It's no secret that I have a punk rock princess running around my house. I hope some day, she fronts the top selling punk or indie rock band and is adored by millions. Though, if she's going to be any good at dancing around on the stage at all, she's going to need to master some coordination. Therefore, while she's still a punk rock princess in diapers, she's going to have to become a ballerina.
Prima Princessa is just the help we needed. The Prima Princessa DVD features scenes from the ballet, Swan Lake, performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. It's quite an adventure for some pre-school-aged girls who are featured in the DVD, dancing around and having a blast in their tutus. Guided by the animated fairy herself (to your right), Prima Princessa, your little princess is able to live this adventure right along with them.
My toddler has fallen in love with this DVD. She asks for her "princess" movie all of the time. She likes to try to mimic the dance sequences and I just watch on with a huge smile across my face. It won't be long now...
Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake is available in DVD format for $19.99 by clicking HERE. You can view a short video clip by clicking HERE. While you're at it, print out some coloring pages HERE. We're really into the printing out of coloring pages right now.
WIN IT!
We have TWO copies of Prima Princessa presents Swan Lake to give away to TWO of our readers!
TO ENTER:
Answer two questions. Submit your answers to the following questions to mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com with "Princessa" in the subject line:
Question 1: "How many coloring pages are available on the Prima Princessa website?" (Hint: read my last paragraph above for link)
Question 2: "What are the names of the moms behind the Prima Princessa DVD?" (Hint: click HERE)
Two winners will be chosen at random and notified via email on Wednesday, March 26th at 10PM CST.
Good luck! (Oh, and check out my little punk rock princess ballerina in action below!)
PS: Want to double your chances of winning one of these fabulous DVDs? Click over and visit Amanda's site and enter her giveaway too!
I'm so glad we have other options for educational viewing and listening material besides the Baby Einsteins series. Don't get me wrong, I do own several of the Baby Einstein products, although, had the Little Laureate DVDs/CDs been available at the time, I would have purchased them first and foremost. The more I read/hear about Little Laureate, the more impressed with the company and vision I am.
The Little Laureate DVD/CD series features the work of famous artists and classical music played by the Moscow International Orchestra. 
"Star" is the host on these DVDs and will keep the wheels in your child's head turning for the entire 30 minutes. Put on one of the 60 minute cd's and assist in accelerating your child's brain development. There is also a 24-page parent book included with each DVD/CD set. This series is geared toward children 18 months and up. Of course, children of any age will probably find it fascinating.
Little Laureate Founder/President, Heather Maclean (mom of three) has a very impressive background as an entrepreneur and has been named one of the "16 Best Entrepreneurs in America" by Sir Richard Branson. She appeared on the reality t.v. show
"The Rebel Billionaire" in 2004.
MumsTheWurd along with KidStuff PR and Little Laureate are happy to offer the, "My World Gallery", "My World Colors" and "My World Adventure" DVD/CD sets for giveaway during our First Anniversary Bash!
To enter the Little Laureate giveaway:
Leave a comment on THIS post including the following information:
- First Name
- Email address (you can type it out like this: yourname at yahoo dot com)
*We are extending entries to this contest an extra day, since it's so close to the cutoff of our other anniversary giveaways. You have until the end of the day, March 7th (any time zone) to enter. A winner will be chosen at random the morning of March 8th and contacted via email.
GOOD LUCK!
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
SPECIAL DEAL FOR OUR READERS: If you click over to Little Laureate's website to purchase any of the DVD/CD sets, here is a special code that you can use to BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE! All you have to do is place your two selections in the cart and when you get to the check out, enter the code "mums" in the Coupon Code section (just below the shopping cart area). Click Apply and you're all set!
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
When you became a parent, you may have received Baby Einstein or some other educational DVD for your child but you may not have heard of "As I Grow" from Egghead Learning Systems.
The DVD series "As I Grow" was created by pediatrician and mother of two, Dr. Ilham Algayed. Dr. Algayed and a team of child development experts designed this series with early childhood developmental stages in mind.
The series includes six DVDs. Each DVD consists of a three month age span. Such as, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 and so on (up to 18 months). Click HERE to view sample video excerpts from each DVD. A baby absorbs information very quickly in his or her first year and a half of life and this series is meant to grow with your child.
The As I Grow DVD series is sold as a set because as your child moves into a different stage of learning, each age-appropriate DVD builds on what the previous DVD has introduced.
Dr. Algayed and her team have taken quite a bit of time to research this series and that was obvious to me after sitting down and talking with her at great length about As I Grow.
The As I Grow DVD series retails for $74.99. You can purchase the set by clicking HERE and for a limited time, free shipping is being offered.
WIN IT!
We are pleased to be able to offer one of our readers an As I Grow DVD set!!!
To enter, please send an email to mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com with "As I Grow" in the subject line. In the body of your message let us know which, if any, educational DVDs you have for your children.
A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, January 16th at 10pm CST.
Good luck!
