Customer Reviews

Bee Smart Baby, Vocabulary Builder 3 - an educational video for infants & toddlers [VHS]

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3 star:		(1)
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We have the first three tapes in this series, and I play them interchangeably for our son, who is just over a year old. I found it frustrating that a complex term like "bulldozer" is included, while the baby is still working on learning the much simpler "truck." I mean, why are we getting into such complex distinctions of types of vehicles? I'd have preferred that the vocabulary list stick to words most likely to be needed -- and reinforced -- by everyday living. Only if the kid lives in a construction zone would "bulldozer" seem necessary. I felt the same way about "helicopter" -- but then again, when my son watches the shot of the chopper taking off, he's highly amused. So I have mixed feelings. The whole tape keeps his attention nonstop, and I like the way they break up the pattern of repetition so that the pacing is varied. I don't know if my son will learn the word "bulldozer" etc., but the tape clearly stimulates him, so I would recommend it to parents who have the first two tapes and want more. Unfortunately, that looks like the end, too. Having looked at the word list for #4 and #5, I don't think we'll be getting them. Their word lists really seem to be too far afield for this age range. But I think this one (#3) is okay for babies in the early verbal stages. If you're just starting out, go with #1 and #2.

I bought this video for my 16 month old daughter who absolutely loves tapes 1 & 2. After watching tape 3 just once, I don't believe that my daughter is ready for words like "bulldozer" and "helicopter". While there are some easier words like "fish", "arm" and "wagon", I would not recommend this level unless your child has mastered at least most of the words on levels 1 and 2. Like the earlier tapes, level 3 features great classical music, live animal shots, bright objects and friendly children's faces to hold your child's attention, but don't be in a rush to leave tapes 1 & 2 behind.

As a new mother I was keen to get it all right, and appreciating the occasional value of the distraction of TV (for us both) decided to try and make it useful and directed. This was before the Baby Einstein boom, which I really didn't and haven't investigated, but found that the videos that I bought as part of this range have obviously contributed to the end result. My daughter, now 7 has grown up to be a very eloquent and intellligent little girl, and I don't believe you can start early enough. Unlike TV, these are focussed and deliberate lessons in language learning. Its all worth trying, for an early start.