As the parents of most kindergartners will attest, learning various “sight words” is a huge part of most school reading programs. Depending upon the child’s interest in reading, the learning (and reinforcing) of these words can bring about frustration, elation or both. (And not in just the child but the in parents too!) “Meet the Sight Words” can help make this process go a bit smoother.
Not familiar with the concept of “sight words” or the video? Fear not, here’s an excellent explanation from one of our bloggers: “The 40 minute DVD covers sight words that kids will use most often, like of, that, he, the, said, and play. Each word is shown one at a time on the screen, followed by the word morphing into an animated character (or two) and being portrayed in a little animated scene. For example, the word “for” becomes a camel, traveling across the desert in Egypt, and “of” is a little round guy with a wrench fixing a leaky pipe.”
Overall? The kiddos who’ve viewed the DVD enjoyed the show. Some parents have too!
“Not surprisingly, I was really hoping there’d be a spot left for me in the latest PBN DVD campaign, featuring “Meet the Sight Words”. I’m not usually a fan of kids’ DVDs - give me a Pixar movie instead, please - so that’s a testimonial to the appeal of “Meet the Sight Words” right there. This blogger’s hubby also caught a viewing. “Kyle said that he really liked the animation, which is no faint compliment,” she adds.
Two grown-ups were left scratching their heads over some of the animations.
“My only complaint with this DVD is that many of the word animations have nothing to do with the word itself. I would have liked to see the animation tie into the words better, perhaps even using it in a sentence that explains what’s happening in the animation to show kids where the word fits,” writes one blogger. Another continues, “I admit that after listening to it and watching snippets of it, I was afraid she’d get pretty bored. There’s really no story line at all — just words and scenarios — and quite frankly, the words don’t even exactly relate to the scenarios.”
But that didn’t stop our wee critics from loving this DVD. (And really, that’s who this video is made for, right?) “When I asked my daughter how she liked it, she couldn’t say enough about it. In a few words, she LOVED it.” A second blogger agrees, adding, “My daughters both enjoyed it. Once (my oldest) figured out the format, she’d see each new word and ask, “What word is next, mommy?” She really wanted to learn the words. And the simple animations captured the attention of Mira, too.”
“Meet the Sight Words” uses repetition to help children learn the various words. “Yeah, I’m no expert and I’m not sure how it works. All I know is Chicky was into it and she was repeating right along with the DVD. After watching it a couple of times she was recognizing words like “and” and “play”. Kinda cool if you ask me.”
(This blogger also helpfully mentions, “if you’re one of those stickler types and really want to know what sort of science is behind this teaching, you can go to their website to learn more.”)
But if your child isn’t completely captivated throughout the video? Don’t despair. Patience is key.
“While The Ambassador was initially interested in the DVD, I noticed his attention waning after the first couple of words and he wandered off to find crayons and do other things,” notes one blogger. “As I watched him closely, I think he simply might not be ready for it. While the age range on the DVD is 15 months to six years, and The Ambassador is now two, I don’t think he’s fully engaged enough in reading and letters to watch the entire video yet. I briefly ran the DVD by a friend’s daughter who is three, and she clapped and repeated every word on the screen.”
There are still a few more bloggers set to review “Meet the Sight Words”. To read their insights, check the following schedule:
Tues 8/19 - MomReviews
Wed 8/20 - Bananas and Toddlers
Thurs 8/21 - Creature Bug
Fri 8/22 - Don Mills Diva
Mon 8/25 - Lipstick to Crayons
Tues 8/26 - Round-Up Review on PBN
![[Bloglines]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Kaboodle]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kaboodle.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[Slashdot]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/slashdot.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://blog.parentbloggers.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
