At a few months before two years old, my son speaks hundreds of words and often in full sentences. Hearing things like “Have it fruit bar, Mommy” and “Grandma driving car go Costco” are not unusual around our house and I attribute at least part of that to the signing we did with him from 6 months old to encourage 2 way communication. I used the internet, books and friends as resources and began with just the basics - “more” and “drink” - and added others as we needed them.

I wish I had found the videos from My Baby Can Talk sooner. We’ve spent the past few weeks watching the series of three regularly and, though he can say all of the words easily now, he has learned so many cool signs for things he loves that he’s bringing sign back into his vocabulary again. I’m hoping that between his knowledge and mine, we can teach his newborn sister more signs even sooner than he learned them!

Signing with babies has so many benefits. For us, our son being able to communicate has greatly reduced tantrums and frustration and has allowed him to speak much sooner than he may have simply because he experienced two way communication so consistently from such a young age. Granted, he’s probably wired for literacy and would have been strong in this area anyway (and is by no means any kind of a freaky genius - just a normal boy who can talk) - but the signing certainly didn’t hinder it! The mission of Baby Hands Productions Inc. states it so well…
What if you were unable to speak, unable to write or unable to walk and you were completely dependent upon another person to fulfill all your needs? Now imagine that all you want is a drink of water because you are thirsty. How would you feel if you were unable to communicate that need to that person? Do you think that you might be reduced to tears and screams if you were unable to have this basic need fulfilled?

The three DVDs - First Signs, Sharing Signs and Exploring Signs - retail for $19.95 each and introduce babies to 72 signs in a playful manner (and a strategic order). They’re the only baby sign videos I’ve ever seen that actually feature pre-verbal babies demonstrating the signs. Along, of course, with an adult demonstrating and speaking, and many many colourful pictures. The videos are recommended for babies 10 months and older but I’d guess that if you’re comfortable with showing a younger baby - 6 months or so - a DVD, they’d certainly benefit from it too. Particularly if you watch it actively with them and practice the signs together.

My Baby Can Talk also provides, completely free of charge, what I think is the best online dictionary of simple signs for new parents anywhere. It’s clear and concise, organized by initial letter, and is full of signs that apply to us as parents.

All three DVD’s (First Signs, Sharing Signs and Exploring Signs) are currently on sale at Amazon for 25% off! The links in this paragraph will take you right to the sales.

Win It! We’ve got 3 copies of First Signs to give away. To enter, email theopinionatedparent at gmail dot com with MY BABY CAN TALK in the subject line and tell us which sign from the My Baby Can Talk dictionary you’d most like to teach your baby. Contest closes at noon MST on April 4, 2008.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with MY BABY CAN TALK in the subject line and the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate email from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Send an additional email with MY BABY CAN TALK in the subject line to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your new subscription.

Maximum three entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

Several of the T.O.P. reviewers have been watching Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake, a DVD created by moms Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller and featuring the renowned Paris Opera Ballet performing Swan Lake interspersed with narration by an animated fairy-like ballerina. Young students from the School of American Ballet appear in between acts.

I personally reviewed this DVD with my 22 month old son. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m very liberal. He loved it and danced around with the little girls on the screen in between tossing his football at the window and throwing a ball for his dogs. I’m neither a ballet person nor a DVD person and even I loved this show. It’s one that I’d let my daughter watch when she’s older with no hesitation. It’s an extremely well-made and healthy depiction of what ballet is and a great way to expose young children to the culture of ballet and the infamous Swan Lake. From their site you can download a free colouring book too!

Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake is available from Amazon for $19.99.

Read on to find out what our contributors thought.

At some point, just about every little girl dreams of being a ballerina. Maybe it’s the beautiful costumes ballerinas wear on stage - the sparkly headpieces, the romantic tulle, and the shiny satin Pointe shoes, or perhaps it’s the graceful, flowing movement perfectly coordinated with some of the most gorgeous classical music ever written. Whatever it is that captivates them, little girls love the idea of ballet, even if they don’t know exactly what it is.

