It’s a rare DVD that engages (and is appropriate for) all three of my children at once. My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes with Me - is that rare DVD.

CJ was my intended target audience for this DVD; it’s perfect for her. She knows her shapes, can draw them shakily, and can identify them in objects around her. She talks back to programs that ask her questions. And one of the little girls on this DVD is named Catherine. Score!

I figure Oliver would be mildly entertained. Obviously he’s nowhere near grasping the concept of shapes, but he’s a baby and babies dig puppets. Clowns, not so much - but puppets? Oh yeah.

So it was Tacy who was the big surprise. I never expected her to sit down and happily watch, and I really never expected her to get up off the sofa and make round shapes and angular shapes with her body. I didn’t expect CJ to do that either - she never obliges when Dora exhorts her to “Stand up, please!” - but she did.

Speaking of angular - and no, I’m not going to make a Sprockets joke - I love that they introduced that concept in this DVD. Angles aren’t a difficult concept in and of themselves, but kids usually learn about angles along with a whole host of other concepts and terminology - right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles - and how they relate to geometry. It’s a lot to take in at once. At least now the concept of angles will be familiar to my kids, thanks to this DVD.

The music is appealing to children, yet not at all childish, and although the visuals are a bit much for a mom who prefers to look at the inside of her eyelids while relaxing, they aren’t over the top. And again, those puppets are darned cute.

Check out the series of PBN reviews of My Baby A to Z - Come Explore Shapes with Me - and use my extra-special coupon code (SWNXHTUR) to get 20% off for yourself when you purchase through the My Baby A to Z site. Whoo!

Two things about kids: 1) They love animals; and 2) They love anything with their name on it.

CJ will point out C’s and J’s anywhere she sees them.  When she sees me at the computer, she hops onto my lap and starts pestering me to type her name.  Never mind that she thinks C-J spells “Mousie”; she’s a big fan of her name in any incarnation.

Likewise, she loves animals.  She’s more fascinated by them than Tacy was at this age.  On one of our trips to the zoo, she and a baby baboon stared at each other through the glass - until the baboon’s mother leaped at CJ, screeching in alarm.  Startled me more than it did her.

So even though I was a little dubious about this blue-haired main character named Billy, I figured a DVD filled with animal facts and several mentions of her name would be right up CJ’s alley.

Billy Blue Hair: Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? is an award-winning DVD (2006 iParenting Media Award, for one) hosted by Billy Blue Hair himself - an animated character whose blue hair and casual style is intended to appeal to kids.

CJ definitely enjoyed the DVD, but I’m not sure Billy deserves the credit.  I think she really dug all of the animal footage.  Oh, and hearing her name.  Not even Blue’s Clues or Dora address her by name.

For my part, I liked all the animal footage too, as well as the facts and figures.  The style of the script was a bit inconsistent though.  Billy’d be going along just fine, speaking at a kid’s level, and then all of a sudden he’d launch into a description that sounded like it was straight out of Encyclopedia Britannica.  I got the gist of it, but I’m pretty sure it would go right over most kids’ heads.

Even so, I’d rather have her watch something that she might not fully comprehend yet than something that’s completely dumbed down.  With Billy Blue Hair, Tacy can watch and not be bored out of her gourd.  Plus, it’s one of the few items that I can hand down from CJ to Oliver - as long as he doesn’t start thinking that his name is CJ, or that C-J spells “Olliepop”.

While CJ is still in speech therapy, we’ve seen her progress by leaps and bounds this summer.  Not only is she speaking in complete sentences, she’s acquired a newfound love of reading.  Well, she loves it when we read to her, that is.

But she’s also starting to consistently recognize and identify letters, and while she can’t yet put any of those letters together - except for C and J, which she insists spells “Mousie” - she’s on her way.  So it’s really important for me to encourage her, even when it means dropping everything to respond and reinforce.

Not surprisingly, I was really hoping there’d be a spot left for me in the latest PBN DVD campaign, featuring “Meet the Sight Words”.  I’m not usually a fan of kids’ DVDs - give me a Pixar movie instead, please - so that’s a testimonial to the appeal of “Meet the Sight Words” right there.

I actually haven’t watched the DVD with her, but Kyle has.  The two of them sat down to watch together while I kept tapping away at my laptop and listened in.

Not only did both of them sit still through the entire thing, repeating back the words to the screen, but CJ sat through a repeat screening immediately.  She’s asked to see the DVD again since then, and she’s also started talking specifically about “words”.

Kyle said that he really liked the animation, which is no faint compliment.  I cracked up to myself listening to the two of them repeat the words over and over with different inflections.  We’ve all been going around the house doing the same thing ever since.

Which may not be the objective of the DVD, but it’s definitely made an impression on all of us.  And if it’s helping to encourage CJ’s interest in letters and words, then it’s worth popping “Meet the Sight Words” into the player.

…but neither one of us wants to watch Barney.

