Leap Frog: Letter Factory

Great for Primary Classrooms too!
This is one of the best learning DVD's I have seen. It will be a great watch for the Pre-k to first grade classrooms. The DVD teaches the letter names. Most importantly, it teaches the letter sounds in a creative way. Viewers see the letters, hear the letter names, they see a picture/video that represents the sound each letter makes, and the viewer hears a catchy tune to match the letter sound. For instance, the letter C is shown in a cold environment with ice hanging from it. The letter comes to life by shivering and stating that it is /c/ /c/ /c/.... old. Then the characters in the story sing the catchy Leapfrog song; "The C says/c/, the C says /c/, every letter makes a sound. The C says /c/. This DVD/VHS is marketed towards parents to use with their PreK to First grader, but all teachers need to know about this video and share it with their class. It would be a great review or introduction to letter sounds. Teachers could also use the catchy phrases and visual representation of the...

2 yr old son loves the Letter Factory!


The best there is! You HAVE to get this!
I just can't believe how well done this DVD is for little ones. My little guy, age 3, learned his letters and sounds very quickly after watching this DVD. Then, 3 weeks later after not watching it for about that long, he's still talking about what sounds each letter makes. It's very well done, makes it very easy for children to understand, plus it's very enjoyable to watch. After about 34 times of hearing, "The R says errrr" with that tune attached gets a little redundant, but not to little ones. You have to get this for every preschooler you know. It's really that good!

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Leap Frog: Math Circus

A Great Intro Video to Math Concepts for kids--math circus
Unlike the previous reviewers I thought this video was great. Though it could be longer, it gives kids (mine are 4.5 and 2.5) a good introduction to basic math concepts: association, addition and subtraction.

One of the problems small children have is that they memorize numbers and can "count" but they don't associate the numbers with an actual quantity. This video uses small white mobile cubes called "quidgets" to teach them that numbers `correspond' to a certain number of objects.

My kids are pretty engrossed by this video and I am overjoyed that I can now give my four-year-old simple hand problems and she can solve them.

Video Outline:

--Numbers are produced: "0 to 10".

--Numbers are associated with corresponding numbers of quidgets, coins, fingers, etc.

For example, no quidgets, then one quidget. The white box gets a number 1 which jumps onto it and stays.

Two quidgets stack vertically... the...

Outstanding Beginning Math Video
I am an elementary school teacher, previously an early childhood teacher. For the last 3 years I have been teaching 3rd grade math. One of the biggest problems with children, even in the third grade, is a poor understanding of numbers, what they represent and what basic operations actually do. Mental math is at an all time low. When they reach my class, many children are behind and struggle to catch up. Having a strong foundation in number sense is imperative for future success in mathematics. This video helps young children understand what exactly a number stands for and what is happening when numbers are added or subtracted. The video is 30 minutes long, it has catchy songs, and a story line most kids enjoy. Is it enough to teach a child everything they need to know about numbers? No. However, it helps a student understand these concepts much better, and helps build the foundation they need to succeed.

This video is part of the LeapFrog DVD series, which are the...

They have certainly got some explaining to do
Parents and children who loved the other Leap Frog DVDs about letters, words and reading will find this one disappointing.

Advertised as beginning math, this one is mixed up in its focus, spending quite a bit of time on recognizing the numbers from 0 to 10 (especially zero) and relating them to “quidgets”, then quickly jumping to addition and subtraction without sufficient explanation or introduction of the concepts. Starting with simple counting, by the end of the 35 minutes, they’re showing us ten times tables up to one hundred.

Very young children will probably like the repetitive cowboy “numbers” song, and may even stick around for the “circus” acts and accompanying slapstick routines, but the concepts advance too quickly for this age group. Kids who already know their numbers won’t learn anything new from the beginning of the presentation, but then again, they probably won’t learn anything from the rest...

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