Can we build it? Yes WE CAN! Bob and his team’s newest adventure will spark the teamwork efforts of your toddler as they enjoy Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay .

Although EBoy tries to act like he’s too old and cool to watch Bob, who was his former favorite, he immediately jumped with interest to see this movie. ETot was beyond thrilled to not only watch an entertaining movie but also point out each construction vehicle and tool. This movie has some brand new machines which must learn to work together with Bob’s crew. Children learn about how to interact with new friends, brainstorming to reach a goal, and just how great it feels to get the job done.

I was able to integrate the DVD with some of the Bob the Builder books we already have so that ETot can further develop his knowledge of colors, counting, and other preschool skills. We were even able to take out his play tools and use them as we watched Bob and the crew building in the movie, hammering has never been quite so exciting. He enjoyed the storyline and discussing what was going on so that he could really involve himself in the scenes as they played. Bob the Builder is presented in such a way that children can not only visually enjoy the colorful claymation characters and scenery, but also really comprehend and understand the lessons as they are being presented.

Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay . is an adventure your 2-5 year old can enjoy and learn from in a myriad of ways. Definitely a great purchase for the little builders in your life.

One of our favorite science shows is back with new exciting episodes. The Zula Patrol is a colorful entertaining way for your child to immerse themselves in science. With interesting characters, integration of music and dynamic graphics learning about the weather has never been so fun as in “The Zula Patrol Explore Weather”.

Scientific facts are presented in a way that not only demonstrates detailed phenomena of weather but also repetitiously provides accurate definitions. Zula Patrol is a program that is easily viewed by little ones who are brand new to learning details about science as well as older children learning in an educational setting.

Just as the importance of exposing your children to other languages from an early age can be developmentally advantageous, exposing them to the language of science can be key in our technologically advanced world. EBoy was easily able to explain to me what a cumulous cloud is after watching this show, something I personally don’t remember learning until an advanced grade school age.

The vocabulary used within the episodes is key not only for early exposure to advanced language concepts but could also be vital to helping older children work on spelling and language. The Zula website has a reading initiative program as well as activities and worksheets for free download. Great tools for homeschoolers as well as teachers to develop key foundational science skills in their students.

Check out the newest Zula DVDs available at Borders. It’s never too early to make learning about science fun!

EBoy has been working dilligently to improve his reading skills over the last few months. He was very excited when given the opportunity to review a great kids magazine called High Five. This very well put together publication is focused on children ages 2-6. Before you start to worry about what sort of advertising is being thrown your way- let me calm your fears there are NONE! No toy ads, no attempts to enforce bad cereals or fast food snacks just the chance to view real educational material in a fun and interactive format.

High Five incorporates some of the same activities from its sister magazine Highlights. I rememer my own subscription to Highlights as a chid and was so pleased to see EBoys enthusiasm when receiving his very own mail to read and enjoy. There are a variety of puzzles, stories, and activities presented in each magazine not only focused on themes for the specific month (i.e. Valentine’s Day) but also reaching beyond to expose children to a variety of real world environments and concepts.

When I asked EBoy what his favorite part of his new magazines were it was definitely the science experiments included. He also enjoyed the recipes and fun puzzles. We happened to one of the magazines while at church one weekday and I had a crowd of children gathered around to listen to the stories and do the puzzles from the ages of 3 up to 8. Our 8 year old friend borrowed the magazine to sit down and read herself, thoroughly enjoying something so focused on making learning fun.

The cost of High Five is just under $30 for a year subscription and on this Friday you can participate in the Parent Bloggers Blog Blast on Friday March 7, 2008 for a chance to win a free subscription of your very own. High Five gets an A+ review mark from me for presenting an exciting colorful way for children to learn to love reading.