DVD Review: Eebee
I know, I said it was Book Review Week, but I’m going to review one DVD series this week, and this is it.
Eebee is a funny little puppet that plays and explores and discovers everyday objects. There are no ABC’s and 123’s in this series. This series is all about showing babies (and adults) how to play and explore and do the things that babies and toddlers are supposed to do.
Why do I think so highly of this series? After spending two years in an orphanage, TwinkleToes had a lot to learn about what it means to be in a family. She watched her sister interact with us and copied a lot of what she did, and she copied us when we played, but there was still something missing. She was not your “normal” two year old when she played. She wasn’t even playing like an 8 or 9 month old because she never just saw something and went to investigate it or even pointed that she wanted to see it.
And then I found Eebee, and TwinkleToes watched, and something finally clicked in her little head and she started exploring and playing and taking the initiative to go investigate things all on her own (making sure we were close by, of course).
Another bonus is that the show gave GlitterGirl ideas of how to play and interact with her sister. She was trying to do that before of course, but once she started following the patterns in the Eebee series her sister actually responded by playing back with her for longer periods of time which was a huge accomplishment for GlitterGirl.
We’ve had a lot of fun in our family copying the things that Eebee does. GlitterGirl loves to watch the shows with her little sister, too. She even asks to watch Eebee instead of some of her big girl shows because she loves watching them with her sister.
Going from life in an orphanage to life in a family is a huge step. So many babies spend their lives in the same two or three rooms in the orphanage with only some walkers and a few hard toys that everyone shares. They spend their time either in their crib or in the potty seat or in a walker and never have an opportunity to just get down and explore. No wonder some of them have a hard time figuring out how to explore their world. Eebee can help.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Thanks for the recommendation - I think it might help my Alice too, which one did you start with?
Kate
http://kes44p.blogspot.com/
August 16th, 2007 at 8:41 am
So funny that you posted this RQ- I was just thinking of starting a thread about a DVD series that my boys all loved. It helped with language- it is more of an educational series- but also entertaining for them- however- they did love the series and I know it is used with SN babies as well. They have sets that are for babies speaking fewer than 50 words and those that are speaking more than 50 words. I got the whole set when my ds was 2 and was on target- but he loved watching his friend’s ( a baby with Down Syndrome- who did phenomenal with these tapes). You can order a complete set- or just a single dvd.
http://www.clevershoppers.com/ind…….ct_info&products_id=533
Another dvd that my kids LOVE- 3 and 5 year old- the Letter Factory by Leap Frog!!!!
http://www.leapfrog.com/Primary/Pres…D.jsp?CID=KNC-CROSSQ4
My 3 and 5 year old LOVE this one. They teach the alphabet and the sounds with songs and fun images. The songs are addicting for adults too. Being a teacher in 2nd grade- I would even show this tape to my struggling readers that need sound symbol work.
I hope I was allowed to link- not sure- if not, RQ please remove.
Any of these tapes/series can be found on Amazon.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I know this is book review week here, but are there *any* rumours at all? Sorry, but that’s really the only reason I come here.
I don’t mean that to sound terse, but I’m just curious about the next batch (though I realize that it’s probably too early for anything right now).
August 16th, 2007 at 9:22 am
very interesting…thanks for the suggestions.
As for wanting to hear about rumors…I do, but I love this thread. The DVDs sound like a good idea. I hae read most of the other books and have copies, but am planning to re-read the attachment books. Thanks again.
Does anyone want ideas for nutrition and feeding babies…I could give links for these…
August 16th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I will chime in with a great DVD too. It is like a 40 minute speech therapy session (but fun!) anywhere you have a DVD player. Using it with my almost 3 yo cleft affected child and it has done wonders. It has some sign language and also colors and concepts like “in” and “out” “up” and “down” and how to ask for “help” It is appropriate for any age I would iimagine. They also have 12 ways for parents to promote language. Here is the link. The DVD is called Baby Babble and the website is takingchild.com
http://www.talkingchild.com/shop_BabyBabbleDVD.aspx
Leslie
August 16th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I love this thread also! We are adopting a 2.5 year old little boy and I’m going to buy these DVDs today. I’m also going to look up the links posted by others. Let’s face it, unless you’re SuperMom all of our children will watch t.v. sometimes. Why not let them watch something that will help thier little minds (and hearts) while we take a 5 minute shower!