Being the younger sister, CJ has had the benefit (or not, depending how you view it) of watching the same programs as her older sister Tacy. When in doubt, we screen the show geared toward the older child. That means a modest amount of Dora, very little Sesame Street, and absolutely no Barney.

Even when Tacy was younger, she didn’t watch Barney - mainly because Kyle and I couldn’t stand it. I actually don’t mind Barney himself that much; it’s BJ and Baby Bop that make me want to stick icepicks in my ears.

But we figured it was only fair to give CJ a shot at enjoying Barney, especially in the form of a DVD that contains two of her favorite things - letters (which she’s beginning to identify consistently) and animals (which she has always loved). Barney and Friends: Animal ABC’s was certainly our best bet at enticing CJ to watch that beloved big purple dinosaur.

And we tried. We screened it multiple times. We kept watching even when she had wandered away. We pointed out the animals and grooved along to the songs.

But it was all to no avail. SpongeBob Squarepants has taken away CJ’s innocence. Singing children and dancing dinosaurs hold no interest for her compared to a simpering yellow sponge and a smartypants squid.

If CJ had been the first child, and we’d shown her this DVD before ruining her with SpongeBob, I’m sure she would have loved it. As it is, my jaded three year-old has already moved on.

So long, Barney. We hardly knew ye.

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Want to win our Barney and Friends: Animal ABCs DVD? Send me an email at mothergoosemouse@gmail.com - lucky winner to be drawn at random!

And be sure to check out the other reviews of this DVD over at Parent Bloggers Network.

I have to admit that I own more children’s DVDs than I’d like.  Between that infernal Baby E=MC2 collection (you know what I mean) and everything that Pixar ever produced, I’m done with mass-marketed DVDs.

But I’ve got plenty of independently-produced DVDs too, and those are often painful, both to the eyes and the ears.  I’m reluctant to take any more chances on those either.

So I could be considered a children’s DVD skeptic.  At this point, I require proof that a DVD is worth watching before I’ll plunk my kids (and myself) down in front of it.

A Cool Mom Picks feature is pretty definitive proof, in my opinion.  And so, as part of the Parent Bloggers Network campaign for That Baby DVD, I popped it in and settled onto the sofa to enjoy the show.

Lo and behold, I did enjoy it.

Even better, my children didn’t settle onto the sofa beside me.  They twirled and danced right along with the show.

The music is wonderful.  Absolutely wonderful.  I can’t say enough about how much I actually enjoyed listening to it.  You just don’t hear that about children’s DVDs, but in this case, it’s true.

The children are darling.  What really struck me was how natural they were.  They can’t all be Oscar-winning child actors; these kids were really having a genuine good time, no acting required.  That’s one aspect of many children’s DVDs that grates on me - how obviously rehearsed the kids are.

The production is flawless.  Really.  I loved the graphics, the shots, the pacing.  Completely professional.

And my girls - especially the younger one - loved watching and listening and offering comments (especially in the beginning - “Butterflies!  In the tree!  Butterflies!  On my diapers!”).

It’s difficult to find children’s DVDs that are good entertainment for both parents and children.  That Baby DVD has done what is nearly impossible!

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Don’t believe me?  Get one yourself - at 20% off, using coupon code PBN - and give it a whirl.  If you don’t like it, there’s a money back guarantee, no questions asked.  And if the disc ever (next week, next month, next YEAR) gets scratched, return it for a replacement.  These guys really and truly stand behind their product.

I’m in the minority at my house; TV is not my idea of a good time.  Naturally, my kids love it.  So we work to find compromises - shows that entertain and educate them, but that don’t make my ears and eyes bleed.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network, I had the chance to introduce them to a show that isn’t yet airing on our local PBS station - The Zula Patrol, all about astronomy, biology, and geology.  Being a science geek myself, I’m thrilled to find new ways to expose my girls to science in ways that are fun and kid-oriented.

In The Zula Patrol, a team of aliens solves science-based problems.  The theme song is catchy and the characters are engaging, although I can’t help thinking that one of them (Zeeter) sounds like a female Bobcat Goldthwaite.  The first episode we watched was about the three types of rocks - sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic - and the second one focused on volcanos.  Tacy seemed to absorb the storylines more than the scientific facts themselves, but after several viewings, she’s starting to remember those three types of rocks.

For my part, I didn’t mind the storylines (obviously I’m thirty years old than the target demographic), but I did think the personification of the volcano in the second episode bordered on silliness.  I like that the creators want to include positive interpersonal relations in the message of the show, but a volcano that doesn’t want to erupt because his neighbors think he’s a nuisance?  Let’s stick with the science of it instead.

The Zula Patrol is a big hit at our house.  It’s been Tacy’s top viewing request since it arrived, and even though she hasn’t asked me to find new episodes, I’m going to place a call to Rocky Mountain PBS to let them know we’d like to see it added to their fall lineup.  Kid-oriented science shows are few and far between, and I’m glad to have found The Zula Patrol to help me foster an interest in science in my girls.

