Customer Reviews

Sesame Street: Guess That Shape and Color

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a try-before-you-buy kind of mom when it comes to DVDs, so I rented this DVD from Netflix with hopes that my 18-month-old daughter would love this new Sesame Street offering as she loves all things Elmo. She hated it! We didn't even get halfway through it.

It is set up in a game show format and the "host" of the show is really loud and obnoxious and has a kind of scary toothy grin at one point and a big scary square head. Every time he came on the screen as the emcee of this game show that Elmo and Zoe are playing, my daughter started to cry and turned away from the show.

The older Elmo DVDs have all been a big hit in our house, but the newer ones like the Sesame Beginnings series, which are REALLY boring, even for smaller babies and this one in particular, are really jumbled. This one jumps from shapes to colors to healthy food groups??? What the?!?

Anyway, rent this if you must, but don't waste your money on buying it. There are much better Elmo videos out there.

...and I am fine with that! This is terribly annoying. The announcer is loud and frantic. Not entertaining. In fact, it is so chaotic that my daughter gets uncomfortable and leaves the room. This is the child who comes running when she hears the beginning of Elmo's World. Running. This film has her running in the opposite direction. I'd skip it. I'm selling mine on ebay soon...real cheap...

I've never found Elmo-centric shows to be the easiest for adults to sit through but I was looking at this more in terms of how it might help a little one develop an ear for Mandarin:

- Only the DVD menus and optional subtitles are in simplified characters and there are no words taught on screen.
- The Beijing accent isn't particularly exaggerated, which is good for kids whose families might come from mandarin-speaking countries other than China. (Learning Mandarin isn't as useful if you can't understand one's extended family). In fact if anything, some the characters, including the annoying game show host, could use better enunciation.
- One can always switch back and forth to the original English track if they want to change the language focus.

Do make sure your DVD player is region or code free before purchasing.

Overall, I've seen better Sesame Street material out there but I like that it offers more substantial, practical Mandarin teaching than some of the bilingual alternatives out in the US market. Plus it is markedly easier for adults to sit through than say some of the Elmo's World shows.

First, I must say that I hate to see negative reviews for this product! My son is almost 2 and absolutely loves this DVD. Before Grandma bought this, we had been reading a few books on shapes and my son was catching on pretty quickly. I think that this program is helping to reinforce his newly acquired knowledge--he is recognizing circles, squares, triangles and ovals in everyday objects like plates, tiles, etc.
I have to admit that the muppet gameshow host featured here is a little annoying, but so are the human ones at one time or another! I think that he adds to the fun of the show. Also parents, we need to remember that DVDs such as these are not really for our entertainment and try to watch through the eyes of our little sponges.
I recommend this to kids who are hungry to learn and have parents that are excited to help.

My 2-year-old loves this DVD. She knows her colors pretty well, but she didn't know her shapes until after watching this video. It's the only one she has wanted to watch for 2 weeks now. It basically has a series of "gameshows" that Elmo and Zoe play to find squares and healthy foods in different colors. Worth buying!

My 2 year old son is obsessed with this dvd. He now points out shapes in every day life. He will point to squares and say "four equal sides". And he recognized an octogon when he saw a stop sign. I didn't teach him any of this...the dvd did.

The Twins I brought this for just love it Have to watch it over and over and they are learning the shapes and colors.

Sesame street DVD's are good for young learning children...My children have always benefited from sesame products..The puppets make learning fun for kids...

I bought this DVD for my 1 and a half year old son. He loved it. He actually comes home and runs over to where the DVD is kept, and hands it to my wife or I to play it for him.

My 16 month old loves Elmo and enjoys this DVD. It is clever and entertaining and teaches little ones about shapes, colors, and healthy food options. There is music and dancing and good story lines in each segment. Very well produced and directed. Entertaining for parents too. I purchased Elmo's World "Opposites" and "Elmo Has Two" and didn't like them at all compared to this DVD. Note: we don't watch any TV and this is the only DVD we watch once per day.