Leapfrog Learning DVDs 5-Pack (Talking Words Factory / Talking Words Factory II / Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory / Letter Factory /Math Circus) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to admit, I am the type of homeschool mother who reads reviews before purchasing what I use in training my children. Most of the reviews I read on the Leap Frog Learning DVD'S were positive and BOY were they ever right!! I have a 5 year old (almost 6) daughter who STRUGGLED learning alpha letters and sounds. She had her favorite letters, but I had to sit with her and go over and over and over the others....this was completely frustrating to her and I. That is until we received Leap Frog Learning DVD's 5 pack. These dvd's are educationally and musically stimulating. My daughter learned all of the alphabet sounds in less than a week, FOR REAL! She has taken to singing the songs and sounding out the letters so much that she is driving her brother crazy. She sounds her letters to sleep. She writes the alphabet on everything, upper and lower case. She tells us what a period, exclamation point and a comma is. And of course sings like mad! She has starting reading and LOVES it. This is by far the best money ever spent on teaching materials ~

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5 pack of LeapFrog dvds: 1) LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory II: The Code Word Caper 2) LeapFrog: Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory 3) LeapFrog: Letter Factory 4) LeapFrog: Math Circus 5) LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory

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The Best of the Electric Company (1971) Review

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(More customer reviews)As any child of the 70's will tell you, "The Electric Company" was a milestone in educational TV. Its educational emphasis was on basic word recognition, spelling and pronunciation. The fact that so many adults recall specific scenes from the show (as evidenced on numerous message forums) attests to the show's potenecy.
What really set "The Electric Company" apart was its high standards. The cast included many acclaimed actors (including oscar-winner Rita Moreno and Bill Cosby) and actors who earn their star status later (such as Morgan Freeman and June Angela). As for the music and dialogue, it was nothng short of brilliant.The show made frequent use of humor that could be appreciated by all age groups. Contrast that to most children's fare today, which talks down to children and seems designed to alienate adults.
One aspect that stood out for me was the frequency of inter-racial couples in the show's skits. Not only did such couples appear (which you rarely see today) but the characters did not make a big deal about it, unlike say, Sesame Street, where they seem to insist on applauding themselves every time two people of different ethnicities interact.
My one concern is the comment that they are targetting the adult nostalgia market. It makes the show seem dated. I used to watch the show on Noggin with my daughter, and I can truthfully say that the show is every but as effective, and as enjoyable, as it was back in the day.

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20 OF THE BEST EPISODES FEATURING BILL COSBY, MORGAN FREEMAN, RITA MORENO, SPIDER-MAN and More!If you were between six and ten years old during the years 1971 through 1985, then there is a good chance you learned to read with help from The Electric Company. Comedy sketches, music, animation and special effects were the tools of this "video" classroom. Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Spider-Man Road Runner and others were the teachers. The Electric Company was a product of its time — perennially cool and hip, while never wavering from its educational goals; it was full of wit and energy and made learning to read fun. So, take a trip back in time with Spider-Man, Letterman, J. Arthur Crank, the Short Circus, Jennifer of the Jungle, DJ Mel Mounds, Easy Reader, Paul the Gorilla, Lorelei the Chicken and all the rest with THE BEST OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANY.DISC 1: #1 (10/25/71); #10 (11/5/71); #14 (11/11/71); #21 (11/22/71); #26 (11/29/71) Special Features: Rita Moreno Remembers: The only female performer to have won an Oscar®, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, Rita looks back on her experiences with The Electric Company.DISC 2: #109 (3/23/72); #131 (10/23/72); #181 (1/1/73); #285 (11/23/73); #321 (1/14/74)Special Features: Joan Ganz Cooney Then And Now: From 1971 to the present, the founder of The Children’s Television Workshop has never wavered in her commitment to early education.DISC 3: #379 (4/3/74); #386 (4/15/74); #391 (10/21/74); #437 (12/24/74); #453 (1/15/75) Special Features: "Silent E" Karaoke: Sing along with Tom Lehrer’s unforgettable and imaginative song. The Creative Team Remembers: Executive producer Sam Gibbon and head writer Tom Whedon reminisce.DISC 4: #491 (3/10/75); #72A (1/27/76); #110A (3/19/76); #79B (2/3/77); #130B (4/15/77) Special Feature: June Angela Remembers: "Julie" in The Short Circus; June Angela was with the cast for the entire run of the show.