I was not at all surprised the day my daughter told me she wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up. After all, she had already started to identify with every princess she saw, so I figured the ballerina phase couldn’t be too far behind. In my attempt to nurture her interest in ballet, I started showing my daughter the DVDs of several well-known ballets, hoping she would be as mesmerized by the story and the drama as I have been. The truth is, though, most full-length ballets are quite long – one-and-a-half to two hours on average – and how many 3-5 year-old kids can really sit still and pay attention to anything, no matter how interesting, for that long? Even though it was clear to me my daughter was intrigued by this mysterious art form, it was also abundantly clear to me that the long, drawn-out drama of the story and the lack of narrative during the dancing made it difficult for her to remain focused on the DVD for very long. I tried to find some ballet DVDs suitable for young children, and was horribly disappointed with what I found. It seemed that “kid-friendly” and “good dancing” did not exist together in the ballet DVD realm. Enter Prima Princessa!

Imagine my delight when I was asked to review the ‘Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake’ DVD! I was very curious to see if it was truly possible to create a kid-friendly ballet DVD without detracting from the beauty of the art. We received our DVD on a Saturday afternoon, and from the moment I took it out of the envelope, my daughter claimed it. Something about that bright pink fairy on the cover, I think. Within a matter of minutes, my daughter had the case open and the DVD in our DVD player. ‘OK,’ I thought, ‘here goes nothing.’

Had there been a video camera focused on my face as I watched my daughter’s reaction to Prima Princessa, you might have seen my expression change from one of shock to one of delight! Not only did my daughter seem to *like* this DVD, she was twirling around in the middle of our family room wearing a princess costume and ballet slippers within a matter of minutes. Because the actual Swan Lake ballet is shown in a much-abbreviated form WITH narration and explanation, my daughter actually paid attention to it. She even asked me questions about the story! The ballet clips are from the Paris Opera Ballet, hence the dancing is simply beautiful! Each shortened act of the ballet is followed by a segment of several pre-school-aged girls giggling and dancing to music, along with an introduction to some basic ballet terminology and some video clips of students at the School of the American Ballet executing those particular movements.

Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake is the most engaging, well-crafted, age-appropriate ballet DVD I have ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few. When my daughter asked me to ‘play it again’ as soon as the Prima Princessa DVD ended, I knew we had a hit. Not only does she like to watch it regularly, she wants to dance every time she watches it, which means she gets some exercise, too. Instead of wishing I could be anywhere else except in front of the TV (as I do with most of the DVDs I’ve been lucky enough to watch over and over and over again…), I find myself smiling and laughing as I watch my daughter fulfilling her fantasy of ‘being a ballerina.’

So, the question remains – when can we expect more Prima Princessa DVDs? Stephanie and Mary Kate have done a fantastic job with this first production; I can hardly wait to see what comes next!

By the blogless Kendra

Every theater and ballet fan knows what Swan Lake is. However, it was my daughter’s first time and mine too, to see it through Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD. The story is beautifully narrated by a young girl, much to the delight of my 4 year old. The narration is simple to understand and very effective for young viewers. My daughter is not studying ballet at this moment but this DVD sure perked up her interest in it. She started to mimic the dance moves and requested for a tutu!

Do you have a prima ballerina in the making? This DVD is a mini-tutorial of the basic moves in Swan Lake. Each movement is explained well and demonstrated clearly. I was surprised my toddler watched it over and over even if she doesn’t know a thing about ballet. What more for young ballet enthusiasts?

by Grace

I was very excited to review this DVD after I saw the clip on the Prima Princessa website. I love the concept of showing the kids a real ballet and between acts showing little girls dancing around having fun. Its nice to have the story of Swan Lake narrated so that the kids (and adults) know what is going on in the ballet. When I watched it with my daughter she got excited and clapped when the little girls clapped after the acts. She is only 20 months old and definitely young for watching this but not for long. I can picture her wearing a tutu and dancing to it by the time she turns 2. In my opinion Prima Princessa will be perfect for girls 2-7 years old. A big plus is that its very educational (in a ballet kind of way), teaching several ballet terns such as pirouette. I like that the French words are put up on the screen and repeated so kids really pick them up. They show clips of real kids preforming the moves clearly as well as toys and animals preforming the moves. The quality is high and its fun to watch. It was very important to me that not every kid was blonde and blue eyed (I think there were 3 races shown and a boy was used for some of the demonstrations). This is definitely a very girly DVD and Swan Lake is just like a disney princess movie but with my older two kids being boys I am ready for a little frilly stuff. I highly recommend this for anyone who has a little girl at all interested in ballet or princesses, but I have to warn you that a tutu or some sort of dress up wear is going to be essential for most viewers!

