Baby Einstein Review and Giveaway

I remember when Baby Einstein Videos fist came out 10 years ago. The simple, colorful visual images along with soothing music was (and still is) a refreshing contrast to the "boom boom boom" flashiness of many children's videos.

I received the Baby Mozart DVD, which was perfect for me, since I'm a music teacher! I think it's so important to expose the young mind to the order and structure of music, and the research supports that theory! I loved this video, and so did the kids. Even my three year old was attentive as the unique perspectives of the camera shots on intricate images were accompanied by soothing music.
We also explored the Lullaby Classics CD, with selections by Baroque and Classical Masters, and the Touch and Feel Farm Animals book.The book gives another dimension to the reading experience. And lest you think these books are only for babies, I caught my almost eight year old sneaking a touch of the textures, while trying to look cool!
Of course, you can't just plop your baby down in front of a DVD and have them become an "Einstein," but Baby Einstein videos and products provide a jumping off point to quality interaction and cognitive development of your child. I encourage you to watch the videos and listen to the CDs with your child and learn together. Here are some activities you can do to get the most out of your time together.

From the Video Theme to the Real World Scene Whenever there is an opportunity to link what you have seen on the DVD to other experiences in baby’s life, make that connection. For example, if you watched a DVD about animals, you might say, “Oh, look. There’s a BIG fish on the screen. Do we have another fish in our house?” And off you go to look at your gold fish. This kind of activity shows baby that something we see in one place can be seen in other places too.

Bring it to Life If children or puppets on the DVD are jumping or dancing, you can hold your little one and dance along to show baby how it feels. You can also play infant sized musical instruments to accompany the DVD Orchestra. Or, try using puppets or baby’s favorite stuffed animals to mimic the action in the DVD. You may get giggles from your little one. Babies usually want to do what they see and you can make that happen.

Make it a Family Affair Consider using DVD time as a way to interact with the whole family. If baby has an older sibling(s) around you can invite them watch the DVD with you. Encourage your older child to point out the names of the animals, say the colors, or even make animal sounds. They will probably love playing with baby and will be excited about showing off how much they know!

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And now for the GIVEAWAY! Comments will be open through Thursday, December 18!

I'm giving one reader of Real Life Review a chance to win your choice of the DVD, CD, or book! (pick one)

• Hop over to BabyEinstein.com and choose your favorite developmental product. Leave a comment on this post.
• If you follow me on Twitter, you get an extra chance.
• If you tweet or blog this giveaway, you can get a third chance. be sure to begin your tweet with @sarahsingforhim so Ill know.
  

Children's Books by The Secret Mountain GIVEAWAY

*CONTEST CLOSED* Winner: Julie!

Are you looking for awesome children's books with cute stories, adorable art, and even a spin-off CD to listen to in the kids' rooms or the car?

Look no further! My Team Mom review this month included three books from The Secret Mountain publishing group.

Dream Songs, Night Songs features lullabies from around the world in a very multicultural collection of bedtime stories.

I liked the story pretty well; it was very abstract and ethereal, as you would expect a book about a dream to be. The art is an interesting representation of the words from different cultures, and I love that the words are written in English Spanish and French.

The music CD accompanying this book blew me away! Of course, with my background as a music teacher, I am bound to love authentic music from other countries, sung in the original language, with traditional instruments. This CD is top notch! It even comes with PDF files of illustrations, lyrics and translations. I honestly don't want to turn this CD off to review the other ones!


Down at the Sea Hotel is another bedtime story, where it's "lights-out time down at the Sea Hotel."

The story is an illustration of a song by Greg Brown, and it couldn't be cuter! The vivid colors, interesting characters, and whimsical tone make this book a real treat for eyes young and old.

The song CD is wonderful as well, with songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Wailin’ Jennys / Neil Young, Nanci Griffith, Billy Joel, Carole King and more! The perfect bedtime companion for this adorable book.

A Duck in New York City tells the story of a little prairie duck with a big idea – making it on Broadway.


