Children's and Educational Recommended DVD's and PC Rom CD's - New Reviews

This page will be updated to include the latest children's and Educational DVD's and CD's reviews written by our visitors.

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Paramount

Jakers! - School Days in Tara

Released October 24th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Since receiving these dvds, my 3 year old son has watched them over and over again, never boring of them!

Piggley in Trouble introduces you to Piggley’s grandson and his circle of friends. Set in Ireland, Grandpa Piggley loves daydreaming about his past and enjoys telling the children exaggerated tales of his youth and all the adventures he used to get up to with his friends. My own favourite is about the day his Mum baked a lovely apple pie. After leaving it to cool, Mum pops out to run an errand leaving Piggley and his friends who just can’t resist having just a little taste… leading to just another little taste and another, until… suddenly it’s all gone! In a moment of panic, Piggley and friends quickly set off on a journey to find some apples in order to replace what has been eaten before Mum gets back home! On their journey, they need to get past the grumpy goat that guards the apple tree. Hilariously, you are enticed into their attempts at disguising themselves in order to get to the apples.

These dvds are warm, funny, and reminiscent of the days before technology evolved and children made their own fun and games! (Unlike my son who is quite happy to sit and watch his dvd!!!) You can’t help but think that there are a few hidden messages in the stories too – a bit like a fable! All in all, top marks!

Adele and Lachlan (3 years)

Paramount

Wild Thornberrys - Heroes of the Animal Kingdom

Released October 31st

Age range: 2 to 6 years

This DVD is six episodes of this unusual cartoon featuring the adventurous Thornberry family, dad, the explorer, mum, the photographer, ? the typical teenage daughter, Eliza, the girl who can talk to animals, Donnie a strange creature and Darwin the monkey.

Each episode is about 20 minutes in length, (total 136 minutes), meaning that you can pick and choose which episodes you want to watch at a sitting.

My 4 year old daughter quite liked the cartoon, but it didn’t grab her attention for the whole episode. Maybe if she was little older, she would have appreciated it more. The episodes are the same as on the TV, so if your child enjoys the cartoon, you know what you will be getting.

Karen

Paramount

Rugrats - All Grown Up O'Brother

Released November 7th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

The "Rugrats" are no longer toddlers... they've grown up and are now teenagers.... and this dvd follows the adventures of the whole original group of Rugrats. Angelica's nicer, Chuckie's a bit more daring, and the rest of them have changed too.... I watched this dvd with my 5 year old daughter who managed 10 minutes before deciding to do something else! There really wasn't enough plot or humour to keep us interested for much longer than that, so I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone with very young children. The basic plot is that when Tommy wins an award for a short film, Dil fears that he will be left behind when his brother becomes famous.Angelica tries to teach Chuckie how to lie, in order to keep a party for Tommy a secret. The cynic in me thinks that this is just cashing in on the Rugrats brand, to try and keep those children who grew up watching the original cartoons connected with the brand, but even older children might find it a bit tedious. There just didn't seem to be much point to it! However, I'm sure that die-hard Rugrats fans will love this! We're all curious to see what sort of young adults our children will grow into, so here's a chance to see how the Rugrats have transformed!

Annabel

Paramount

Rugrats Christmas

Released November 28th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

This DVD arrived for us to review on a horrible grey rainy day when all three children (and mummy!) were in grumpy moods because they couldn't go outside. All I can say is it kept all three, ages 2, 6 and 8 quiet for most of the afternoon. They had seen all the episodes before on television but it felt like a treat being able to have them to watch at their leisure. As well as 'Babies in Toyland' which is the Christmas episode the disc features 'Falling Stars' (a Star Wars spoof) and 'Cuddle Bunny' (the one about the 'peanutter').

I would highly recommend this DVD, anything which can keep an 8 year old quite at the same time as entertaining a boisterous toddler is worth it's weight in gold. This would make a great stocking filler for any child!

Hilary

Paramount

Dora's Christmas

Released November 21st

Age range: 2 to 6 years

This dvd is a must for all Dora fans.The dvd has been divided in episodes and chapters.The first story is very exciting. Santa has forgotten his present, and so Dora and boots set off on an adventure to the north pole. With all the problems to solve, and Swiper the fox to deal with, this story will keep children amused, and will want to watch it again.

There are three other episodes including Rapido Tico, Quack Quack and School Pet. My daughter who is nearly six enjoyed the episode called school pet.Mimo the hamster is missing and Dora sets out on to find him.I also found it funny as they try to find the hamster following the sound of his squeaks.

There are plenty of songs new and old to learn. Although the dvd has a christmas title only the first episode has a festive theme, and so will not limit viewing to christmas time. It will keep children interested throughout the whole year. In summary a valuable addition to any Dora collection, or first time viewers.

Gill

Paramount

My Little Pony - A Very Minty Christmas

Released November 28th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Review will be coming soon

BBC Worldwide

Tikkabilla Jive!