By Heather

I am the mom who wants my children to be exposed to all kinds of arts and culture. We have opera and classical symphony music CD’s in the car that we rotate with world music and good old-fashioned nursery rhymes. Van Gogh prints are hanging in their bedrooms. I want my children to have a taste of everything that the arts has to offer, so that they can go back to the arts buffet and load up their plates with what they like.
I want my sons to learn about ballet. I don’t know anything about ballet, other than it is a pretty dance. Enter the Prima Princessa DVD! I learned ballet steps right along with my kids! Prima Princessa unites the elite performance of dancers in the Paris Opera Ballet with the playfulness and FUN of young girls excitedly trying ballet steps for the first time. While young viewers jete with excitement, they are learning useful ballet terms. Imagine your child explaining to a friend that “pas de chat” is French for “the steps of a cat”. Won’t that be remarkably cultured?

By Candice

We LOVE the Prima Princessa dvd at our house. My daughter loves to watch the little girls spin and twirl and dance. The music is wonderful. The dancing is beautiful. Even my sons stop and watch when the animated fairy ballerina comes on the screen! I am very impressed with the wonderful quality of this dvd. I am sure we will be watching it for years to come.

By Tara

My little Princess Ballerina flipped over Prima Princessa, the animated fairy ballerina who magically transported her to see the narrated ballet, Swan Lake. Between each act, my little Princess dances and twirls, along with the young dancers, while learning the official ballet steps, and after each performance she begs for more with her squeals of, “Encore, encore!”

This magical dance adventure would make a wonderful gift for your little ballerina. It’s sure to mesmerize her, as it has mine, while it inspires and stimulates her young mind. It was created by two moms who love to have fun, so I was thrilled with the ingenious Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake.

Oh, and don’t tell them (or their daddy) that I told you this, but even my boys were captivated!

By Christine

Prima Princessa arrived at our house one afternoon when I very much needed a break from little children’s lovely antics. I opened the package with much joy and popped the DVD in the player.
At first my four year old daughter just watched with wide eyes, in awe of all the beautiful dancers. The second time through she tentatively started doing the lessons with the little girls, who are so cute it will bring tears to your eyes. By the time we had watched the DVD 5 times, even my 16 month old son was doing ballet!

Prima Princessa is engaging for little ones, adorable for adults, and so much fun. Watching the true ballerinas was enjoyable, but watching my 4 year old and my 16 month old actually learn ballet moves was amazing and adorable!

If you have a little girl who loves dancing, Prima Princessa will delight her to no end with the added benefit of actually learning ballet.

By Lisa

When I was a young girl, like most girls my age, I took a few years of ballet lessons. I hated it. I was uncoordinated and clumsy and overweight. Ballet just was not for me. But while I did not excel at actually participating in ballet, my love for the art form never dissipated. I love to attend the ballet when I can and hope to pass this love down to my children. This DVD gave me an excellent opportunity to introduce ballet to them for the first time.

The co-creators of this production, (Montclair NJ moms) Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller, said on their blog that this DVD is “a really fun mix of professional ballet, an adorable animated princess ballerina and little girls dancing.” This 40-minute DVD features an animated “fairy ballerina” (Prima Princessa) who narrates the story of Swan Lake to a group of pre-school girls. Scenes of the Paris Opera Ballet’s actual performance of Swan Lake is interspersed with footage of the pre-school girls dancing “ballet” outside, and students from the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center (the official academy of the New York City Ballet) practicing the ballet positions and steps being taught on the DVD. All the parts dovetail to each other nicely, reinforcing the learning process. And it’s entertaining enough that it kept my 3 year old daughter AND 5 year old son watching the entire time!

I highly recommend Prima Princessa for your own children (10 out of 10 binkies).

Where can you get it? At Amazon.com of course, but also at the Prima Princess site. Bonus - not only can you buy the DVD at the Prima Princessa site, you can find a clip of the DVD there, coloring pages you can print out, and a link to their blog.

By CPA Mom

Win it! The moms behind Prima Princessa are giving a copy of this fabulous DVD to two lucky TOP readers. To enter, leave a comment on this post. You get to be lazy this time…any comment will do! Two winners will be selected randomly after March 17, 2008.

Get an additional entry into this contest by blogging about it!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post containing the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry. If you don’t know how to do this, just email us for help!

Contest Closed

Giveaway at the bottom of this post…

From the press release:

This Valentine’s Day, skip the chocolate and give your little thinker the gift of Braincandy DVDs (previously reviewed here), yummy treats that nourish the body and the brain; now through Valentine’s Day, receive a free “Taste My World” DVD with any purchase at Braincandykids.com.

