Get the DVD too! Your kids will love it!
Susan Stephan | Huntington Beach, CA | 07/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Globe-Toddlers Adventures in Mexico DVD provides children with an exciting introduction to the country and its culture. Through the use of puppets, cultural music and children in native dress, Mexico and its vibrant traditions, customs, and way of life is brought alive for young children.
The DVD delighted and entertained my son of eight months and his two-year-old cousin. In spite of their age differences, both boys enjoyed the video. My baby was only able to watch for twenty minutes, but his cousin liked the whole program.
Many different topics and themes are covered to introduce the country of Mexico. The topics included: mariachis, traditional Mexican toys, transportation, the folkloric ballet, cowboys and cactus, the beach, pirates, the jungle and the different animals in the jungle, the pyramids of Mexico, soccer, food, the celebration of birthdays and the work of artisans.
Language played a role in the presentation of each topic. There were over a hundred and fifteen spoken and written words teaching colors, numbers, names of animals, and a variety of other topics.
As a mother raising a bilingual child, I appreciated that the video offered the chance to be viewed in four different languages--English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Since I speak to my son in Spanish, we watched the video in this language; however it is interesting to watch the video in other languages as well. The Chinese version includes the Chinese characters as well as the phonetic spelling of the word using the Roman alphabet.
While watching the video with my son, I would add dialogue and commentary to supplement the vocabulary and topics introduced in the video. Viewing the video was interactive, with many topics and opportunities for me to comment and further explain aspects of what we were watching. With my two-year-old nephew, these interactions took on an added dimension, as I was able to ask him questions. He was able to respond and remark on what we were watching. I felt that the interaction was key to helping both children learn from the video, and it was also a fun way to spend time with them.
This video teaches kids about Mexico. It is a tour of the country with live footage of ocean fish, animals and plants that caught the attention of my son and his cousin. Not only do children learn about Mexico, but other topics are covered too. The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly was shown and the steps to make guacamole were revealed. The video provides educational lessons in an entertaining manner. My son especially liked the puppets that were in the video.
We really enjoyed the music in the DVD as well. This music can be listened to on its own in a CD that contains the soundtrack to the Adventures in Mexico DVD. The music is traditional Mexican music. It is upbeat music that can be danced to. In addition to playing the music for my son and his cousin, as a Spanish teacher, I will use the music in my classroom to introduce my students to the music of Mexico. The CD provides exposure to new music and allows for music appreciation.
In the video, a map is used to introduce different regions of Mexico. This same map also comes in the form of a placemat that can be written on with disposable markers. My two-year old nephew enjoyed drawing on the placemat after dinner. Being part Mexican, his mom used the map to teach her son where his grandparents and other family members are from. The various states of Mexico are presented in different colors. There are also pictures with the corresponding vocabulary words in Spanish detailing other pertinent aspects of Mexico. My nephew was most interested in the sea life presented--the gray whales, the tuna, and the turtle. As he would point to the different pictures, I would teach him how to say the words in Spanish.
I very much enjoyed the DVD, placemat, and corresponding music CD. I liked the presentation of Mexican culture, the lessons on nature, and especially the presentation of Spanish, English, French or Chinese vocabulary throughout. By interacting with my son and providing additional content while watching the video, he will learn new things each time we watch the video together. We will be watching and learning from this video for years to come.
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Track Listings (14) - Disc #1