Wee Bee Worth Watching

I'm not a big proponent of TV. I swore my kids wouldn't watch TV until they were five years old. But, I also said my kids would never eat pizza. I'm learning all things in moderation.

So, instead my kids do not watch TV until after they are two years old as the American Association of Pediatricians recommends. Oh, alright, truthfully it was 20 months for the first son right after my second was born. But it was merely a survival strategy. And, actually, he still doesn't watch TV, just videos I hand select.

My husband and I are not big TV watchers anyway. This is not out of intellectual snobbery, just simply because we're cheap. We only get the basic video channels (which are mostly Spanish). If we were getting HGTV, Showtime or HBO, there is a good chance the children would only recognize there mother if she were glued to the TV.

I know PBS is supposed to have good programs - but I am not organized enough to figure out when they are on. It's easier to just pop in a video when the mood (a rainstorm, desperate for a shower, needing to make dinner in peace, etc.) strikes us.

I had a weak moment after my second son was born when I was sure the only way I would get sleep during the next year was sitting with my first son watching videos. The only way my second son would sleep was lying on my chest.

There I was, in the recliner, snoring with one son, while the other watched Winnie the Pooh - the only video we owned because thankfully Nana had bought it for us - although I scoffed at it at the time. Now sleep-deprived and panicked I ordered 10 videos from Amazon - a few Sesame Street and some others about trucks as I was sure this would be my only daily shut-eye.

I was wrong - as it turns out child number two just never sleeps, period. Not on my chest, not in a recliner, bed, crib or on the floor. But that, is for another story.

Unfortunately the videos turned out to be a terrible investment. We have only watched segments of each of these videos once. Well, Elmo and the Potty we have watched several times - until I finally figured out that my son regressed in potty training ever since we started watching it.

These videos are terrible. The one about trucks shows video of buildings being blown up, the rainy day Sesame Street video had a song about hating the rain. What kid should be encouraged to hate anything? These were not the fond memories I had of my childhood shows and there was no way my kid was watching this stuff.

Then, I had a momentary lapse from my lack-of-sleep induced stupor and I remembered the library rents videos for free. Too bad I didn't remember that $125 ago.

We started with the pinnacle of child videos - Baby Einstein. But I was disappointed as there is not much to learn from them when you are two years old - with one exception - the one about musical instruments. This was a great video that my son and I both enjoyed (albeit briefly) and learned from. I had high hopes for the one about the sky - but it didn't introduce my son to anything new - we wanted to learn the constellations - not just the basic moon, stars, sun, etc.

So we rented a few of everyone's favorites - Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer. I figured at the least, my son would not be ostracized in school for not knowing these characters. But I didn't like them. I wondered, am I expecting too much? Is my son actually getting something from these that I am missing?

Then I found Wee Bee Tunes Get Your Passport at the library and I was ecstatic. It's a cartoon set to music with an animal assigned to each continent and they visit 14 countries.

My son loves it. Instead of asking to watch a video, he asks if he can "travel the world". The other day he was driving a neighbor's toy plane and she asked where he was going, he said "To Egypt, to see the pyramids." He's not even two and half years old. The added benefit is that mommy learns something too. Did you know Timbuktu is in Mali? It's one of those things I thought I knew, but really didn't.

A disclaimer - the Wee Bee videos received a tepid review and 3 out of 5 stars from Common Sense and they say it is best for ages six and up. Common Sense complained the video was glossing over history and requires you to watch the video with your child, stop the video throughout and provide further explanation of the events portrayed. I agree that that would probably be helpful for their recommended age of six and up. But if you lower the age limit - it is a nice introduction to geography - providing your children a sample of the big wide world that is awaiting their discovery.

Common Sense also express concern that certain countries are shown as one big party (eg. Brazil and the Carnival Festival).Yes, I would like my child to know more about Brazil than one particular celebration - but this has now opened the door for us to discuss Brazil. And, what is the harm in knowing a major attraction that Brazil is known for? After watching this video, I think my son at two years may have a better grasp of geography and glimpses of other parts of the world than the average high school senior does. In short, I think Common Sense asks too much of short children's video.

If you'd like to buy your own set go to:
Geomatters
National Geographic
Best price I could find: CDUniverse