What does every kid need for Valentine’s Day? A big box of chocolates? Naaa. This year why not try a sweet delight that doesn’t cause cavities. Award-winning early learning entertainment series, Braincandy, is a sugar-free snack that nourishes hungry little minds. From February 4 through Valentine’s Day, order anything at www.braincandykids.com and receive a free “Braincandy, Taste My World” DVD. Think of it as an appetizer to the rest of the award-winning, “5 Senses” DVD series.

Created by a mom and dad of young twins, Braincandy takes an organic approach to learning that mimics the way a child naturally discovers the world — inviting little ones to explore, experiment and play through an array of fun activities designed to engage the five senses. Guided by the bright, plush Super Sense Gang and led by the always charming Bruce Brain, kids are exposed to vivid real life scenes that are designed to encourage them to dance, sing and explore their environment. Real world sensory treats like dipping little fingers into a bowl of sticky honey or tasting cold snow on the tongue are brought to life on screen and off. Enjoy the DVDs as a 40-minute video or in smaller segments; solo, or as an interactive parent and child experience.

Braincandy is also a great gift for mommies and daddies who need a little bit of downtime and want to give their children fun, enriching content to engage them from the tops of their heads down to their tingling toes. Valentine’s Day is a day for love and love is exactly what moms and their babies are feeling about Braincandy!

Win a BRUCE BRAIN puppet! We’ve got one of the new Bruce Brain puppets to give away. Imagine a big orange brain that you wear on your hand. Sound cool? Kids think so! To enter, just send an email TODAY (Feb. 14) to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Bruce Brain in the subject line and 1 winner will be selected at random.

Congratulations to winner Lisa S!

By Angela, Contributing Writer

(prize section updated)

Ever heard of “Symphonic Art Animation?” I hadn’t either until I was sent these amazing DVDs. The Little Laureate’s developmental series for children ages 1 to 4 (My World Gallery, My World Colors and My World Adventure) literally blew me and my kids away. Because these? Are nothing like your “typical” baby/toddler DVDs. No mind numbing sock puppets here!

In these DVDs, the main character, Star (and her sister Starlette), lead your child (and you - these DVDs are designed for a shared experience with you and your child) on a journey through famous works of art, culture, and classical music. It’s hard to articulate just what a visually stunning journey this is. Famous pieces of art are “constructed” on the screen, one piece at a time, in tempo with the music (some of my favorite pieces of classical music), teaching colors, art appreciation and even foreign language as you go. And be sure to check out “The Crawl,” an onscreen parent guide of art history, parenting tips and family art activities (a unique feature to this series). This series is amazing! Even my 5 year old could not take his eyes off the screen and asked for more when each DVD was finished!

Each set is only $34.95 and includes the 30-minute DVD, 60-minute CD of classical music performed by the Moscow International Orchestra, and 24 page parent booklet that contains information on the art, artists and music along with expert tips on raising a creative child.

• My World Gallery is a movable feast of art and music that explores over 500 years of art, from Van Gogh to Picasso to living artists (Andy Warhol showed up a lot!)
• My World Adventure is an interactive, cross-cultural journey to all seven continents that features art, animals, architecture, geography, climate and how to say “I Love You” in five different languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese).
• My World Colors uses art, architecture and even international street signs to present the colors of the rainbow spectrum in order (a Kindergarten requirement in most states) in 3 languages (English, French and Spanish - Chinese characters are also used).

And I’m not the only one who thinks so highly of this series. Check out the numerous awards bestowed on them, including the prestigious Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products for 2007.
Bonus? Check out the web page for a handy online (grand)parents guide and “kids corner” where you can find coloring pages featuring favorite characters from the DVDs. [Ed: You can also check out some clips from the series here.]

These DVDs are perfect for holiday gifts for that special child in your life. And to make your shopping easier, use the code PROMO for a buy one get one free special through 12/31/07.

Want to try your luck at winning the whole series? We’ve got three complete sets up for grabs! Send one email to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com by midnight MST on 12/20/07 with Little Laureate in the subject line and tell us the name of the brains behind the company. Three winners will be randomly selected from all correct entries. Congratulations Elizabeth, Betty & Melanie!

