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Holiday Videos | Hot
New Releases | Educational
Videos & DVD's
Holiday Videos
Baby Santa's Music Box
(Buena Vista Home Vid, ages 2 and under, $19.99)
If your grandchild is already familiar with Baby Einstein videos this one will
not disappoint. Just in time for Christmas, Baby Santa's Music box takes
the sites and sounds of the Christmas season. There is sledding, snowmen,
ornaments and more. Children dance, decorate a tree and more.
Throughout the movie the Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra performs traditional
Christmas music. Let the festivities begin!
Strawberry Shortcake - Berry, Merry Christmas
(Fox Home Entertainment, $14.98) In this adorable movie Strawberry Shortcake
discovers what's really important about Christmas -- friendship. This
song-filled movie is only 45 minutes long, but it kept our 5-year-old test
entranced. She really enjoyed the song -- especially the music video at
the end called "The Strawberry Shake." If you liked Strawberry
Shortcake as a kid or with your kids - you'll enjoy watching it with the next
generation! A holiday winner! (Ages 3 to 7)
 Jingle
Bell Baby (Small Fry Productions, ages 1 to 5, $15.95)
A delightful half-hour holiday video. Little ones will enjoy watching
children baking cookies, images of snow, ornaments and more. It's a
musical adventure that your grandchildren will enjoy watching again and again.
 Arthur's Perfect Christmas
(Sony Wonder, all ages, $12.98)
If your grandchild is already a fan of Arthur this will not disappoint.
Arthur, D.W., Buster, Muffy, Francine, and more star in this holiday of holidays
movie. The movie incorporates a little bit about all the winter holidays
including Chanukah and Kwanzaa. For Arthur this Christmas is anything but
traditional. It doesn't snow, D.W. has her own ideas about decorating and
Arthur breaks the "perfect" gift he's found for his mother.
Never-the-less Christmas turns out perfect. It's a one-hour video that
kids seem to love -- especially Arthur fans!
The Magic School Bus - Holiday Special
(Warner Home Video, all ages, $19.98)
Our 5-year-old tester thoroughly enjoyed this DVD. Although she didn't go
into too much detail why, her mother reported that she's already watched it
about 10 times. Of the three Magic School Bus episodes her favorite
was the Rain Forest. Her mother really liked the educational message about
conservation, preservation and recycling. It features thethe voices
of Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin and is as enjoyable for kids as it is for
parents.
New Releases
Finding Nemo
(Walt Disney Home Video) How can you not love Finding Nemo? I picked
this up for my kids the day it was released and they have been GLUED to it every
night. The voices of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres are really
wonderful. The animation is spectacular, and the story is great.
Note: If your grandchild has issues about death and separation you may want to
make sure that they can handle it. This DVD packed with two CD, DISC 1
Wide Screen, DISC 2 Full Screen. My kids like to watch Full Screen, but my
husband and I like Wide Screen and this movie is not just for kids. The
sound is great too!
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Platinum Collection
(Anchor Bay Entertainment) For any Thomas fan this collection of three
DVD's is a must! The set includes the Best of Thomas, the Best of Percy
and the Best of James. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, George Carlin and
Ringo Starr these stories do not disappoint! Some of the stories included
are Thomas Gets Bumped, Thomas Meets The Queen , Percy & The Mail Train, A Proud Day For James
and James Learns A Lesson. A real winner for any Thomas fan! $29.98
Daddy
Day Care (Special Edition) (Columbia Tri-Star) I have always loved Eddie Murphy, he
may have made some not so great movies, but on the whole he's very funny.
Come on - he's the best darn donkey around in Shrek! In this movie there
were some good laughs -- even for me. My kids thought parts of it were
hysterical. I liked the fact there was no foul language, that it stressed
the importance of parents spending time with their kids. Look - his son
was so much happier since he had his father taking care of him. Isn't that
a good message? It's good clean fun. $27.94
The Santa Clause 2
(Walt Disney Home Video) I just loved The Santa Clause, the first movie, and
sequels are usual not very good, but this one is definitely fun. In The Santa Clause,
Tim Allen inherits the job of Santa Clause. However, in The Santa Clause 2
it appears their
is a "Missus Clause" which means he can't continue to be Santa unless he gets
married. There's a fake Santa, a mean principal (that he eventually falls
in love with) and more. There are some
funny scenes that my kids seem to love -- especially the plastic butt of the
fake Santa. All in all, it's good clean fun and a very good sequel.
I could tell you more, but why ruin the surprise. See it - you won't be
disappointed.
Educational Videos & DVD's
Earth Stories Paleontology Vol. 1
(Mazon Productions) My kids just love this video and the good news is so do the
people at the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio who just gave it the Platinum Award.
The animated host Chip, is a talking rock hammer and he takes you through a
lesson in paleontology. Although it's geared towards upper school
(9+) my daughter who is 5 loves it. (800) 332-4344. Age: 9+ ( $19.95 )
Food
Safari (Yum Yum Studios)
Trying to get kids to eat right is a huge chore. This DVD helps to
reinforce healthy eating habits very subtly. What our testers enjoyed most
was seeing how food was made. They to see how bread is made, how peanuts
are harvested and more. The best thing about this DVD is that I can say my
kids are eating more carrots and apples than ever before! My 21/2-
year-old is constantly asking to watch it. For $14.99 it's a great, healthy
investment!
Taking
Care of My Pet This fun movie is by the same people who
created the award-winning video All
By Myself: "Getting Dressed." These videos are all about
children learning how to do things by themselves. They help to build self-confidence
as the kids learn the responsibility of doing things on their own. In this
cute story, they help the viewers learn the responsibilities of caring for
a pet. A great educational video. $14.95
Winged
Migration (Columbia Tri-Star) This critically acclaimed
documentary by Director Jacques Perrin captures the migration of birds though 40
countries and every continent. They captured the footage using planes,
gliders, helicopters and balloons. Although this didn't keep my kids interest
for very long, my mother and I couldn't stop watching it. The photography is
both beautiful and breathtaking. The nice thing about this movie is
that you can watch bits and pieces with your grandkids over time if their
attention span is too short and and eventually they will love watching the
whole thing. $26.95
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