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LeapFrog: Letter Factory (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the best learning DVD's I have seen. It will be a great watch for the Pre-k to first grade classrooms. The DVD teaches the letter names. Most importantly, it teaches the letter sounds in a creative way. Viewers see the letters, hear the letter names, they see a picture/video that represents the sound each letter makes, and the viewer hears a catchy tune to match the letter sound. For instance, the letter C is shown in a cold environment with ice hanging from it. The letter comes to life by shivering and stating that it is /c/ /c/ /c/.... old. Then the characters in the story sing the catchy Leapfrog song; "The C says/c/, the C says /c/, every letter makes a sound. The C says /c/. This DVD/VHS is marketed towards parents to use with their PreK to First grader, but all teachers need to know about this video and share it with their class. It would be a great review or introduction to letter sounds. Teachers could also use the catchy phrases and visual representation of the letter sounds in their lessons by creating activities or visuals based on the video. Students will see the sounds letters make, hear the sounds, and sing the sounds. This video combined with strong phonics based classroom instruction will help reach a variety of learning styles and lead your students on the path to becoming strong readers.

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Teaches letters, phonics and listening skills. A wild adventure to the Letter Factory with popular LeapFrog characters Leap, Lily and Tad. Led by wacky Professor Quigley, Tad joins Js jumping on trampolines and Ks practicing karate kicks as new letters learn their sounds. Fun songs will have kids singing letter sounds in no time.DVD Features:Other:Learning gamesTheatrical Trailer

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WordWorld: Welcome to WordWorld Review

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(More customer reviews)My 5-year-old son is a 3-D learner (dyslexic) and I was having trouble getting him interested in reading or writing. Since he's started watching Wordworld he and his 3-year-old sister run around the house shouting and dancing "It's time to build a word". Next we run and get our letters and build words. Now words and letters are fun and exciting to him. The most valuable aspect to this show for my son is that it gives him a 3-D view of letters and words and at the same time gives him the picture to go with it.(most Dyslexics think in pictures only - if there's no picture for it they're stumped) Aside from that the characters and stories are very entertaining. I find myself clearing my schedule to watch Wordworld. It is also good for me to watch it with them because then later we go over the concepts taught and re-build the words. They don't even know they're "learning"

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In WordWorld, words come alive, words save the day, and words become a child's best friend. Welcome to WordWorld, the first preschool series where words are truly the stars of the show! Come along for an adventurous romp into a colorful, vibrant world of words with the lovable, legible WordFriends, animals whose bodies are made up of the letters that spell the word they are! The WordFriends go on comic adventures and face challenges that can only be resolved with the right word. That word is built letter by letter, sound by sound, during the funky "Build a Word!" song at the end of every episode. Once the word is built it "morphs," or comes alive into the thing it is! Word building reinforces the pre-reading concept that letters (and their sounds) make words, and that words have real meaning...and power. The series also introduces literacy concepts that preschoolers will encounter as they become readers, such as sounding out letters and rhyming. But most of all, WordWorld helps children get excited about reading and see words as their friends. Includes these Episodes:Happy Birthday Dog!Dog's friends are planning a surprise birthday party for him, but they don't have a cake! With a little help from Pig, Frog gathers the letters C-A-K-E...but can he them to the party without ruining the surprise?Sh-Sh-Shark!When Duck befriends a Shark, he learns that the letters S and H make the "sh" sound, and everyone else discovers that you can't judge a shark by his sharp-toothed cover.The Mystery of the Disappearing PiePig's pie for Bear has gone missing! Have no fear Detective Sheep is ready to help her WordFriends follow the letter clues and solve the mystery of the disappearing pie!Snug as a BugWhen Bug can't sleep because he needs to be snug, he and his favorite neighbor, Frog, have to figure out the end of the rhyme: "Snug as a bug in a..." Can YOU guess the end?

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