DVDs that won't rot their brains

My boys don't watch TV, as such. They have approximately one hour per day to watch videos or DVDs. They call it TV time. It allows me to get supper ready without interruption, usually.

I thought I would list some of our favourites. Now to make this list, it has to not be annoying to me and be somewhat educational. We occasionally buy a DVD or video but we get a lot from our excellent local library. I prefer to get DVDs/videos that aren't movies. Movies are longer than an hour so they get mad when it is time to turn it off. No duh!

Remember my boys are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 and they don't like anything scary.

The Usual Suspects:
- Bob the Builder - I actually think most of them are pretty funny.
- Thomas the Tank engine
- Cars movie
- Curious George movie

Real animals theme:
- Babe
- Milo and Otis
- Napoleon (there is frequent use of the word stupid in this that I don't like)
- Hammy Hamster - Tales of the Riverbank. This is a Canadian show which uses real animals from way back but it is now appearing on Animal Planet. We bought a few DVDs from Amazon. My husband and I watched this when we were kids. Ah, the nostalgia.
- my boys also liked Homeward Bound - The Incredible Journey (movie). However, I didn't like the frequent name calling and put-downs in it so it has stayed at the library.

Non-fiction theme:

- This is America Charlie Brown - I reviewed this one before.

- Peep and the Big Wide World. This is a new discovery. It is a science show for kids. It combines animation and video of children doing experiments or observing nature. They have a website that my oldest goes to every morning.

- Real Wheels Series. There Goes a ....... My boys have seen almost every one of these! Dave is a funny guy - slapstick humour that appeals to preschoolers. They are definitely educational since they are non-fiction. My boys have seen Truck, Fire Engine, Bulldozer, Monster Truck, Tractor, Mail Truck, Garbage Truck, Farm Truck, Race Car, Tank, Train, and Police Car. There are even more in the series!

Music theme:
- Raffi in Concert - we love Raffi.
- Laurie Berkner in Concert (one caveat - she and her back up singer wear clothes that I consider somewhat inappropriate)
- The Wiggles - Top of the Tots and Big Red Car are our favourites.
- Mary Poppins
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - don't watch the last half, though. It is way too scary. There is a character called the "Child Catcher" and his job is to catch children. Bizarre!

Veggie Tales
- my boys like *some* of these. Madame Blueberry (about contentment), Jonah, Lyle the Kindly Viking, and Josh and the Big Wall.

Classic Disney:
- Lady and the Tramp
- Dumbo

Miscellaneous:

- Kipper the Dog. I love the English accents. These are pretty funny. I'm not sure about the educational value but they have a slow pace which I appreciate.

- Max and Ruby. I don't think these shows are educational and Ruby's voice can be annoying but they are hilarious. My youngest is a lot like Max but he talks muchmore since Max talks in single syllables.

- Richard Scarry. I have a soft spot in my heart for Richard Scarry and so does my husband. We remember reading his books when we were kids. There are several good Richard Scarry videos:
Best ABC Video Ever, Best Counting Video Ever, Best Busy People Video, Sing A Long Mother Goose and a few others.

We recently introduced our boys to the Muppet Show another childhood favourite. It is available on Netflix.

And, last but not least, probably our all time favourite:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I love that is takes actual pages from the book and intersperses it with animation. This was produced in 1977.

I hope you got some new ideas from my list. Did I leave any of your favs out? Disney's Jungle Book is one I'd like to try out on my boys soon.Pin It