animal Atlas: Animals and Us

1. Who Needs Our Help? is very informative, of course it is a little sad to talk about extinction but of course it’s a great time to talk about what we can do to help reduce man’s effect on wildlife
2. Who’s At the Aquarium?  starts out at the ocean and gives some great history facts about aquariums.  I found the stories on how the animals came to the aquarium very good.  I have the domestic vs wild talk with the kids every time they find a creature on the beach.
3. Who’s At the Zoo?   lots of endangered creatures that’s who!  zoos have become a refuge for animals with nowhere to go.

Animal Atlas DVDs are available at many retailers or shop online.  It looks like there’s a lot of fun stuff coming up with this series, I’ll be sure to keep you posted as I know more.  Check out www.animalatlas.tv has great animal info that will keep your little one on the edge of their seat. 

Check your local listings!

I LOVE giving and getting DVDs because they are one size fits all, last forever, are a great family gift for one low price. 

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What is the high-energy show that’s all about teamwork, friendship and keeps it all FUN?  Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! of course!

Do you ever make up reverse trivia questions?  I always do, maybe it’s because my dream job would be researching things for the game show, Jeopardy!  or maybe it’s because I live in my head a bit too much.  Anyways…

If the topic of Wuzzleburg does come up on your next best gameshow you’ll be ready after watching A Little Help from My Friends DVD.  Wuzzleburg is a wonderful, caring place where kids learn how to be good citizens.  Surrounding your kids with compassion and caring is a sure fire way to get some of that back in return.  You’ll notice them acting nicely when they meet up with friends from school or playdates or just the old lady talking to them at the supermarket.

I wasn’t suprised to learn that Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is on almost 40 times a week!  I’ve never seen anything not to like about the show and I know my kids LOVE the show and there is no way to ignore the theme song!  It’s the high energy Wow! song that always gets us moving!!

The kids are especially fond of the A Little Help From Your Friends episode because Wubbzy makes a Doodleberry cake.   This is a great episode to watch if your kids insist on trying to make the cake themselves.  Wubbzy even tosses in whole eggs without cracking them!! this made the kids giggle so hard because the cracking of the eggs is always a stressful point of any baking activity around here.  Girl2004 is eager to see more baking/cooking episodes and marveled at the pink and white product.  There should be a compilation of all the baking episodes out there.

The DVD includes these fab episodes:

• A Little Help From Your Friends
• A Clean Sweep
• Mr. Cool
• Wubbzy in the Middle
• Gidget The Super Robot
• Broken Record
• Widget Gets the Blooey Blues
• Where’s My Wiggle Wrench?

Another point that the kids really like is that Wubbzy, Walden and Widget are best friends.  Often we see best friend duos characterized but my kids rather be “best” friends with a small group without having just one and excluding others.  Do yourself a favor and check out Wubbzy and friends. 

 Thanks to Mom Central for the review opportunity!  enjoy the art inspired by Wubbzy.

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We ‘heart’ WordWorld.  The show that puts words together in a fun and easy way for kids is coming back for another season!  If you’ve got little kids you certainly know how much fun the first season was.  Boy2001 was a big fan for a while but now Girl2004 and Girl2006 have taken over as the resident WordWorld fanatics.

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The best part about this series is that you’re “sneaking” the learning in!  Learning is fun and effective via WordWorld’s hilarious, laugh-out-loud situations.  I learned the hard way with boy2001 when he entered kindergarten. I thought he was way ahead because of his vocabulary but it became clear that the admin were mostly interested in sight words.  WordWorld can help because everything is spelled out in the object itself.  Even the background gets in on the fun!

A U.S. Department of Education funded study found that WordWorld, an Emmy® winning PBS KIDS series, significantly strengthens early literacy skills in preschoolers, providing the building blocks essential for learning how to read. The study is part of the Ready To Learn Initiative that examines the effectiveness of various technologies being used to enhance the literacy skills of young children. The initial findings conclude that regular exposure to WordWorld resulted in children experiencing significant increases in oral vocabulary, reading and recognition of words featured in the show. WordWorld brings words to life through a patent-pending methodology that embeds words into the objects they represent, crystallizing the connection between letters, sounds and words.

In fact the U.S. Department of Education has concluded that just watching WordWorld doubles children’s featured oral vocabulary and TRIPLES their ability to read and recognize featured words.  Girl2004 has been writing and sounding out words for months now, she knows all her ‘AT’ words by heart but she’d love to learn more after watching this DVD.  As a busy mom with little to no help with the kids, it’s comforting for me to know that I can have a bit of ”me” time and the kids are not just vegetating in front of the tv.  Many times that means I get a shower or get a jump start on the laundry.

WordWorld is the best programming to come out since Sesame Street and I am a BIG fan of Sesame Street so I don’t say that lightly.  I highly recommend magnetic or foam letters to accompany this DVD so your child can spell along.

One last thought, I have been downright embarassed by what my kids watch sometimes, the themes and language are really bad on some channels.  I won’t even mention the commercials for products!  The chorus of “I want that!”.  PBS is what I consider a safe haven, one last public space on television that respects family and pure learning.  A brand I’m proud to support.

The 2nd Season of WordWorld starts with a new special on February 13, 2009!  Please check your local listings for times.

