Customer Reviews

Real Wheels: Travel Adventures

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

We have 6 of the "Real Wheels" titles (which my son calls the "Dave" movies) and we have gotten our money's worth out of each of them many times over. I unfortunately did not stumble upon them until just before his 4th birthday, which is a shame because they have a lot to offer for kids from about 3 on up. My son just turned 5 and he still gets so much learning out of them. When he was younger, it was more about just watching and listening to the trains, planes, etc. ... now he's old enough to follow the script and he generally adds his own running commentary to the films -- he really thinks about what he's seeing. The films do a great job of presenting technical and mechanical concepts at a level for little learners, and they also throw in great age-appropriate safety information--they make the point loud and clear but without scaring the kids. You can tell Dave Hood really likes making films for kids and his genuine excitement for what he's doing comes across in every tape. These also make FANTASTIC affordable birthday gifts for pre-school aged friends. Among our all-time favorite kids' tapes.

We bought this because our son really likes trains, but our son likes the whole DVD. The host, Dave, is a likeable guy who seems to know how to make things interesting to little kids. The DVD moves along at a good pace, but Dave takes time to explain how things work. There is plenty of cool video of real trains (and buses and planes). Dave also always seems to get into just a little bit of trouble which our son finds funny.

This episode really educates children while entertaining them, as well. The host does an excellent job of teaching children about real-life adventures of buses, airplanes and trains. The style of this program teaches children on a real level that can be understood by people of all ages. I even learned things about these vehicles that I didn't know much about.

I agree with some of the reviewers of other "Real Wheels" adventures -- Dave IS annoying.... but hey, I'm not his target audience. My trainiac son thinks Dave is hilarious and he loves this series -- good enough for me. It's clean, silly fun and he learns a few things at the same time. At 4 years old he's beginning to move on to some other series (Popular Mechanics for Kids -- an excellent choice for slightly older kids) but that may just be because he's been watching these for 2 years already and is ready for something new. Hard Hat Harry is another good choice for kids 2 to 6 years old or so who love vehicles of any kind. Somehow I find those a little more entertaining and informational than the Real Wheels series, but that may just be personal preference.

I bought these movies based on reviews and was puzzled when I noticed my 3 year old son was afraid of the green choo choo train. I couldn't imagine why until I replayed the movie and saw the scene where the green train was headed toward a woman stranded, yes, stranded!, in her vehicle on the train tracks. As she waved her arms in panic and stares at the oncoming train, she screams stop! I cannot imagine how this fosters a safe feeling for children unless you are into the scare tactic approach to teaching.

I was really upset and offended that this was put into a kid friendly show. Sadly, I do not recommend this DVD. The idea of it is great, but the delivery was more than poor. I will return the others I purchased.

If your kid loves things that go then there's a good chance they'll like this video. It's slightly campy and a little dated but oh man you can't pry my son away from the bus video. Classic Dave. Unlike some videos (like the ones with the martians or whatever visiting to show the kids the garbage truck- ick), these you can actually watch WITH your kid and not totally fruit out.

This is a great dvd. I bought it for my daughter (3) and my nephews (4&5) and everyone loves it. My 18 month old even enjoys it. The dvd is informative and very fun to watch.

My 2 yr old son has watched this DVD again and again. He's not into cartoons, so the real life airplanes, trains, and buses suit him perfectly.

There were parts of this that were ok, but I can't get past the scene where there is a woman in her car that is stuck on the train tracks with the train coming dangerously close.

My 2.5 year old son had watched this once before, and I must have stepped away for a moment and missed that part. The next time I was watching it with him, he started saying "STOP the train!" well ahead of this scene (it clearly made an impression), even at his age. I didn't even keep watching to see how it turned out - though obviously I'm sure they work it out. I'm shocked they would put that in there!!

my son watches this repeatedly
at first he only wanted to watch the train section, then he went to buses and finally to airplanes.
Fortunately after watching the airplane section he was willing to keep his seat belt one in the plane (just a few days before watching it - he would not keep the seat belt on!)
I highly recommend this