Movie Info:
Rating: G
Studio: Disney

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

Parents tend to get more nervous when it comes to letting babies in front of the television. This was not as much an issue when I was a child or when my son was. I am a big believer in educational television and things in moderation. If you’re using your television as a babysitter well then your child may end up with some issues. If you only let them watch it occasionally though and you pay attention to what you’re letting them watch then it shouldn’t be so bad.

The Baby Einstein series is creative, fun, and educational. Parents that want to introduce their children to classic music and baby-friendly images will enjoy these DVDs immensely. When these came out my son was too old to enjoy them, but my nephew really loved them. It was nice to see this tenth anniversary DVD come out and I was impressed by not only the series, but the bonus section, as well.

There are plenty of good songs on the Baby Mozart DVD. These songs include one of the all time children’s favorites “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Along with the music there are images of puppets, children playing a number of instruments (piano, violin, etc), and a selection of common and not so common toys that flash along the screen.

Normally I would not be as impressed by Baby Einstein, but it is the combination of elements that appeal to me as a parent and to the children watching the DVD. I appreciate the bright colors and images mixed with the perfect musical elements to create a fun and educational DVD for the youngest audience available.

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.

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Movie Info:
Rating: G
Studio: Disney

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Buy this at Amazon for $17.99

In an age where parents are against sitting a baby in front of the television, it’s nice to be able to offer the babies a chance to indulge, the parents a chance to relax, and the realization that the children are learning something in front of the television. Baby Einstein does just that. The DVDs are informative, entertaining, creative, and educational. They are perfect for parents to have a few moments to not be interrupted and perfect for babies for entertainment and education.

My nephew absolutely loved these when he was a baby. The puppets, images, and music appealed to him as they do most babies. He would sit still and soak in all of the information as it was presented on the screen.

Babies will be able to listen to some of Beethoven’s best music. On this DVD they will be exposed to “Ode to Joy” and the “Ninth Symphony.” Pictures of young children and toddlers are shown playing music instruments ranging from drums and saxophones to the violin and the piano. Along with the clips of babies and toddlers are sock puppets and different images of toys. The toys include trains and pull toys among other things.

The music and the ultimate construction of the DVDs in the Baby Einstein series are what make these so special. The music really brings all this together because the images alone would likely bore a child. However, the stimulation found in the images with the music is a great source of learning for a newer baby or a young child.

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

TV Show Info:
Writers: Simon Nicholson, Keith Chapman
Cast: Neil Morrissey, Mac Silk, Lorelei King, Emma Tate
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox/Hit Entertainment
Studio: Hits Entertainment & Lyons

Release Info:
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 26, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99

Seriously, who has kids and doesn’t like Bob the Builder? Before Obama stole it, Bob the Builder had the slogan, “Yes, we can!” Bob and his team of trucks really show kids how to build things in an inventive way. I’m not big into construction since I don’t work in the industry. I still managed to learn quite a bit from Bob and his team. The cool thing about this show is that parents and kids can learn building concepts together. Thanks to Bob the Builder: On Site - Houses and Playgrounds, now I know the process if I ever happen to build my own house, and/or playground.

This DVD is even cooler because in Bob the Builder: On Site - Houses and Playgrounds, the action goes on site. Not only do children learn all about building through Bob, his machines, and watching them work. They get the chance to see actual, live machines and workers as they perform the various tasks that Bob outlines. In Bob the Builder: On Site - Houses and Playgrounds, the audience gets to see live machines working on building a house from the ground up. Playgrounds from their inception, are also shown being built. It’s pretty cool that Bob can relate the action of his show to the action that occurs in every day life.

While, yes, some parts of Bob the Builder are cheesy, and yes I am referring to the refresher rap/song that is sung “How do we do it”, after each project is completed, kids will really get into this catchy yet repetitious song. Its a little too Barney for my tastes, but then again I am 27. It’s a minor complaint that only an adult could have. What is Bob the Builder really about anyway? The kids, so my opinion on how “cool” this song is doesn’t really matter.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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LI Kids is proud to be giving away three copies of Growing Up Safari on DVD. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will choose a winner for this the week of July 27, 2008. This means that you have until July 26, 2008 at 11:59 PM EST to enter the contest.