Heather
August 16th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I never really thought about our baby needing to learn how to play. I assumed it is a natural instinct. Thanks for the insight. I thnik I will purchase these DVD’s. I have worked in day care for many years and feel I know alot about kids. An international adoption will be a whle new ball game. I will need to be reminded of that once in awhile.
Shannon
LID 4/16/07
August 16th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I can secondhand second the opinion on the baby bumblebee dvds…. my best friend’s son was premature, and his occupational/speech therapist recommended them.
For my own part, I am a big fan of baby einstein dvds. My son is mildly autistic, and he learned many of his first words from them….they held his attention when other things and people did not. They also were very soothing when he was upset.
my anti-spam word — CCAA — and I hope they are able to match a LOT of days in the upcoming month..and that we start hearing some juicy rumors soon. LOL
LID 1-12-06
August 16th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Excellent idea RQ. I shall take a look at them. DD2 was in a walker for much of her day, but there are a few pictures of her out of it, or outside in the courtyard, exploring her little world. But now that she’s home, she’s on the floor exploring every little speck she can. She puts everything in her mouth and is watching Big Sister do everything!
Snick
dd Sunshine 6
dd Brilliance 14 months
August 16th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
littlemaplesmom,
If she had any rumors she said she would post them. You can always go to the forum and check there to see if anyone else is hearing things.
RQ,
Thanks for the reviews! These are great!
Adomom
LID 12-5-05
August 16th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Thanks for the DVD recommendations, everybody! I have one that I wuold like to add:
LeapFrog Letter Factory: It taught Scarlett her ABC’s and the sounds that they make. We now go around town singing, “The B says Buh, the B says Buh. Every letter makes a sound; the B says Buh!”
This helped her more than anything else we have tried.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Leap Frog is phenomenal! My now almost 6 year old learned all his letter sounds at 2.5. We then moved onto Word Factory at about 3 and he still loves it. My 2 year old is not quite as interested but hopefully he will be soon. They also have the Math Factory and a few others. They are very well done, and entertaining as well as educational
Michelle
http://www.waitingformolly.blogspot.com
August 16th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
I’m wondering at what starting age people feel these DVDs are appropriate? I know zilch about children’s programming, but I’m a little leery about what is appropriate for what age after the recent reseach released about BabyEinstein not being recommended for children less than 24 months. Thanks!
August 16th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
AmyNicole,
As a teacher myself, I have found that much of the research in this area suggests that young children must have interaction with a real person for learning to occur. Although many adults easily learn from watching educational videos such as documentaries, passive viewing of any educational material really does not educate children as effectively as interaction with adults. In my experience I found this to be true throughout the elementary years as well. While it is true that some children may benefit some from the videos, adult interaction, especially from one who has a significant relationship to the child, has been shown to be far more important.
So if you want to get videos I would recommend watching them together and then talking about what you have just seen.
good luck,
kat
August 16th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I agree with Kat - we watch these together for the most part. And TT punches me in the arm and points at the screen during the parts she really likes. Watching TV is a full body contact sport for her.
I haven’t played any of the Baby Einstein videos for TT. I bought a few for GG but I never really liked them, she just zoned out while watching them and I didn’t like that.
The Eebee videos are completely different - they seem to encourage playing, not zoning out.
August 16th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
I too agree with Kat. Interaction is the key. Almost all of the television/videos my children watch I watch with them. I do allow my almost 6 year old to watch some tv/videos while his little brother is napping, and I try to get a few things done around the house, but that is limited as well.
I too didn’t like the “zoning out” my youngest did with the Baby Einstein videos. I do like the music in the videos.
As far as the research goes, I haven’t heard anything specifically about the Baby Einstein videos not be appropriate, but research has shown for many years that children under two should not watch any television, so I am assuming this applies to Baby Einstein as well.
