The Wheels on the Bus... and More Sing-Along Favorites (Scholastic Video Collection) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a few sing-along DVDs for my 28 month old son and picked this one up along with a few others.
The first one I put in was a Sesame Street, Sing Yourself Silly. He screamed and threw a tantrum crying for his Math Circus DVD. Didnt go over so well. Glutten for punishment, I put this DVD in instead of his Math Circus.
When it came on, the introduction was cute, and I thought, this is kind of nice. Then the Wheels on the Bus came on. And the people and the drawings made it look like some sort of psychodelic vision. I thought it was creepy. Plus the song was kind of slow and I was disappointed becuase I thought it would be something he could sing along with and this was way more drawn out. Thinking this was a disaster I looked over at my son who, through tear stained eyes, said:
"ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
Um, he loved it. Creepy people and all. He gets all excited by various parts and wants to watch it over and over again. He is even singing along. Now, Im so used to it, I kind of dig the singing (which is more bluesy or something, not sing songy kiddish) and I like it too.
Having not learned my lesson, I was again shocked at the Dem Bones being all these dead skeletons that appeared to have been drawn by a (not particularly talented) five year old, but once again, he thought it was great (wasnt scared) and starting singing to that one too (and pointing out the various parts on him, which impressed me he could make the connection to the freaky skeletons and himself). He asks for this DVD all the time now.
So Scholastic obviously knows something I dont and based on my son's reaction, I have no choice but to give this five stars.

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Hop on the bus and sing along with these favorite children’s songs! THE WHEELS ON THE BUS (By Paul O. Zelinsky) The classic children’s ditty comes to glorious life with Paul O. Zelinsky’s eye-popping art and a lively musical score by The Bacon Brothers. DEM BONES (By Bob Barner) A skeleton band will tickle your funny bone with words and music to the well-known song based on the African-American spiritual. OVER IN THE MEADOW (By John Langstaff, Illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky) This endearing version of an old counting song for children is filled with the beauty and wonder of meadow life. I KNOW AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY (By Rose Bonne and Alan Mills) Sung by the legendary Burl Ives, this old lady ends up swallowing much more than just the fly. DVD Features: 2 Extra Bonus Stories Exclusive to DVD - "I Want A Dog" by Dayal Kaur Khalsa and "The Chinese Violin" by Madeleine Thien; Read Along; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection; Auto-Play

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Little Amadeus: Season 1 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)"We have been watching the DVD series "Little Amadeus". We are learning about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We like that the stories are funny, but they tell us real details about his life. Amadeus was an adventurous little boy and he sometimes got into trouble. We learned that the Mozart family were musicians, but that Amadeus was a musical genius. Amadeus was composing music at 8 years old! That is amazing! We are learning about different musical instruments that he played and used in his music. It's neat to be able to listen to the radio and to hear his music playing."
Coleman 11, Gabe 8, Henry 6, Millie 4
I have enjoyed "listening" to the DVD's while in the car. The kids find them interesting and actually ask if they can watch them. I like that there is factual information and enjoy the original compositions that are played throughout the episodes. However, it is sometimes difficult to know what the factual details are and which ones are just making a funny story. I have not done a ton of research on the Mozart family, so when the kids ask if something really happened I can not say for sure. Guess I need to study up! Also, for those with younger viewers, the words "stupid" and "idiot" are used several times. And for parents with older children, there are some thematic elements that I had to discuss after viewing (cheating on school work with no repercussion, mild bullying) There was a villain throughout the series, who, in the end, always failed to accomplish what he wanted. I found him to be pretty harmless...creative, but harmless. All in all, this series is a great investment for a bit of Music Appreciation and Music History. The set actually includes student pages and classroom activities which were a great compliment to the DVD's. I recommend the series highly, but be prepared to know your facts...your kids just might ask you!
Momma Ears

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MOZART:LITTLE AMADEUS SEASON 1 - DVD Movie

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The Wiggles: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)My boys and I love this video. We also purchased "Pop go the Wiggles" this summer, which is cute, but not as much fun as this one. As much as I've said I'm sick of the Wiggles (we're going on 3 years of listening to them!!), I must say I find myself dancing to this one with my 3 and 5 year old boys. It's a lot of fun.

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The Wiggles professional experience as early childhood educators has taught them that children learn best through play. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing includes 20 new songs, and featuring special guest Leo Sayers.

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Doodlebops: Superstars (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)On the whole, the DVD is OK. The stories are cute and the songs are great. However, my 3 year old started watching the shows on Disney Channel and the format now is so structured - basically the same every episode (Find Moe, go record a video, get on the bus, go to the show). He was really alarmed that these early episodes are completely different, but finally is OK with that. Also, these episodes the Doodlebops the makeup looks a lot different. Looks like the wig is attached to the neck and head and the actors faces peek through

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DOODLEBOPS SUPERSTARS - DVD Movie