Before I knew who Publications International, Ltd. was, I already had quite a few of their electronic books on Hailey's bookshelf.
Included in her collection are some of her favorite characters; Nemo, Elmo, Dora, Baby Einstein and her absolute favorites, the Little Einsteins. We also have the Disney Princesses floating around our house somewhere...
She has enjoyed these books ever since she could sit up and use her motor skills, which has been a long time now. Her most recent favorites are the Little Einsteins book pictured above and her "Party Time with Blue" book. She loves moving the hands of the clock and listening to what time it is. She's actually learning how to tell what time it is at age 2 because she plays with this book so much. Don't get me wrong, I'm still the best teacher for her but a little help along the way doesn't bother me in the least.
You can find these electronic books virtually everywhere and they make for GREAT, inexpensive gifts (generally retailing under $20) for the little ones.
We've also just discovered the Story Reader line by Publications International, Ltd. The Classic Story Reader Line (ages 3-8 yrs) and My First Story Reader (6 mos-3 yrs) are fantastic additions to your gift list this year. Both retail for around $20 and include three interchangeable books. I highly recommend the Story Reader books. We actually also have the Leap Frog Little Touch LeapPad and I prefer the Story Reader books to that, plus they are cheaper.
So, you may have to run back out and grab something from Publications International to put under the tree this year...you still have plenty of time left! :)
We recently reviewed the First Signs and Sharing Signs
DVDs from Baby Hands Productions. The third installment of the "My Baby Can Talk" signing DVDs is now available!
Exploring Signs will assist you in teaching your little one 24 new signs including how to ask for juice or point out clouds in the sky. They will also learn how to sign some colors!
We just can't say enough about these educational communication DVDs. The folks at Baby Hands Productions have done an amazing job and we feel that soon, every baby/toddler will be signing away thanks to this parent and kid friendly series.
We have TWO copies of "Exploring Signs" to give away!
Please send an email to mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com with subject line "SIGNING" for your chance to win.
Two winners will be chosen on Monday, October 22nd (HAILEY'S 2nd BIRTHDAY!) at 10PM CST.
Good luck!
*While you're waiting to hear if you've won, please "explore" the My Baby Can Talk website for very valuable signing resources!
Exploring Signs is available for purchase for $19.95 HERE.
When Hailey was still an infant, I attended a weekly meeting sponsored by my hospital. Often, they invited guest speakers to come and chat with the new moms. One special speaker happened to be deaf. She gave us some signing resources online and now I really had something to think about, will I teach my baby to sign?
Well, I attempted. With our busy schedules, it proved to be a little more than difficult to keep up the routine. We did get a couple of signs to stick, one of them being "more". She uses that sign currently. I always had good intentions with my baby but just never made a huge effort.
The My Baby Can Talk series of videos were created by Kathleen Waidhofer and her company, Baby Hands Productions. When Kathleen's first child was still a baby, she struggled with the lack of communication resources on the market. She made it her priority to gather as much information as possible and make it available to all of us.
Hailey was instantly amused by these colorful DVDs. She pointed at things asking, "Whassat?" (More times than I care to mention) She also started mimicking the hand movements of the signing babies.
I'll admit, I thought to myself that we really didn't "need" to learn signing at this point, with her reaching the 20 month mark and talking up a storm. We started doing the signs together and she surprised me by using them out in public or around the house. I was pretty impressed. My thoughts then turned to the fact that when we add to our family in the future, it would be quite helpful to have a preschooler around helping to teach her little brother or sister how to sign. Children tend to copy other children. It's a fool-proof plan. :)
The My Baby Can Talk videos use American Sign Language (ASL) to delight baby's senses, as well as educate and entertain them. I found them comparable to the Baby Einstein series of videos , except that the signing videos are of much better quality.
Here are some pictures of Hailey signing along with the video with very little prompting from me. She watches the signing being performed and just copies what she sees (click to enlarge):
When you have a chance, please check out the My Baby Can Talk website. Kathleen and her crew have provided us with great tips on:
If you'd like to shop now for the videos, click HERE.
WIN IT!
We have TWO sets of My Baby Can Talk DVDs (First Signs & Sharing Signs) to give away to TWO lucky MTW readers!
To enter:
Please send an email to mumsthewurd@gmail.com with "Signing" as the subject and tell us if your baby/toddler/school-aged kiddo knows any sign language. Feel free to share which words he/she/they know!
Winners will be picked on Sunday, October 7th at 10PM CST.
GOOD LUCK!
***Watch for the newest edition to the My Baby Can Talk line of videos, "Exploring Signs" making its debut on October 15th. Also keep an eye out here at MTW for your chance to win a copy of it!
If your children are anything like ours, they are constantly trying to get on your computer-banging the keys, turning it on and off, getting grubby prints on the screen...you know the drill. Now, with the insertion of a USB cable, your child can actually use your computer, without disaster ensuing. In fact, he or she will probably learn something! Comfy is an educational learning system that quickly and easily hooks up to your PC. Load the CD onto your desktop, and wham! Endless amounts of fun.
