Customer Reviews

Airplanes A to Z [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now, there's a video the kids won't quit seeing through and through. I have two little boys, 2yrs and 3yrs. Both are enthralled by this video. It is presented by three kids who actually fly in the planes and helicopters. The edition is OK and that is important to me. In other films of the kind, there are so many cuts that you can't see a scene for more then 10 seconds. And with this frenetic cutting you cannot interact with the kids seeing the film. In this 'airplanes A to Z' you have lots of time to comment, explain and ask question to the youngins.

Airplanes A to Z has quickly become my 2 year old's favorite video. He already knows his alphabet but this video takes him to the next step of associating letters with words. Not just any words, but airplane-associated words (which of course are much more interesting to my son than any others aside from train-associated words). He readily spouts off the words he has learned from this video along with their associated first letter. The footage is mostly of executive jets and light planes, although there are some larger planes shown. The limited number of planes does not detract from the featured words, and perhaps enhances the alphabet lesson. The footage is accompanied by benign background music (which I have found to be non-irritating thus far) and the narration is simple and uncluttered. The featured words and letters are emphasized throughout the script and then repeated and illustrated at the end. The alphabet lesson is truly featured and not lost in the "clouds".

One thing this video does that is not that common with other children's airplane videos is that there is quite a bit of footage shot from inside the airplane. It also features three children who ride in the plane, look out the windows, and interact with the pilot. On a recent flight my son (who has been on over 40 flights) was invited to see the cockpit of the plane and meet the pilots. He was not in the least interested. We exited the aircraft and looked at the plane from the outside and he got very excited about the plane. It was at that point that I realized that my child did not quite understand that he was inside of an airplane. He would look out the window and be excited to see the other planes and airport vehicles but did not grasp the concept that he was IN an airplane (eventhough he would tell you he was in an airplane). After watching this video numerous times, he now understands that the cockpit is a very special place to be and I am sure that next time he gets the chance to see the cockpit (if he is so fortunate) he will be very excited.

My boys are 4 and 2 years old. They loved this video the first time they saw it. ... There are aerial views of airports, many different planes and kids excited about flying. ...

This is another gem I learned about by reading Amazon's online reviews. I bought this video sight unseen and am quite happy with it. My 2 year old instantly gravitated to it. The video was created by a husband and wife team. The husband, "Captain Carey," is featured in the film. Each letter of the alphabet is featured with an accompanying aircraft-related word; some are objects, some are concepts. For instance C is for cockpit, H is for helicopter, S is for speed. At the end of the video, everything is reviewed in a quick sequence--a nice touch.

While the cinematography is amateurish and the music mundane, the film is quite educational and engaging for kids. Children are shown in the video visiting an airport and sitting in various kinds of aircraft. Their voices announce each of the alphabet concepts and give explanations of what each word means. There is also a hokey theme song ("If I had wings").

As an adult, I can see several flaws with this video, but can't really fault the filmmakers much because they have made the best video like this on what appears to be a skeleton budget. It's apparent that Captain Carey is a dad who was not satisfied with the kids' videos on aircraft and I applaud him for making this video. However, for the record, I think they could have found better concepts for some of the words. How about F is for fuel, instead of F is for flying? Also, the explanation of how a helicopter flies includes the phrase "fixed-wing aircraft" which is above the head of most kids. Simpler terminology could have sufficed without dumbing it down.

All in all, I love this video and wish it were more widely available. It goes beyond the simple gawking at machinery that most toddlers do and might even teach their parents a thing or two.