Released September 12th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Review will be loaded soon

BBC Worldwide

Shoebox Zoo 2

Released October 31st

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Shoebox Zoo is a magical tale that kept my children aged 6 and 10 rivetted to the television. A definite must for your dvd collection.

Karyn

BBC Worldwide

Big Cook Little Cook

Released October 31st

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Big cook, Little cook contained recipes that educated children where certain foods come from and the processes they go through, yet managed to keep a fun and entertaining element to it.

Charlotte, Alex and Thomas thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a pleasure to watch them jumping to their feet and performing the actions to the songs.

Karyn - Charlotte (3), Alex (4) and Thomas (2)

BBC Worldwide

Wallace and Gromit

Released October 3rd

Age range: 2 to 6 years

My children were too young when Wallace and Gromit first appeared. I showed them the DVD and my eldest immediately recognised them, because of the latest film, which we have not yet seen yet. James loved the characters and recognised the humour involved. The hree shows, captured their attention and they watched them all. Charlotte was a bit apprehensive, especially with the Penguin, she did not like him. I think she found the eyes very fixing!. However, a great hit in our house and would recommend it for school age children. A lot of the humour is great for them and they understand the story lines. Younger children may find it at times a little frightening.

Debbie - Charlotte (3) and James (6)

BBC Worldwide

The Tale of Jack Frost

Released November 21st

Age range: 2 to 6 years

The Tale of Jack Frost, is a lovely DVD. James and his friends really enjoyed watching the series on this DVD. The stories kept them interested for some time.

I did find that the younger ones drifted off after a while, but as it was broken into individual series you could easily dip in and out of the DVD. James loved being able to refer to Jack Frost with the current cold weather!

Debbie - Charlotte (3) and James (6)

BBC Worldwide

Tweenies - It's Christmas

Released November 14th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Annoying for adults but loved by children that’s the Tweenies! Both of my children loved it with its Christmassy theme. All the songs are great favourites and we are all still singing them! A great variety of things to copy, make and do. There is a nice collection of stories including a favourite of my girls – ‘Cinderella’. They loved a piece about panto’s and how the Dame is made up. All in all a good Christmas DVD for most children up to about age 6, although I would think that girls would find it more interesting than boys due to the general nature of the stories and songs. The extras include a game which was simple but good fun and a couple songs to sing along with.

Louise

BBC Worldwide

Snow Queen

Released December 5th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Review will be loaded soon

Michelle

BBC Worldwide

Balamory

Released November 7th

Age range: 2 to 6 years

Review will be loaded soon

Jackie

Granada Ventures

POCOYO

Age range: 2 to 6 years

POCOYO on CiTV this Autumn

I was very fortunate to get a special pre-release DVD of this wonderful new series POCOYO. My first introduction to POCOYO was seeing his pciture. I immediately liked his appearance and new that the children would too!

As soon as the children saw the DVD they wanted to watch it. I put the DVD on and they sat and watched - peace and quiet. POCOYO is a lovely character, his "parent figure" voice of Stephen Fry was very easy to listen too and adds lots of character.

My children are 3.5 and 5 years and they both loved the DVD. The other characters Elly, Pato, Loula and Sleepy Bird are lovely, my favourite is Elly, my daugher loved Sleepy Bird and my son Pato. However, saying this they liked all the charactors and I can see them becoming very popular. The shows were fun to watch with a gentle and positive message about behaviour and learning to be social, share things and generally all about the growing up issues that children will face.

I am so glad that I had a chance to pre-view this DVD and look forward to watching the shows in the Autumn on CiTV - be prepared to watch a lot of POCOYO!

You can catch this show on Tuesday and Thursdays at 3.30pm on CiTV

Deborah - James and Charlotte

Momentum Entertainment

Koala Brothers

Age range: 2 to 6 years

My children aged 4 and 6 loved this dvd it contains seven new episodes of Koala Brothers, these are Ned The Pilot, Mitzi’s Big Adventure, George’s Day Off, Alice Rides Again, Lolly’s Bell, Josie Can Dance and Penny Comes For Help. These stories are great for children as they help children to learn about helping others, which is perfect for your childs personal, social and emotional development. My 6 year old son got this dvd a week ago and has watched it 4 times already and still enjoyes watching it, and when these stories are about helping others they are perfect for children who are about to or are already in education/playgroups and getting involved in playing with orther children.

If you are looking for an enjoyable, educational dvd I would definately recommend this for children from 2 years to at least 6 years.

Gail Buckle - Mother of Ryan Buckle aged 6 and Ella Buckle aged 4

www.amazon.co.uk

Keith Chapman
Chapman Entertainment

Fifi and the Flowertots

Age range: 12mths to 5 years

The DVD was made up of five episodes - each 5-10 minutes long - and each episode was excellent to watch. The characters were jolly, cheerful, brightly colored and fun to watch. The background scenery was also very colorful and novel - in one scene the bee was lifting weights and the weights were blackberries - excellent!!! The theme music was very catchy and I've been humming it all day!

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the DVD and I think it is one that will be watched repeatedly for the foreseeable future.

