My 2 year old paid attention (can't say the same for the 9 month old but his attention does wanter... !), and my 6 and 7 year olds were rapt. I myself also learned all types of bug lore that was new to me.
BrainFood Learning is a small company started by Bryce and Jennifer Mooney. Their company currently has three animal kingdom DVDs available - one about Insects, one about Birds, and one about Mammals. I am thinking about buying the two I don't have, they will be a nice addition to my science DVD collection!
Although I would like to be the kind of parent who *never* turns the TV on, the fact is that my kids do get occasional TV time when I need a break. So I try to keep shows around that I don't feel too guilty about letting them watching. This DVD falls very nicely into this category.
What I like:
- The macro portions of the DVD provide an up close and personal look inside the life of bugs!
- There are great vocabulary discussions, they are not dumbed down for little kids.
- The cool dissections of insects shown.
- The wide range of members of the insect world covered. Everything from fire flies to rhino beetles to grasshoppers.
- At the end of the video there are review sections you can use to turn this video into a learning experience and not just a viewing!
- You can watch the whole video in one sitting, or the menu is nicely laid out to allow you to study just one bug at a time.
My kids favorite fact? Did you know a ladybug flaps its wings 85 times in 1 second? Crazy! And there are many different colors of ladybugs? Fun stuff, and well presented so the kids remember it. A month after watching this my kids still remember interesting facts about insects - which means it's a winner in my book!
BrainFood learning just came out with some supplemental material you can use with their DVDs, it is available (for free) here. There is extra material to read, great pictures, a review of the vocabulary, and some quizzes.
If you'd like to get a feel for the quality of the video before buying it, there is a great preview of it available from YouTube:
In conclusion? We liked it and I was impressed with how professionally it is put together. This feels like educational material and it's still fun enough that the kids enjoy it. In combination with the supplements available I think this DVD can provide a solid "mini class" about insects. This isn't just video fluff for kids, it's worthwhile content.
For more opinions on this DVD and others by BrainFood learning, check out the full review link up from The Old Schoolhouse's Review Crew, here.
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