Thanks to the FRN for this review opp!

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Patience everyone, the DVD you’ve all been waiting for will soon be available.  The kids and I had the opportunity to preview VEGGIETALES®: Abe and The Amazing Promise and I can vouch for its’ rewatchability factor… it’s been replayed a gazillion times thus far and no signs of stopping!

I love sharing something with the kids that strengthens their belief in God and gives good solid advice that everyone can agree with… in this case: patience!  All kids can relate to being impatient! I’m quite sure kids are meant not to have any as a test of a parents’ patience!

Are we there yet? how much longer to my birthday? when will the cookies be ready?  The first part of the video is about Abraham and Sarah’s wait for their promised son.  I really like the message, especially good since it’s not a story my kids are very familiar with.  This particular story is a wonderful choice because of the great faith and patience as well as the connections to three religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

In addition to the great DVD be on the lookout for The VeggieTales® Bible from Zonderkidz.  It’s on my wishlist (the running one I keep in my head!).  Boy2001 has a Zonderkidz Adventure Bible but I think this would be great for my girls since they’re younger. 

Consumer Rebate Offer:

Consumers who purchase both the Abe and the Amazing Promise DVD and The VeggieTales Bible can receive a $10 rebate by mail with proof of purchase. The offer will be promoted via point of purchase and on product.

I almost forgot to mention, Nationally Syndicated Radio Show Host, “Delilah,” Voices VeggieTales Character Sarah!  Has that sealed the deal? Check out the coloring pages, fun, games and shopping at the BIG Idea website… a word of caution, they’ve got the entire Veggietales collection available in one set!

Ready to Buy?

Buy Abe and the Amazing Promise DVD for $14.99 in Christian stores Saturday, February 7, 2009 and everywhere Tuesday February 10, 2009.  Pre-order on Amazon.

I’d like to leave with a link to the trailer and a thank-you to FRN for the opportunity to review this awesome DVD.

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Girl2004 and Girl2006 have watched it at least 20 times.  There are 4 episodes on the DVD.  The second episode has become a favorite.  Abuelito’s farm is blown away and a Green Iguana comes to save the day by “recycling” strawberry seeds.

We do a lot of gardening and just compiled our winter compost heap so the girls understand the concept of fertilization.  School vacation is coming up so think ahead and consider this DVD for the little ones.

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To describe my first memory I will give you some background.

My mom would work in Manhattan, get off at 5 p.m. and make her way into Queens.  Sometimes I’d meet her at the train and we would shop or I would just wait at home.  One things for sure, she’d be wearing high heels and would walk with a mission.

She’d cook dinner, plate it up and get in front of the television asap.  We’d usually watch the nightly news while eating dinner (of course we’d talk through things we didn’t care about!) and run into the kitchen to do the dishes and get back to the tv in time for Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.  I forget which came first and I think they switched the linup a few times.

Either way, I truly enjoyed Jeopardy, I love anything where I can learn something and Jeopardy did just that, I always got up thinking that I’d learned something new and I was always impressed with how much stuff my mom knew.

But that’s not my favorite television game show memory.  Please believe me I have MANY and coming in as a close second is Richard Dawson kissing all the ladies on the Family Feud and the way people would jump up and down when the family won, remember all those knee hi shots?!  hilarity at it’s finest.

NO, my finest television game show memory is courtesy of Wheel of Fortune. Remember when they’d only play two or three puzzles and have to spend their money on the junk in the studio?  VCRs with 8 vhs tapes, television screens, lamps and my absolute favorite… the ceramic dalmations!  I need to know what happenned to all those ceramic dalmations and I swear to you today if I hit the lotto I WILL track some down and buy them if the people can prove they were on the show!

As a nice parting gift I’d like to direct you to Olie Bollen’s Holiday Sweep! Each day, from November 28 through December 1, www.Oliebollen.com will hide 5 totally FREE items around their site. Find them and scoop them up along with at least one other paid item, and those freebies will be yours (while supplies last). Surprise door-bu

ster deals will be sprinkled here and there to add to the fun!

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• Originally watched Little House on WPIX, one episode at a time, Monday thru Friday @ 5 p.m.
• Watched in two hour chunks on TBS during the late 80′s
• bought all of the VHS tapes available (about 40 episodes) through TIME circa 1993
• watched and taught English lessons based on episodes aired on Japan’s education station, NHK
• Fastforward to the early 2000′s and I rushed out and got each DVD set (seasons 1-6) as it became available. 

Over the last few years I’ve watched an rewatched Little House with my kids, getting more than my money’s worth.  Boy2001 and I would do marathons of the show and girl2006 is now a big fan.  For some reason girl2004 has not warmed up to the show which I do respect. 

Today is one of my happiest days ever, one I’ve been waiting for!  I can have ALL of the episodes in one place, in one collection!  60 dvds in one set for $199 (that’s the only part I’m not crazy about). 

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I didn’t get many details, but from what I gather, the kids were not overly impressed with the movie.  I’ll wait for it to come out on DVD.

If you saw it, what do you think?

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I’m completely non-productive tonight, I got suckered into watching The Graduate and loving it all over again.  I love Dustin Hoffman’s reactions to the situation.

The Graduate @ Amazon

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