Danger Rangers is an action-packed animated tv show that, at first glance, looks like every other high quality animated show. With a mission to reduce preventable childhood injuries, though, it’s one that you can let your kids watch completely guilt-free. Even if you’re a guilt-ridden kind of parent!

Each episode deals with different issues surrounding child safety in a very child-friendly and entertaining manner. I showed both Fires and Liars and
Mission 547: Safety Rules! to a group of 4 & 5 year olds and they not only sat and enjoyed both shows (not back to back, of course) but also were able to recall the lessons and answer questions about the safety rules from the show correctly once the show was over. I, the “media hater” “hard to convince kids tv critic” have nothing but good things to say about Danger Rangers!

See when it’s on in your area and check out the grown ups’ section of the website for more information. It even includes accompanying lesson plans and suggested co-viewing questions to ask your kids after the show in the resources area. The DVD’s are available for purchase at the Danger Rangers Store too! They retail for $12.99 each.

You could win a copy of Mission 547: Safety Rules! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Danger Rangers in the subject line by midnight on 11/12/07. Five winners will be selected at random. Congratulations Louise, Barb, Jess, Shari & Ang!

Gustafer Yellowgold is a name I was completely unfamiliar with when he showed up at my door. Honestly, I’m still not sure what he is or why kids like him but they most certainly do! He looks a little like a psychedelic banana. He’s living his lifelong dream of living on Earth after leaving his home on the sun and in Have You Never Been Yellow he has some equally psychedelic adventures with is equally psychedelic friends. The DVD is full of semi-stationary “music videos” that you can play in normal or karaoke style (the kids LOVE this one!) and also includes a commentary by illustrator and musician Morgan Taylor. It also comes with a 9 song audio only CD.

You can read about both Gustafer and Morgan Taylor here and see if you can figure it out.

It reminds me of that infamous pants-wearing sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea — you just have to be a kid to get it!

All of Gustafer’s goodies are available at the store.

By T.O.P. reader and contributing writer Michelle

We’re big fans of Signing Time … and for those of you who may be contemplating teaching your baby/toddler sign language, I’d like to share our success story with you!

After Kayla was born and her diagnosis of Down syndrome was confirmed I found an online community that I quickly joined. A lot of the moms on there talked about Signing Time and how much it had helped their children; especially since most kids with Down syndrome will have a speech delay. I kept these videos in the back of my mind.

In the meantime I bought a pocket-size book with about 60 ASL signs and thought I would start using that. I honestly don’t remember when we started signing those first few words to Kayla, probably after she was 8 months old. I guess we started with “more”, “milk” and then “eat.” I know in the beginning we weren’t consistent about signing the word every time we used it, like you should do, but we got there eventually. When she was probably closer to a year is when I think we started using the signs more consistently.

I finally decided to purchase volume 1 of the Signing Time series to see what all the hype was about. Kayla wasn’t the only one watching the videos either, Joe and I watched them so we could learn right along with her! I thought the video was great for teaching sign language as Rachel would sign it, the word was printed on the screen, a child’s voice said the word and then gave a description of the sign, plus all of the kids throughout the video who were doing the signs too. It was a great way to reinforce the sign by repetition.

My friend Sue has a son who is 4 months younger than Kayla. A few months after I bought that first volume we were talking about sign language (she had also been planning on teaching Harrison ASL and had bought the same pocket-size book I had) She was telling me she had started using some signs with him but he didn’t really seem to get it or respond back. I told her about the videos and then had Kayla “perform”, “Kayla show Sue ‘fish’, now can you do ‘eat’? how about ‘dog’ and ‘ball’” and she signed them all. Sue was impressed. I told her she could borrow the video and see how Harrison liked it. Within a week Harrison was showing me all the signs he had learned from that first volume. Sue was so impressed with how quickly he picked up the signs that she said she was buying the whole series (at that time there were 6 volumes) and I mentioned we were getting Kayla the rest of the series too. Eventually 2 more of our friends borrowed that first volume to see for themselves if their kids would also pick up the signs - and of course within about a week or two they were also signing.

By the time Kayla was 20 months old she knew 14 signs, while not a huge vocabulary for that age, it was exciting for us. I wish we had started the videos much sooner! While she knew these signs she wasn’t really using them to communicate with us - she would sign them while watching the videos, or if we said the word, but didn’t seem to initiate it much on her own.

