Numbers & Letters

Leap Frog - Letter Factory

Teaches young children letters, letter sounds and listening skills.
Genre: Children's Video
Rating: G
Release Date: 9-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD

Tad, Leap, and Lily hop from the pages of the amazingly popular Leap Pad learning toys onto the television screen in this attention grabbing phonics program. Tad's disappointment at being unable to help his family with an important presentation at the letter factory quickly turns to excitement when he meets Professor Quigley and joins each of the letters of the alphabet in their own fun-filled classroom devoted to learning their unique sound. Tad practices karate kicks with the k's, digs the vibes with the cool cat d's drumming on the bongos, and snores peacefully with the z's while learning to recognize each letter and the sound it makes. A catchy, fun song serves as a summation of each letter's "class" and entices even the most reluctant of toddlers (and their parents) to sing each letter's sound. An interactive game follows the program and gives children a chance to practice their newfound skills of recognizing letters and their sounds. Consumers expect great educational products from LeapFrog and this DVD won't disappoint. (Ages 2 to 5) --Tami Horiuchi

Leapfrog Learning DVDs 5-Pack (Talking Words Factory / Talking Words Factory II / Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory / Letter Factory /Math Circus)

5 pack of LeapFrog dvds: 1) LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory II: The Code Word Caper 2) LeapFrog: Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory 3) LeapFrog: Letter Factory 4) LeapFrog: Math Circus 5) LeapFrog: Talking Words FactoryRunning Time: 173 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 012569807624 Manufacturer No: 80762

Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory

Teaches young children about vowels, consonants, word building, rhyming, and vocabulary.
Genre: Children's Video
Rating: G
Release Date: 9-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD

Building words is an exciting and empowering experience for young children (and frogs) who have mastered individual letters and their sounds. When young Tad wants to nominate his Dad for a "Best Dad" contest he asks his brother Leap and sister Lily for some help filling out the application. The three young frogs go see Professor Quigley at their Father's Talking Word Factory for a little instruction and get to watch the "Sticky-ick-o-rama" and the "Word Whammer" machines at work. Tad quickly discovers that vowels act as the glue that sticks letters together and then learns to combine individual letter sounds to make three-letter words, use common ending sounds to create rhyming words, and blend letter sounds to make even longer rhyming words. Phonemic awareness, vocabulary building, and rhyming are entertaining and fun thanks to familiar Leap Pad characters, colorful animation, and short songs. An interactive word game challenges young viewers to fill in the missing first letter in a variety of three-letter words. This program is a great next step for graduates of Leap Frog: Talking Letters Factory and children ages 3 to 6. Tami Horiuchi

Sesame Street - The Best of Elmo

The Sesame Street character has fun singing some catchy new songs (you and your toddler just might, too), explaining the difference between light and heavy, having a laugh over pictures and numbers, and sharing the screen with a good-natured Whoopi Goldberg and Julia Roberts. Of the various Elmo videos, this one really does have the choicest material and stands up to repeat viewings--a big plus with little ones. --Tom Keogh

Sesame Street - 123 Count With Me

Join Ernie at The Furry Arms Hotel for a musical lesson in just how useful counting can be. When Ernie finds and returns a misplaced key, he uses his knowledge of numbers to return the key to the correct guest. As Ernie begins to learn about the hotel business, he finds many common situations in which counting is essential. Throughout the 30-minute video, Ernie and his friends help children learn to count from 1 to 20 with such songs as the jazzy "That's How the Numbers Go," an original version of the Chorus Line show tune "One," and "Rap Song #11." Favorite Sesame Street characters Elmo and The Count are joined by new characters including Ding the Dinger, a furry fellow with a bell on his head, and Benny, the bellboy that responds to Ding the Dinger's dings. Children as young as 18 months will bounce happily along with the catchy tunes and 2-year-olds will be inspired to count aloud with Ernie. Kids up to age 5 will hone their counting skills and laugh at the increasingly frustrated Benny as he delivers everything from 1 bucket of ice to 15 stampeding elephants! If you're looking for a fun video that teaches counting skills, here it is. --Tami Horiuchi

Leap Frog - Math Circus

Children learn to count, add, subtract in a series of circus acts.
Genre: Children's Video
Rating: NR
Release Date: 16-NOV-2004
Media Type: DVD

Baby Einstein - Numbers Nursery

A playful and interactive introduction to numbers!
-- Exposes little ones to the concept of counting
-- Reinforces number recognition using simple patterns

Between 12 and 24 months, little ones become increasingly interested in more complex ideas and begin to explore numbers and counting. Numbers Nursery introduces little ones to numerals 1 through 5 in a captivating, interactive way that invites them to join in, clap their hands and count out loud. Using baby-friendly images of brightly colored toys, plus puppets, children and familiar real-world objects set to beautiful music, this dynamic program is a fun and age-appropriate way for you and your child to discover the exciting world of numbers and counting together!

DVD Features
-- Repeat play
-- Language tracks (Spanish, French and English)
-- Discovery cards - Count 1 to 10 in seven languages
-- Count-along activities
-- How many?
-- Story time with See and Spy Counting book
-- Toy chest

Sesame Street - Learning About Letters

Big Bird and Telly Monster lead young viewers through the alphabet, letter by letter, in a magical and imaginative half-hour discovery of letters and their sounds. The perfect tape for young Sesame Street fans who are just beginning to get the hang of what letters are all about, it includes short skits, songs, and other bits of business--some original, some culled from the Sesame Street show--featuring a variety of Muppet characters as well as the human residents of that famously educational thoroughfare. --Marshall Fine

Sesame Street - Do the Alphabet

When Baby Bear must learn his alphabet in one day, Big Bird patiently takes him under his wing in Do the Alphabet. Only "The Method," (a hilarious combination of dance, song, visualization, and group therapy) can help Baby Bear on such short notice. The result is 40 minutes of ABC's Sesame Street style, where vibrant educational cartoons, enthusiastic kids, famous guest stars (here, Billy Joel), and harmonizing Muppets make lasting educational impressions. Children age 2 to 6 will enjoy the upbeat musical numbers dedicated to various letters; a favorite segment features the Boogie Woogie Piggies and their flashy rendition of the alphabet song. Throughout the well-paced show, Big Bird offers just the right blend of coaching and friendship, much like the ace support group leader he's mildly spoofing. Hats off to Sesame Street for helping Baby Bear--and his viewing audience--understand that learning takes time, patience, and a team effort. --Liane Thomas

Barney - Now I Know My ABC's

Preschool fundamentals--including shapes, colors, and the alphabet--are the focus of this one-hour program set in the after-school learning center familiar to viewers of Barney & Friends. Today, everyone is preparing for an art show, which provides plenty of scope for Barney's gentle tutorials on circles, squares, reds, and blues, while he incorporates beloved songs such as "Mister Sun." Viewers will be inspired by the students' art projects (which are easily replicated at home) as well as the lesson on mixing colors to create new hues. Then it's off to Baby Bop's tea party, a perfect segue into the realm of ABC's. As Baby Bop learns to spell her name, there are plenty of rhyming games and alphabet songs to incite audience participation. While lacking the originality of some of Barney's earlier music videos, there is no denying this lineup of merry songs and feel-good familiarity make this a cozy stroll into Barney's world. (Ages 2 to 6) --Lynn Gibson