As I posted in my first review of “Your Baby Can Read”, I’d be thrilled if my younger daughter could learn to read, but I’d settle for her learning to talk. And as I posted on my personal site, my younger daughter had her first speech therapy session yesterday. Even without therapy, she’s been making great strides. What a difference six months can make!

Likewise, her response to the Introductory and Volume 1 DVDs of “Your Baby Can Read” was impressive - suddenly she was not only clapping, but saying the word as she performed the motion. But I’ve really been impressed by how Volume 2 has helped her comprehend action verbs - a point of weakness that the therapists observed at her initial evaluation a couple months ago. She’s beginning to use those words now, whereas she previously stuck to the nouns-as-descriptors.

(And “NO!” That one’s always a favorite.)

Of course, she adores seeing the children on screen and pointing out what they are doing. And she does recognize that words are made up of letters and those letters mean something. Is she reading? I don’t know, but it actually doesn’t much matter to me. Because although I may be using the DVDs and cards for a purpose other than their original intent - teaching little ones to sight-read - when I see the ways in which they are helping her learn, I know she’s benefiting from them.

The first night I met Kyle, he did card tricks for me.  I was smitten by his patter and smooth sleight of hand.  I’m a magician’s dream audience - I giggle at all the jokes and gape incredulously at the illusions.  And I really don’t want to know how the tricks are done - I love to believe in the illusion.

Our older daughter is just as fascinated by magic, but unlike me, she wants to know how the tricks are done - so that she can perform them herself.  Kyle has tried to teach her a few simple card tricks, but her tiny fingers aren’t quite adept enough to carry off sleights of hand.

Given her interest in magic, I knew she’d love the new DVD from illusionist Lyn Dillies - “Learn Magic With Lyn”.  Even though she’s a bit younger than the target age range (7 and up), she was able to follow the tricks easily and has had a great time trying them out on Kyle and me.  Some of the tricks require more attention to detail than others, but the simplest ones were no problem for her.  So I’m sure that kids who are within the target age range - and who are interested in magic and have the patience to practice tricks (and the patter to carry them off!) - could easily get good enough to perform for their friends or even in a school talent show.

Lyn herself is attractive and engaging, and I admire how she has built a career in entertainment borne out of her own longtime fascination with magic.  Her interaction with the kids in the DVD makes the show even more fun for kids who are watching.

There are lots of books about magic tricks, but watching an actual illusionist perform the tricks and then break them down step-by-step makes it much easier to learn and perfect the tricks.  I would definitely recommend this DVD for kids who are interested in learning magic themselves, and even adults like me - who still believe in magic - will get a kick out of it too.

Buy it!  Click HERE!

Win it!  I’ve got a copy of “Learn Magic With Lyn” - to enter, just e-mail mothergoosemouse@mothergoosemouse.com with MAGIC in the subject line by Sunday at 6pm EDT.  I’ll draw randomly from all the entries and announce the winner on Monday.

Both of my girls seem determined to buck the system.  While Tacy was talking up a storm by her first birthday, it’s only now that CJ has turned two that she’s begun to say more than just “No!” and “Bobby!” (aka SpongeBob).

Meanwhile, although I know Tacy is fully capable of sounding out words, she stubbornly resists our encouragement.  This was her MO during potty training too, so on one hand, I’m not too surprised.  But while both Kyle and I couldn’t wait to learn to read on our own (or so our parents tell us), our children seem perfectly happy to allow us to read to them.

Kyle and I (and Tacy too) are quite skeptical, so I was really interested in the “Your Baby Can Read” DVDs.  Could these DVDs spark interest in reading where little to none has existed so far?

While I don’t think that either of these DVDs (the Starter or Volume 1) - particularly in the short time that we’ve been watching them - have taught my girls to really READ, I can confirm that they’re engaging and interesting.  Simple without being infantile, descriptive without being overly dramatic - they’ve struck a balance that seems nearly impossible to achieve.

They’ve helped Tacy to recognize some basic words - connecting the letters to the word itself to the associated action or object.  Words like “eyes”, “nose”, and “mouth” - which even most toddlers can understand and identify by pointing - and “dog”, “cat”, and “gorilla” - again, which even most toddlers can recognize on sight, even if they can’t identify them verbally.

Likewise, they held CJ’s attention and elicited responses from her like no other educational program has done so far.  For example, she touched her nose when the word “nose” was shown on the screen.  And when a picture of a cat was shown, she said “cat” for the first time.  Granted, she’s saying new words every day now (thank goodness), but each one is significant - for her and for us.

I don’t expect my toddler to read (although I’d be thrilled if my nearly-five year-old showed more enthusiasm), but I still think these DVDs are a great tool.  Basic concepts and connections are presented in a way that kids can appreciate and parents can tolerate.  Very few DVDs can make the same claim.

Check out more reviews of “Your Baby Can Read” from the Parent Bloggers Network!