Description:
For the first time on DVD, you can enter the world of Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes and Hyenas, as baby animals find their way through their young lives with the help of some professional human caregivers.

GROWING UP ELEPHANT
His keepers describe Maximus as cocky and quick to learn. Witness the miraculous birth and a year of baby elephant’s firsts, as Maximus goes from a 300-pound baby to an 11,000-pound giant.

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Written by Janey - Visit Website
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Creator: Margaux Towne-Colley
Cast: Grayson Carter Colley, Owen Robert Justice, Margaux Towne-Colley, Beth Wendel Paprocki, Jerry Longe
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Us 2 LLC
Release Date: November 2007

I thought there’d come a day where children of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered families would have their own children’s programming. I had thought mainstream television shows would do it first, but ever since PBS balked at a little criticism about featuring a GLBT family on its show Postcards from Buster, children’s programming and television networks have conveniently avoided an entire population of children. It’s all politics really and the fear of a public outcry at something still deemed vile by ignorant individuals who are still stuck in the dark ages.

I could go into my views of GLBT rights, religion and a host of other hot topics, but that would derail me from my intended purpose in posting a review for the new children’s television show, Buddy G: My Two Moms and Me. Buddy G is the first animated character that I know of who has two moms. The number of programs for GLBT families is growing as independent companies start developing their own shows in lieu of the commercial, non-conforming networks out there.

Yes, Buddy G: My Two Moms and Me is geared towards GLBT families, but kids with moms and dads and those in other living situations can relate to the adventures Buddy G goes on with his best friend, Owen, and his special computer, Socrates. While Buddy G: My Two Moms and Me might be called “My Two Moms and Me”, Buddy G is a universal kid who experiences life just like any other kid, except for the fact that he has two moms.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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Writer: Tammy Stoner
Director: Andrea Maxwell
Cast: Jen Plante
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Pink Pea Productions
Release Date: September 17, 2007

As a parent in a somewhat non-traditional family I like to encourage my son to watch a wide variety of cartoons and television shows. Unfortunately, until recently all of the shows that typically depict GLBT individuals were geared towards adults. With so many children in GLBT households, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before children’s programming embraced the diversity of non-traditional families.

Children live in so many different living environments these days. Two moms, two dads, a mom and a dad, grandparents, one parent, aunts and uncles, and even older (adult) siblings can and do raise children. There is no set family structure and unfortunately, the television atmosphere hasn’t changed with the times, alienating a massive audience of children who don’t live in a mom-dad household. Still, while other living situations (one parent, grandparents) have been explored in part, the whole of children’s programming has avoided adding anything about GLBT families into their shows, with one exception, Postcards from Buster (though PBS, sadly, pulled the episode featuring a GLBT family – before it aired).

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Brainy Baby designs toys that inspire the mind of young children. I was particularly interested in how the company would handle the Brainy Baby French DVD. So, I sat down in front of the television set with not quite four year old, Lil B. He had no previous experience with French and I hadn’t spoken French since Middle School. Needless to say, it’d been awhile!

I am happy to report that the Brainy Baby French DVD was a hit! Now, that doesn’t mean Lil B is going to be able to go over to France and strike up a conversation, unless he wants to point out that someone has two eyes or one nose! However, what Brainy Baby brings to the table is the building blocks he is going to need to move towards the next level of his French studies once he gets into school.

Positives & Negatives:
-Affordable
-Exciting to Little Kids
-Teaches French Words – Educational
-Makes Children Excited to Learn
-Something Parents can do with Kids (Learn Together)
-Easy to Follow and Understand
-Visual Cues for Words

Negatives
-English translations flash on quickly and are sometimes hard to read
-Need to pay close attention for some of the translations

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!