Rachel and the TreeSchoolers: Review

We are a pre-homeschool family.  Next year Manasseh will officially start Kindergarten.  This year both of our older boys are doing preschool activities and work.  We love learning!  The boys were super excited about the chance to review Rachel and the TreeSchoolers: A Rainy Day.

This video uses music, story, sign language, and questions to help draw preschoolers into the lesson and really understand and apply it to their minds.  I love the education model that Rachel uses with the children.  My boys were instantly drawn into the problem at hand: a bird who is afraid of a storm.  I also love that this tackles a subject that is very relevant to young children.  In fact, I wish I would have had this video when I worked with Jr. High boys in a children's home.  One of my favorite features of this DVD is that it comes with a CD that has all of the songs on it.  This means that we can take it with us.  I frequently find my boys singing the songs on their own as they recall the lesson.  I would love to see more videos in this series and use them with my boys as learning tools in the future.

My boys love the catchy music.  Even my 3 year old that does not sit still for anything on television was captivated by this video.  They also were extremely excited that the characters learned about kindness.  They  like to remind each other to be kind.  They are proud that they know some new signs and I am certain that when we start to get into yucky stormy weather, they will recall the lesson again and again!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Storyland Yoga DVD; Review and Giveaway

I have to admit something.  I like yoga.  Yep. It's true.  And I like the idea that my kids can do yoga too.  I have tried a few various yoga DVDs with Monkey in the past and he is generally interested in them for a few minutes, and then ready to do something else.  He's not keen on most kid's yoga videos.

Last week I took the Storyland Yoga DVD with us to play with some of Monkey's friends - This was a great test to me regarding the effectiveness and enjoyment of the video.  The kids that were "playing" were ages 21 months, 3, 4, and 5.  What a crew.  This is a very active and noisy bunch that loves to run, jump, and play loudly together.

We popped in the video and tried out the "Save the Whale" story.  The kids were instantly captivated by the story.  They immediately started trying out the yoga positions and motions with the video.  At one point, the 5 year old looked at me and stated, "This is kind of like exercise".  All 4 kids participated in the yoga story telling.  (the 21 month old and 4 year old were less enthusiastic than the other 2).  When the mother of my son's friends came home, the 5 year old asked if they could watch it again and show her the video.  They really enjoyed this yoga video!

Here is what I like about Storyland Yoga:

This DVD is what it claims to be.  It's a story.  It is not pushing "correct position" or learning position names.  Instead, the children are encouraged to move their bodies as they tell stories.  It offers 2 stories for the children to choose.  They are guided with ideas about how to act the stories out.  As the children learn how to move to the story, they can begin to put together their own stories and act them out.  What a fantastic way for kids to learn to get exercise while playing (without even knowing that's what they're doing)!

This is the BEST Kid's Yoga DVD I have tried with my children.  I recommend trying it with your own family!

More information about Storyland Yoga by Playful Planet.

Playful Planet has offered to share a DVD with one of my fantastic readers!

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