January 2009 New Specialty Toys — Videos & DVDs

Everyone loves rapping along and learning multiplication with D.J. Doc—the Hip Hop Hamster. Positive lyrics, super-cool rap music, and high-energy action make these multiplication rap songs irresistible. Multiplication facts through 12 are easy to learn and remember with these fun rap songs — a different one for each set of rap facts. The DVD run approximately 50 minutes and now includes Skip Counting songs. Choose from DVD video or audio CD & book programs. Launch date: November 2008.

Peggy Flores explains and demonstrates relief printing by using flat cardboard, small pieces of corrugated cardboard, styrofoam and string, which are glued onto cardboard, painted, and inked. She also carves images on vinyl blocks to create images which she then prints. The film also demonstrates a variety of simple tools such as brayers, carving tools and bench hooks. Many student examples are shown. Running time is 26 minutes. "An art teacher actually demonstrates how these particular prints can be made simply with basic techniques and shows actual student work," President Amy Woodworth of Crystal Productions told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 17, 2008.

The theme of this DVD is about dinosaurs. Your children will be delighted with the dinosaur story and will want to see it over and over and again. Also, you will finds songs that will have your children moving, learning and burning calories. Counting to 100 is also a favorite of many teachers as well as children. This DVD will keep children occupied and delighted as Shawn Brown, the Pied Piper of Early Childhood, strikes it big with this first DVD project.

Blending watermelon with imagination, learning, and fun, each Wumbler DVD and CD centers itself upon lessons critical to nourish the "whole and balanced" child. The Wumbler Patch's goal is to help parents raise children that understand the many responsibilities they have to "human kind and the world" in a way that leaves a positive impression on them and remains a lifelong goal.

"The Riddle in a Bottle," filmed by award-winning wildlife filmmakers Laura Sams and Robert Sams, shows how life on earth is connected through moving water. The Riddle Solvers try to solve a puzzling riddle that mysteriously floats to their inland riddle stand from the far away ocean. Kids can join them as they meet sea turtles, a singing pirate and more. Launch date: October 1, 2008.

From the leader in language instructional videos for children, Language Tree introduces Italian to kids in a way that engages them from start to finish. Blending 3D animation, sing-along songs and interactive games, this DVD clearly demonstrates conversational Italian used in everyday situations. Topics include meeting and greeting, counting, colors, eating and playing. "To enable children to learn faster, we employ a unique methodology,the Multi-Cognition Approach, developed by a Stanford University PhD in Cognitive Sciences. Our DVDs also makes learning fun by incorporating 3D animation, original sing-along songs and interactive, remote-control games," Ana Leung, president of Language Tree, told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 6, 2007.

This fitness DVD gives offers parents a way to work out with their children from birth to 6 years old, while having fun at the same time. It features real moms and kids alongside cartoon scenery background to catch children's attention. There are three workout options: cardio; toning and abs; and cardio, toning and abs. Launch date: 2008.

In the footsteps of the first discoverers of Lascaux, this unique and unusual visit goes into the original cave, closed to the public for over 40 years — an immersion into one of the most ancient periods of history, corresponding with the emergence in Europe, a little over 35,000 years ago, of a new human species, Homo sapiens sapiens, modern man. "Lascaux, A New Look" offers an interpretation that is original, rigorous and scientific, an interpretation that encourages further discovery and lets the imagination run wild. This spectacular film recreates the experience afforded to the few visitors who were allowed to go room by room and panel by panel into the original cave. Running time is 53 minutes. "As far as we know, there are no other DVDs in the marketplace with such comprehensive detail on this particular subject," President Amy Woodworth of Crystal Productions told TDmonthly. Launch date: October 17, 2008.

This four-DVD set includes 20 award-winning and best-selling children's stories colorfully adapted for the small screen. It provides hours of educational fun, with a helpful Read-Along option. From recent children’s best-sellers like "Karma Wilson’s Bear Snores On" and "Bear Wants More," to classic tales like Beverly Clearly’s "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," this value-priced gift set offers parents and children true storytelling treasures, expertly designed to enhance the reading experience. Together, these stories-on-video have won 35 awards including the Caldecott Medal, the NAPPA Gold Award and the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal. "The Scholastic Storybook Treasures series is produced by Weston Woods Studios. The stories are carefully adapted from the original books, and producers work with authors and illustrators to be sure the productions are faithful to the original stories," Beth Blenz-Clucas of Foundry Communications told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 18, 2008.

Shout! Factory releases the ground-breaking collectible 6-DVD box set "Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series" packed with colorful and entertaining bonus features. The DVD brings America's history to life and depicts key events from the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of kids  who work in Benjamin Franklin's print shop. The kids may be fictional, but all of the history is accurate and authentic. Walter Cronkite, Annette Bening, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller, Liam Neeson, Michael York, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and General Norman Schwarzkopf headline the all-star voice cast. Launch date: October 14.