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We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)My son watches Noggin quite a bit, and we were thus introduced to the music of the Laurie Berkner Band through their "music videos" on that network. The songs are cute and catchy and generally not as annoying as most children's music, but lately our favorite song videos--for songs like "Pig On Her Head" or "Victor Vito"--have been airing less and less frequently. So I was really excited to see this collection advertised on TV. It not only has our favorites (other songs include "Buzz Buzz Buzz," "We Are the Dinosaurs," and "Under A Shady Tree") but a few songs we didn't know yet and a bonus audio CD to take along in the car. One song, "I'm Gonna Get You" goes over the days of the week, and I think it will be a fun way to teach the days to my son, so I'm looking forward to getting to know it better.
The settings for the videos are simple and colorful, the band's scenes are mixed with kids singing along, just as on the Noggin videos, and the band members themselves are fun, seem friendly, and wear really colorful clothes that are sure to catch kids' attention. It should be noted that the videos on this DVD are NOT the same as those on Noggin; they've been redone with slightly more elaborate sets and with a different group of children.
The quality of the songs, videos, and performances are all top-notch. My only real complaint is that one song is sung by the backup singer Brian, who is apparently much better at harmonizing than at singing a melody. His "Oh Susannah" is off-key and not nearly as enjoyable as the other videos.
The DVD has 10 songs as well as bonus behind-the-scenes videos. As mentioned it comes with a bonus audio CD as well. Overall, I think this is a great buy for anyone familiar with Laurie Berkner's music or with the videos on Noggin, and I also think it's a great buy for any parents looking for some fun music to sing and dance along to with their children. Considering the number of CDs Laurie Berkner has out there, there could perhaps have been more songs on this collection, but it's on par with most children's music videos and indeed some adult music video collections, so I don't think this is a detriment to the item.

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DVD 1. I'm Gonna Catch You 2. We Are the Dinosaurs 3. Victor Vito 4. Walk Along The River 5. Under A Shady Tree 6. Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz) 7. O Susannah 8. The Goldfish 9. Pig On Her Head 10. Moon, Moon, Moon 11. TelephoneDVD Extras: Behind the scenes/making of (set to the song "I Know A Chicken") "I'm A Mess" recorded live on the set "Moon, Moon, Moon" choreography tutorial (learn the hand movements!)Bonus CD 1. Walk Along The River (previously unreleased) 2. We Are The Dinosaurs 3. Telephone 4. I'm Gonna Catch You 5. The Happiest Song I Know (Tom Chapin w/Laurie Berkner)

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Jack's Big Music Show: Let's Rock (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Anything Jack's Big Music Show get's a 5 star rating in my book. My issue with this product is it is claiming to be "season 1" however when you receive the dvd it is only 4 episodes, 1 of which was just released in 2007. Episodes actually on the DVD are Ground Hog Day, Little Bad Wolf, Jack & the Bean Stock & How Mel Got His Groove Back.
Season 1 actually consists of the following episodes:
Little Bad Wolf
How Mel Got His Groove Back
The Music Genie
The Bongo Bird Laurie Berkner
Marching Band
Bug Love
Mel's Super Swell Dance Party
Space Opera
Grow Daddio
The Grumpy Squirrel Laurie Berkner
King of Swing
Milkshake
Silly Show
Seasion 2 episodes:
Snow Day
Leonard the Country Squirrel
Spunky the Alien
Jack Bunny
Phil the Coo-Coo Bird
Jack's Big Oops!
Jack's Big Orchestra
Scat Cat
Groundhog Day
Super Swell Sing-Along
Comic Book Heroes
Mel's Bath Day
Jack and the Beanstalk


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Groundhog Day 207 "Hip hip hooray, it’s Ground Hog Day!"Jack is so excited for his favorite holiday and can’t wait to find out if the ground hog will see her shadow or not!But he might not find out because a scared Gertrude the Ground Hog runs into the clubhouse and nervously peeks out the window, "Are they out there yet?Are they?" Jack and the gang learn that today is Gertrude’s first Ground Hog Day as the ground hog (the one who everyone gathers around to find out if it sees its own shadow).But Gertrude can’t do it, she doesn’t want to be the center of attention, she’s too shy to face all the people and cameras!Gertrude is not going out there!What will happen to Ground Hog Day?! Jack and the Bean Stalk 208 Jack finds some magic beans, which promptly grow into a huge beanstalk, breaking through the clubhouse ceiling, straight up into the clouds.Jack and the gang climb up to investigate and find themselves at the enormous door of a beautiful kingdom high above the clouds. It is here Jack, Mary and Mel meet the Giant, who is very sad.The Giant explains that he just doesn’t know what to get his wife for her birthday.All he has given her in the past are golden eggs, and she’s had enough of them.After trying out some gift ideas, the gang decides that the Giant should give his wife the gift of song.But what song will he sing? How Mel Got His Groove Back 102Today, the clubhouse is rocking big-time!Mel gets a little carried away with his drum solo and accidentally sends a drum flipping through the air.The drum lands right on Mel and bonks him on the head.We soon discover Mel the dog thinks he’s a cat!Jack tries to bring back Mel’s "dog-gone" memory with his favorite dog toys and treats.Luckily, our good friend Cathy stops by and teaches us a song that gets Mel’s doggie groove back!What a day! Little Bad Wolf 101 Hold on to your musical instruments.Jack, Mary and Mel get a visit from The Little Bad Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf’s brother.He huffs and puffs and blows the instruments all over the place making piles of musical messes.How can we get The Little Bad Wolf to stop blowing down the clubhouse?We can teach him how to play the perfect instrument for a wolf full of hot air.He learns how to blow a tuba!The Little Bad Wolf helps us rock the clubhouse and we all make marvelous music together.What a day!

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