Karen Barfield, 2 year old daugher, husband and friends - and they all loved it!

www.amazon.co.uk

FireFly Entertainment

Brilliant Baby

Age range: Birth - 4 years

Brilliant Baby - Learn about Food

Fun DVD is aimed at young children and uses fun and games to teach youngsters about healthy food. My three year old enjoyed it in small doses and seemed to enjoy seeing foods he already knew on the TV.

I felt that there was maybe too much to take in for my son as they listed rather a lot of fruits and vegetable - some very obscure ones too! This may be down to the fact that it is obviously American with British voice overs. He seemed impressed with the children on screen eating all of these foods and making simple dishes with them. I just wish he'd follow their lead and try new things but maybe after a few viewings he might decide to give them a try!

I think this DVD is one to introduce slowly and watch a little bit at a time with your kids.

Karen McIntosh

Brilliant Baby - Head to Toe

This DVD kept my 2 and a half year old sons attention throughout. Learning about parts of the body he knows and learning what you can do with them all. it was good to hear the English voices and not American accents,(although they were American voices on the Activities section, which was abit disappointing also because it does not contain much). He also enjoyed seeing the preview clips of the other titles in the series, although I wouldn't buy the entire series as there are just too many.

Julia Redmond

Brilliant Baby - Seasons

I thought that this was a fabulous idea with lots of brightly coloured things for Jack to look at. My only complaint was that when they were talking about "Autumn" it had "Fall" written instead. It's such a shame that everything is Americanised nowadays. However, Jack really enjoyed it and throughout were talking about it, and conversation leading onto other things. When it had finished he wanted to watch it again!

Jodie Baker

Brilliant Baby - Learn about Animals

Pictures good & clear. My son 3.5 was very excited and animated by it. I don’t like mixture English/American accents. My son very animated by the DVD and it zips along at quite a fast pace. My son answers all the questions asked by the narrator. Musical background banal after a while for me (doesn’t annoy kids) Too much in 1 go, need to break it into the chapters with clear start and finish points. Need instructions how to watch one section. American captions and English spoken words not good Ladybug and rooster. Best to watch 1 to 2 chapters at a time otherwise too much for small child. The fundamentals of the product are good

Jackie Wilson

Brilliant Baby - Shapes

My son fascinated by music and bright attractive images. Very passive activity. Emphasis on play extremely limited. I would really call this a DVD with an interactive quiz at the end. As a product is instructional and needs adult input for children to put learning into practice.

Sarah Edwards

Brilliant Baby

Fun food - Shows a very good selection of fruit, great to run alongside the theme i.e. healthy eating. Food easily identifiable, some the children would possible not on – some good learning experience. Good clear pictures, I don’t see that the American accent would bother the children.

Learn about Animals - Great graphics, animals in their own habitats. Very good for the preschool aged children as it keeps moving.

Head to Toe - Good for group activity work – music to children taste I feel.

Shapes - Excellent clear shapes, bright and colourful ( eye catching), good one to one activity.

Seasons - Good for interactive skills – good use of seasonal goodies i.e. pumpkin pie idea when talking about foods from outside the normal food boundaries of most children.

Overall I feel that these are a good positive set of DVD’s allowing the children an insight to foods/animals etc, the graphics are great and when running the DVD’s would keep the children focused and animated. They are a good aid to enhance the learning within a preschool.

Sharon Webb - Pre-School Playleader

www.fireflyentertainment.co.uk

Warner Home Video

Scooby-doo - Aloha

Age range: 2+ years

This DVD kept my children transfixed for the entire length of the film, they all loved this latest Scooby and Shaggy adventure. They enjoyed the music and the colourful sea-life animation's, although at times they said the island spirits were a bit scary - but this didn't stop them watching it again and again! They thoroughly recommend it for Scooby fans old and new.

If you would like to win a copy of this film, please enter our competition, you might be lucky!

Jackie, Megan, Freya and Cerys

www.amazon.co.uk

Early Years Entertainment

Wigglebottom Farm

Age range: 3-6 years

This was a sample DVD which ran for about 1 hour. It was very easy to use, as it worked with the remote control.

The children loved watching the story and then playing the games. The animals were fun to watch and the children were able to work with matching, sorting and colour. They also loved using the remote control!

My children would have easily watched for longer, I will be looking to buy the DVD as it suited my two children very well and they shared remarkably with it.

Louise, Kerry and Jodi

Nice introduction introducing the characters – clear clean pictures. Voices for storytelling very easy to listen to. Story moves across the screen at a comfortable speed – characters appear lovable. Theme of story feelings – having friends to cheer you up hence the birthday party.

Clear instructions as to what the individual characters must do to achieve this. After the intro., the stories tell how the characters achieve their goals. Excellent interactive tasks i.e completing the jigsaw, counting, matching etc. This DVD is an excellent visual aid to the skills that the children are developing/extending in preschool making the tasks interesting/ and exciting, showing visual praise and positive comment.

An excellent fun DVD.

Sharon Webb - Pre-School Playleader

www.wigglebottomfarm.co.uk