Customer Reviews

Canciones de Cuna - Songs for Bedtime [VHS]

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

 

 

The format is very good for kids who thrive in two languages, as songs are played back to back in English and Spanish. I only have three pounds of beef with the product: First, singers' quality. The choir could hardly be more out of key. Another is that Spanish translations for typical English songs are terrible. They do not rhyme at all (see? rhyme = rima), and often a complete and often nonsensical sentence is hurriedly squeezed into a sigle song line. Lastly, the patronizing final line in the video (it is important that parents view this video with their children or sometihng to that effect) is read in Spanish only. Why is this? is there an assumption that Spanish speaking parents, not the English language-only ones plug their kids to the tube and go on with their merry lives? I don't see this kind of patronizing in English language videos, nor this line is read also in English too following it.

I really liked the idea of giving my kids some exposure to other languages. I was particularly pleased with this DVD that has some nice soothing music and the puppets are just so sweet. Given how much I'll be using this as a "wind down" to the evening, I think it's a very good value. I don't want my kids watching a ton of TV so the 30 minute length is just right.

Although we loved the Cantarima Nursery Rhyme DVD, this one was very disappointing. The format is good - being brought up bilingual myself, I strongly believe the best way for kids to learn a language is through nursery rhymes and singing. My main irritation with it is the poor translation and the accent. If I am going to put a bilingual DVD or CD, I expect a native speaker. The accent was terrible. A complete put-off. Also as someone else has said, far too hurried for language learning and I compensate by repeating the dialog or song myself slowly and clearly. I admit that I do put it on because my kids enjoy it and I want maximum exposure, and the DVD is a huge improvement on most of the bilingual material out there - but still a disappointment.

My baby will actually sit down to watch these! I love the entire collection, and so does my son.

I listened to the first 3 minutes of this DVD and had to turn it off because the kids are signing off key and not even with the music. It's terrible. I don't want my newborn to think that this is what music sounds like. Luckily, I got this from the library and didn't spend a dime on it. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS...unless your child is deaf...or you want your child to be tone deaf.

A big hit with our 11-month-old baby, this DVD features delightful puppets, toddlers/preschoolers, a variety of visuals and rhymes/songs in both languages. Comes with a songsheet so you can learn the words. We also use some signs when singing along. Our baby loves watching this and has since about 6 months old.

This is a great DVD if you want to have some quiet time before bed.
My kids already know all of the Spanish songs... and a little spoken segment about going to bed has improved their Spanish vocabulary; it is tough to find educational DVDs that actually teach useful Spanish. That said, this is my least favorite of the Cantarima DVDs, my kids prefer Cantos y Rimas of the three. I also disagree with the comment in another review that a line in the DVD is patronizing to Hispanics, the speaker clearly states in BOTH languages that parents & children should watch the video together. I am Hispanic and this is one of the better DVD series for Hispanic families.