Then came the day we were at the commissary. We were in line for the register and she was sitting in the cart. All of a sudden she signed “dog”. I had a quizzical look on my face wondering why she would be signing that as I knew there weren’t any dogs in the store. I thought maybe I misunderstood her and she wasn’t signing at all, but she did it again so I casually looked around me. Then I spotted it. There was a display of dog food with a dog’s face all over the bags. I can’t tell you how I excited I was to realize she recognized and signed dog on her own without any prompting from me. I wanted to scream and cheer and jump up and down in that store! But I contained myself. I leaned in close and told her “yes that is a dog - good job” and how proud I was. I couldn’t wait for Joe to get home so I could tell him what she did.

By the time she was 2 years old she knew over 50 signs and was using them to communicate with us - signing things in books we looked at, as a plane flew over us, asking for a cracker. This was such a big deal to us because she wasn’t very verbal at all and this helped tremendously in being able to “talk” to her.

I remember going out with Kayla and she would usually end up signing “thank you” to someone for something…most people thought she was blowing them a kiss! I explained that she was signing “thank you” and usually they would respond with “wow she knows sign language?” I used any opportunity to spread the word about these videos and that was usually a great conversation starter!

She did start to vocalize words along with her signs (which by the time she was 3 she knew over 100 signs -thanks to all 13 volumes that we now own!) and eventually she stopped using the majority of the signs. We still watch the videos and she’ll still sign sometimes, but it’s mostly verbal words now. I’m so thankful to Signing Time though for helping us learn a new language that enabled us to communicate with each other.

There’s a new set of DVDs coming out soon and you can bet we’ll be buying those too!

Thanks for all the moving well-wishes. I think we definitely have the greatest readers of all time. The contests will be back sometime next week as soon as I have my internet connection working at the new place and my laptop dug out from among the boxes. In the meantime, please enjoy our guest reviewers and be sure to visit them at their home bases if they’ve provided you with a link. Have a fabulous weekend, and if you’re in the mood for shopping check the TOP Shops for discount codes first!

We’ve been previewing the upcoming series Word World and I must tell you that I’ve finally found a show on TV (well, soon to be on TV anyway) that I’d actually let my kids watch.

It’s an incredibly innovative addition to the preschoolers TV lineup that’s coming to PBS Kids in the fall of this year. The characters and animation are engaging enough, like all cartoons, but the coolest thing about Word World is that each character and (many other inanimate items in the show) is actually a word. See the dog and the house to the right of this post? Isn’t that cool?

As an early literacy teacher in the “real world” I can, for the very first time, recommend something that will be on the big black box for your children. Though…does PBS Kids have commercials? Because if it does your kids still shouldn’t be watching those (we believe no child should see a commercial until they’re at least school aged - preferably 8-10 - and you can teach them to be incredibly critical of marketing) and I’d recommend taping/downloading/Tivo-ing/insert your favourite method of commercial removal here instead of letting the kids actually sit & watch it when it’s on, but the show itself? Magical.

MeMovies is creative editing at it’s best. All it takes is one clear snapshot and they’ll transport your child into one of two children’s movies.

He or she is seen dozens of times in different colorful settings and their name is spoken throughout the show. (and with the correct pronunciation, even if her name is Kylyeigha. (Yes, I met one. It’s Ky-lay-ah.) Even the DVD case is customized with your child’s name and smiling face!

Bee & Me, for children up to 4 years old, features original cartoon characters having fun and playing games with your little star. The child is seen often during the movie in a variety of activities such as flying in a hot air balloon, playing hide-n-seek and appearing on stage in a dance performance with the bee. Our son was thrilled each time he appeared on the screen!

Costume Party is for kids aged 4-7 and is perfect for kids who love make-believe. (Show me one who doesn’t!) The child is seen deep-sea diving with tropical fish, driving a car that has sneakers for wheels, even juggling while riding a unicycle! They’re also the guest of honor at a fun costume party thrown by Bee and his friends. Again, even though he’s only one our son was ecstatic each time he saw himself. We had some older kids check it out (3 & 6) and they were super excited to see my child. I’m sure it would have been even more exciting had it been their own faces!

You can upload your child’s photo to MeMovies online or send it via regular mail. With expedited shipping, they will have your video on your doorstep in just one week. Each video retails for $29.95. You can order via their website or by calling 1-877-MeMovies.

Win your choice of personalized Me Movie! To enter the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Me Movies in the subject line and tell us one photo selection tip available from the MeMovies site. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/4/07. Congratulations Brooke!