The software ranges in skill level and age. Hailey and Noel have
First Steps (beginner 1-3 yrs.), Let's Imagine (intermediate 1-3 yrs.), and Birthday Party (Advanced 1-3 yrs.). After playing with this for a few weeks, Let's Imagine seems on par with Noel's age and skill level (20 mo.). I think he'll enjoy Birthday Party more in a few months. Honestly, he just seemed bored with First Steps after just a few times using it (this parent also found the characters a little irritating).
I like the "keyboard" with it's big, colorful buttons, each of which makes something new happen. Your child can pound away on these and you don't have to fear it breaking. The one thing I don't like is the "telephone" that's attached to the keyboard. Noel has picked it up and dropped it a few times, and it came apart at the seams. I did manage to get it 
back together, but he (and I) can't really figure out how to "talk" to the characters. It just seems like an unnecessary feature. My one other complaint is the plastic overlay that comes with the other software sets. You're supposed to lay this over the top of the keyboard and it corresponds with the new game & characters. However, Amy & I have both discovered that our kids would rather just rip this right off and continue to press the buttons that are already there. My thought is that perhaps the buttons could be a bit more generic so that this piece wasn't necessary.
Overall, I like the Comfy, and Noel sure does LOVE it. He climbs up into his chair every day and waits patiently to play on it. I do think I would probably wait just a few more months (when he's 2 or older) to introduce it though. Because kids this age have a hard time understanding and following instruction, I don't know that I would really recommend it for a child under two. On the other hand, he has definitely learned a lot from the Comfy, including shapes, colors, and new songs! This fun & educational learning tool is something I would definitely recommend, for children that are just a bit older than mine.
Word World is a brand new show making it's debut on PBS this Monday, September 3rd, at 11:30 AM CST. The station that brought you your favorites as a kid (Mr. Rogers & Sesame Street were mine), now brings more fun and educational programming to your kids! As a long time lover of all things on public television, I knew Word World would be as great as all of their other children's shows. Noel and Hailey were lucky enough to be able to preview 2
episodes of this cute, entertaining, and educational show, and they love it! Everything on this show has the word built into it. It's so unique! Parents and teachers can read more about Word World here. Also be sure to check out Super Why!, which also makes it's big debut this Monday, at 10 AM CST. Catch a sneak preview over to your right when you click the link!
Perhaps, if you buy your child the set of DVDs created by Dr. Robert Titzer, your baby will learn to read! We received a copy of the "Your Baby Can Read!" series DVDs, and it is really pretty amazing. We've been doing the Starter video with Noel, and he loves it! It's done using a lot of different children, and they show the focus words on the screen. The same words are used throughout the play time, which is 20 minutes.
Parents that may be worried about children watching TV can watch the Parent portion done by Dr. Titzer, explaining how he came up with this method and how it works. He suggests showing your child very little TV, other than the videos, which total about 40 minutes a day of learning. He shows his own children reading at very young ages, recognizing words at 8 months, and reading never-before-seen words at 18 months.
We've been using this video series for about 3 weeks now, and I've seen Noel start to recognize words as they're used and said in the videos. I will keep you updated on his progress and let you know how it works! We should have the set completed in about 6 months.
We are giving away a Tutor.com 75 minute session ($40 value) to one MTW reader. To enter this giveaway, just leave us a comment on this post (including your email address, please). Winner will be drawn randomly on Saturday, August 18th.
To learn more about Tutor.com, visit their site by clicking HERE.
Good luck!
School Zone offers a wide variety of teaching tools for children ranging from babies to 6th grade. You can get your child started learning from infancy, and give them fun and educational material as they get older. School Zone also provides parents and teachers with resources and items for the classroom. You can also find a safe and educational on-line area that includes games, videos, and stories and songs that your kids will love!
the Happy Faces Infant Mirror Cards,
and the Peek-A-Boo Bear. 
He loves the animal friends and peek-a-boo bear (his favorite game)! With a child that already loves to be read to and to look at bright, colorful pictures (that he can't destroy-they're hard, board book material) these are perfect for him! Truly, I am mostly looking forward to using these School Zone products with the new baby!
before having a baby, i hated baby einstein. i can sum up my former thoughts about einstein products with one word: gimmick. well, i was wrong, and when i'm wrong, i'll admit it. i love these products! the dvds have saved my sanity several times when my son was younger. our most recent einstein purchase was this set:
the alphabooks are 26 individual books that, you guessed it...focus on each letter of the alphabet. they come in a cute little portable box (with handy carrying capabilities!), are bright and colorful, and use characters from the videos that your kids might recognize! i'm hoping these will be a good tool to use with noel to help him learn his all important ABC's. so far, he seems to enjoy them! the two downsides to these books: too tiny (about 2 1/2" x 2 1/2) and too short (only three pages). however, i like them because noel can easily thumb through them, and they're bright and colorful to keep him interested. all in all, a good choice (and only $11 at costco!).