Of course as a musical theater lover, and performer, this book hits me in the heart! It's a classic story encouraging kids to follow their dreams and relish the adventure! With the help of his friends, including a truck driver named Betty, the little duck makes it all the way! The whimsical, mixed media art is a treat for the eyes, as well.

The A Duck in New York City music CD has whimsical, silly songs that perfectly match the tone of the book. My kids had fun dancing around the kitchen to the upbeat tunes as I washed the dishes, then we settled down and read the book before bed.

In my opinion, these Secret Mountain Books are a win-win for parents and kids, and are sure to be favorites for a long time in your family. The artistic and musical quality is top notch, and I am definitely a hard critic to please in these areas. You can sample the music selections at the website. Click Here.

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Since I received three of these books, I want to share the love, and give one away to a reader. Give it to your kids for Christmas, or donate it to your school! I'll be giving away Dream Songs, Night Songs Book and CD

Here's how to enter:

• Leave a comment telling us your kids' (or your) favorite book to read.
• If you are a RL Review Subscriber, you get an extra entry. Leave a separate comment.

The contest will run through Friday, November 21. The winner will be announce on Saturday. Only addresses in the US are eligible, and you must leave an email address or link to your blog, so I can contact you.

Baby Jamz CD and Toys

I'm participating in a fun new program, called Team Mom. As a part of team mom, our family gets to try out new products and I write a review. I don't get any money for doing these reviews, but just trying out the products is fun for us, and hopefully helpful to other moms!

The first product we received was Baby Jamz, the first hip hop inspired toys. The concept was created by Matthew and Solange Knowles, father and sister of Beyonce.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of hip hop music, and I'm skeptical of anything with the word "Jamz" in it. But I'm definitely open minded. When my kids got home from school, we popped open the CD, and listened. I honestly was not initially impressed. However, as a musician and music teacher myself, my standards are pretty high. The singing was above average, although most of the instruments were computer generated. And I liked how they used a beat behind the traditional words of the nursery rhymes.

One thing that I just don't get with hip hop music is how the singing/rapping beat is slightly behind the percussion beat. I think this can sabotage kids' learning an internal rhythm, and learning to keep a steady beat. When I listened to the new words that went with some of the songs, I was completely speechless. Here is an excerpt from The BabyJamz version of Hush Little Baby:

Hush Little Baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mocking bird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you some new bling bling...

Wait a minute... "bling bling?" Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist. You can add what ever beats and melodies you like, but please don't mess with my favorite childhood lullaby lyrics, and add non-words for my children to learn. You can look at all the lyrics here.

Well, that's what I thought of it.

HOWEVER... I left the room for a few minutes, and came back to see my seven-year-old daughter making up a dance to "Buckle My Shoe." She was doing all the motions, and singing with it. A few minutes later, I found her making up yet another dance to "There Was an Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe," prancing around with a shoe, and making crying motions with her fists on her eyes. I must say it was precious. Her favorite one of the songs to sing and dance to was "Mary Mary, Quite Contrary."

The bottom line for the CD is that it's not bad, but not good, either. My kids have been playing it and dancing in their room, and they enjoy it. If I hear them use "bling bling" in a sentence I'll do an intervention, though. We'll use it, but I wouldn't spend money on it.

Y'all know I have to be honest, even though I hate to be negative on my first Team Mom review.

We also received two of the toys that come with the Baby Jamz line. The Baby Jamz Music Crew was fun for my two year old Daughter, Little Pea. She loved seting the characters onto the "boom box" and hearing the music. She even sang to the little people, and rocked them to sleep.





We also received the Baby Jamz Boom Box Shape Sorter. Each shape plays a portion of a song when it is placed in the correct order. Little Pea and Princess (4) had fun with this, but it was short lived. There isn't much to do with it and they lost interest after the first day.




Over all, the Baby Jamz products I tried earned three out of five blooms. My kids like them, but I wouldn't spend money on them.

One Baby Jamz product I think I would love is the Move and Groove Dance Mat. That looks really cool, and I think my kids would love it! You check out the entire product line at Walmart.com

Have you seen these products? What do you think of them?