It’s personal preference, but being the opinionated parent that I am, everyone around me knows I don’t like kids watching tv. I don’t have as much of an issue with movies as with broadcast tv (read: commercials) but I still prefer that kids be playing and entertaining themselves. Or reading.

I’m also not a big fan of early learning scams & schemes for babies that try to sell well-intentioned parents a plethora of crap under the guise that it will make their kid smarter when they were really designed to occupy and entertain (read: entrance) babies.(Crap? Rhymes with Shmaby Shmeinstein.)

However, with all that said, when I was sent the Your Baby Can Read DVD set to review, I was surprisingly impressed. I don’t think for a moment that babies need to read. Nor do I think they should be drilled on anything other than free play. Thankfully, neither does Your Baby Can Read founder Dr. Robert Titzer. Based on his research, the DVD’s and flash cards have been developed to allow a child to see common words, hear the words, see images representing the meaning of the words, and often perform some physical activity related to the words. Dr. Titzer claims that babies can learn written words as easily as they learn spoken words, often at the same time, by using a multi-sensory approach.

As an early literacy teacher (in my “real life”) I know that language acquisition is strongly based in exposure in the early years. As a parent, I know that anything that enhances a child’s communication is a big bonus. Your Baby Can Read does both of those things. The Your Baby Can Read DVD’s are interactive and teach important language skills during the child’s natural window of opportunity for learning language. See it in use here.

The first day I tried DVD #1 with my 10 month old son, he was interested (but not entranced - bonus!) and loved the animals and children on the screen. To my surprise, the next day when I put it on again, the word CAT appeared on the screen for the eleventy bazillionth time (repetition is key) and he pointed at it and said “Cah!” So yeah, it totally works. Is it rote learning? You bet. So is all early reading. It was only a couple of days before he was pointing at our own cat and equating the two.

So, while many people will roll their eyes at the very thought of babies learning to read, this program is fabulous for those of us who want to enhance our children’s communication abilities and capitalize on the early learning research. The whole program would be a great pair with baby sign and lots (and LOTS) of reading aloud to your child. (Which you all do anyway, right? Every single day without fail? I thought so.)

Get yourself a free demo and check it out!

Oh, and they have a blog!

Enter to win a Starter Kit including 5 double-sided sliding word & picture cards from Your Baby Can Read. Simply email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Read in the subject header and tell us which distinguished award YBCR has received. Contest closes at midnight MST on Monday, April 16/07. Congratulations Heather!

Busy mother of three Karen Foster is the creator of the relatively new DVD series athleticBaby. She has produced a series of five DVD’s (with one more on the way) designed for children aged 3 months and up. TOP has been reviewing the newest DVD, athleticBaby Soccer.

This DVD is a delightful mix of fun music, colourful images and video of real kids playing. I question the age recommendation, simply because I can’t see any good reason for a 3 month old child to be plunked in front of a screen, but that’s a personal preference. For someone who is okay with that, this DVD would be better than many alternatives. There is enough real play to avoid the “entrancement” effect of quick change images that are often marketed to young children, and the DVD verbally encourages kids to get a ball and play along. It also encourages parents to watch and play along with their children, which is a recommendation that should always be adhered to when exposing young children to the media.

While we always prefer that kids actually play, rather than watch someone playing on TV, the athleticBaby soccer DVD would be a nice “down time” activity leading up to play time or an introduction to a new game. We also understand that there are parents who feel the need to use the TV in order to get a much needed break. The athleticBaby DVD’s would be a very safe alternative to broadcast television.

The 2-3 year old age group is perfect for this DVD. We had a friend over who is 2 1/2 and he loved it. He didn’t simply sit and stare at the screen, which would have turned us off as parents. Instead, he grabbed a ball and played along with the children on the TV and tried to sing the songs. I love how the DVD included some of the rules of the game “Only the goalie can use their hands!” without harping on it or presenting it as a lecture.

In all, this is a great DVD and I’d love to see the rest of the series. It comes with a TOP recommendation, with the usual cautions about children and screen time as well as our encouragement to watch and play with your kids.

Get 15% off your athleticBaby order with the code 99621
You’ll find athleticBaby in our TOP Shops!

Win the athleticBaby Soccer DVD for your little athlete! Send an email to theopinionatedparent[at]gmail[dot]com with Soccer in the subject heading and name one other DVD in the athleticBaby series that you’re interested in. Contest ends at midnight MST on March 9, 2007. Congratulations, Alexia!

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