Michelle
http://www.waitingformolly.blogspot.com
August 16th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
I haven’t read the research, but why shouldn’t kids under age 2 watch tv? Does this mean putting them out of the room completely if the parents are watching tv? Or, just not letting the tv babysit them and be the only source of entertainment?
On another note, we got my niece the Leap Frog. She seemed to get bored with the Leap Frog. Then, we got her little brother the Leapster. The Leapster seemed to be more interesting to them. Also, a friend told me that you should try to avoid giving kids the small hand-held games that don’t teach (you just jump over stuff, get points, and kill bad guys) - once they get away from the learning toys it was very hard to get them interested in them again. Linda
August 17th, 2007 at 3:27 am
Hi RQ,
Thank you for your very interesting reviews on books and DVD.
Since we are a half Norwegian/half German family our child will mainly speak Norwegian and German I. Eebee does not exist in these languages (as far as I know), so if I where to order only one or two of these 3 DVD’s which one would you recomend? Can you please rank them for me?
Thank you so much.
Best regards
Beate
LID Dec 8, 2005
August 17th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I recently ordered them because I saw the link on this site that RQ posted, and I haven’t received them yet but am really looking forward to it. My friend was recently staying with her 10 month old and when I showed her the website (with him in the room) and the Eebee song came on, he just couldn’t get enough of it, so I am sure they will be well worth it. I must say, since I heard the song, I can’t get it out of my head, it just keeps poping in at the wierdest times, but it is catchy … Eebee, Eebee, Eebee, Baby, Baby, I love you!
August 17th, 2007 at 8:25 am
I am pretty sure all the dvd’s mentioned come with pamphlets telling parents how to interact with the chilld during the show. I know the Bumble Bee language dvd’s expect the parent to say the word with the child after they see the picture on the screen. These videos are used very often for sn’s children- so therapists recommend them for parents to use when they are not in session with the teacher. As for the Letter Factory- the whole family will be involved signing the songs and you will not be able to get it out of your head! :)
August 17th, 2007 at 8:53 am
ln7mike-I think the research just indicates that the all the stimuli is not good for small children. I do agree with this, and think that too much television at young ages can lead to problems with attention deficit and hyperactivity in school. The kids are so used to so much stimuli that they have a hard time focusing on “plain, boring” school work. I think that the younger you start this the bigger the problem. I have allowed my children to start watching som educational and not so lively shows at about 16-18 months, but I always watch with them. At about 2 1/2 is when both my boys became a little more interested in watching tv and I would allow them to watch a little more, and it didn’t always have to be educational (ie Toy Story, Cars, etc). I still don’t allow my boys to watch much tv during the day, there are many days that the tv is on for about 20 minutes while I am making breakfast in the mornings and then off for the remainder of the day, until the kids go to bed.
As for Leap Frog, I think we were all discussing the Leap Frog videos, not the handheld game.
I do agree that children should not have the handheld games, My nieces are a little older and they have the Game Boys and Play Stations Portables and I can say that my boys will not have them. My nieces are so un-social because of these. When they are on a trip they are playing their game boys instead of interacting with their family. They spend hours on them, even when friends are over. I know that many people have them and limit them, and I think that is fine, as long as they are limited, much like the tv. For my dh and I it is just a battle we have chosen not to fight. There are enough things in our lives that we are having to control, and that is one thing we can keep out all together, so we are choosing to do that.
Michelle
http://www.waitingformolly.blogspot.com
August 17th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I totally understand the crying part. When a friend pointed I Love You Like Crazy Cakes out in the book store, I also cried. I think I had to read through the book about 15 times before I could read it without crying. I read it all the time to my boys to help prepare them for their little sister and they didn’t used to like it when I chose this book because I would cry. Now I can read it easily through. Our state required an adoption parenting class and the social worker who ran the class said that it was very important for us to be able to read stories like this to our daughters without crying so that they wouldn’t get upset and think we were sad that we brought them home. I keep practicing so that when she does come home, I can read these stories to her. I’m definitely going to get the other books as well.