 Outstanding for infants and toddlers |
| Review Date: March 17, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Julie Neal, Sanibel Island, Fla. |
Here's the idea: a video for toddlers age 6 months and up that teaches them sign language, so they can communicate "mommy," "daddy," "kiss," "baby" and "I love you" before they can talk. If that alone doesn't melt your heart -- if your mouse hasn't yet forced itself over to that "Add to Shopping Cart" button -- then here's a brief description of what you get.
Hosted by Marlee Matlin, this sweet 30-minute video uses puppets, live-action video, stills and children to teach the signs for 20 words. The signs are easy to learn, as the videos really drive home their message. For each word, Matlin demonstrates a sign, then video images reinforce it. For example, for the word "kiss" a 30-second video shows a girl kissing her mom, a boy kissing his dad, another dad and son doing the sign together, a painting of a mom kissing her infant, then more video clips of moms and dads kissing their kids, then the sign again, then a boy kissing his big stuffed dog, then a girl kissing her grandmother, then a little girl kissing her doll's baby bunny! There is no narration, in fact no spoken dialogue at all except for the words themselves. Other words include "cereal," "milk," "eat," "drink," "play," "help," "friend," "ball," "sleep," "bath," "story," "blanket," "please" and "thank you."
The production values are first-rate. Everything is well-lit and in focus; the clean sets are simple yet vibrant. And the sign language is the real deal: a combination of American Sign Language (ASL) and Conceptually Accurate Signed English.
There's no Scene Selection, so you can't cherry-pick favorite words to play, but a two-minute bonus feature (Sign with Me) reviews them all, and Matlin appears on two one-minute features with some additional words (including "happy," "sad," "potty," "sorry" and "love"). Other bonus features include five cute puppet shows (three minutes total).
All of these Baby Einstein videos are so good -- so gentle, colorful and interactive, with nothing but positive messages -- that it's easy to forget that, technically, kids shouldn't be watching them. That the best way to promote "proper brain development" in kids under 2, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, is "talking, playing, singing and reading together." But during those times you can't be actively engaged with your child (let's see, that would include cooking, cleaning, laundry...) the series is a great way to give your rugrat a rewarding experience. Plus, you are supposed to be watching this WITH your child. And it's only 30 minutes (though the menu does include a "Repeat Play" option).
Does it actually work? Absolutely, especially if you watch it together. Even if your child doesn't learn anything, you'll be there smiling at his or her happy little face, talking, playing and singing together... it's just what the doctor ordered! |
Good addition to our collection!
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| Review Date: April 17, 2007 |
| Reviewer: elviswoman, Dallas, TX United States |
I am gathering educational toys and books for our daughter to use with her in working on developmental milestones.
There is a lot of literature out that suggests signing is an excellent way to communicate with baby, and by using ASL you are giving your child a life skill that could be helpful when they get older as well.
I was really trying to stay away from DVD's because I think that kids get too sucked into TV nowadays. However, books don't cut it with sign language. It is much more helpful to see the signs demonstrated repeatedly by people who know what they are doing. And Marlee Matlin is the best model for signing that they could have chosen for this DVD.
This DVD is engaging. The filming is of good quality, it shows the signs in context with imagery between each of the "lessons". And throughout the show, there are little puppet skits which kind of go with the show but also, in my opinion, provide a little break from the learning to keep the kids engaged.
I have watched other "Einstein" videos where I stopped and asked myself "What WAS that supposed to be, they wanted HOW MUCH money for THAT?". However, that was not the case with this video. My daughter and I enjoyed it and we are learning something useful together.
The only improvement I could think of would be to make subsequent volumes of videos like this with expanded vocabulary. This particular video only covers very basic words such as mother, father, kiss, more, sleep, baby, blanket, and a few others. I think the content is just right for a "First Signs" video. And I don't think a small child's attention span could take much more than this at one time. But it would be nice if they offered a library of progressively advancing signs on other discs.
I would highly recommend this DVD to parents interested in signing with their children. |
My baby was riveted
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| Review Date: March 31, 2007 |
| Reviewer: P. Phillips, USA |
We got this for our 14-month-old son. He had already learned a few signs at day care and with us but only about 3 before he saw the DVD. We watched this with him on the day it arrived. He was absolutely riveted. He laughed at the puppets and paid close attention. He watched it all the way through - and 30 minutes is an amazing length of time to hold his attention at this age. Within a few days, he was signing more words. This DVD definitely enhanced our communication with our son by helping him and us know more signs.
As an adult watching it, I found it very well done also. My husband and I both learned signs we didn't know and we're using them routinely now. The teaching method involves a great pattern of doing the sign, saying the word and showing the word. For example, they say, "baby" and do the sign for baby, then they show a baby (no speaking or signing), then they do the sign for baby and show a baby, then they show a baby and say "baby," etc.
Marlee Matlin was excellent - great energy and very fun with the puppets. The parents with their children were also nice. And having the children do the signs was wonderful - my son found that totally enthralling. |
Good for the basics
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| Review Date: May 6, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Moore, New Jersey |
| I purchased this DVD for my 2 1/2 year old. She loves Baby Wordsworth but I found that one to be long with too many signs. This DVD offers an intro to sign language with a few signs per catagory. My daughter picked up the signs within one viewing. I reccomend this one over Baby Wordsworth as a starter. Get Baby Wordsworth a little later when attention spans are a bit longer. |
Baby Einstein
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| Review Date: May 7, 2007 |
| Reviewer: V. Doonan, Maylene, AL |
| I can communicate with my 15 month old and actually understand her now. No more guessing, this video works. I just love it!!! I recommend it to anyone who has a toddler, it's amazing how quick our children can learn. |
Very Helpful
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| Review Date: August 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Stites, |
| We've been working with our 16 month old daughter for several months on signing and this video really helps reinforce the concepts. She loves it. The signing has definitely provided a way to communicate that lowers frustration levels. If you're looking for a way to get started signing with your child, this is a good product. |
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