If you are looking for a video for your young child that it is educational but not overly stimulating, So Smart! First Words is an excellent choice. Part of a series that aims to introduce basic concepts to the very young, this video features simple and colorful animation set to a pleasing soundtrack. Unlike many videos designed for babies and toddlers, the musical soundtrack features music played on "real" instruments--like the guitar and saxophone--instead of toy ones.
This video presents short "stories" about thirty familiar objects, such as a ball, truck, and shoe. Each new vocabulary word is named, used in a sentence, and then named again for reinforcement. This video mimics old-fashioned story-telling, except that the "book" has moving pictures! The objects spin, slide, and glide into place--in fact, many objects are formed slowly, one shape at a time. For example, the vignette featuring a boat begins with a simple half-circle shape appearing upon a thick blue line. Slowly, shapes glide into place to eventually form a boat sailing on the water.
Screen transitions are smooth and gradual, adding to the gentle atmosphere of the video. For many young children, the slow transitions are mesmerizing. Some toddlers will find the video monotonous, especially if they are accustomed to snappier videos that cater to their short attention spans.
The beauty of this video lies in its simplicity and open-ended format. Parental involvement is encouraged with this format, mainly because there is nothing in the video that manipulates the young child's attention. Caregivers won't need to compete with the video's narration simply because it doesn't dominate the soundtrack.
Simple concepts are also introduced, such as a demonstration of the concept of "on" and "off" in the "lamp" vignette. Although the video is appropriate for "winding down" time just before bed or a nap, it shouldn't be overlooked as a wonderful learning tool to be enjoyed by both child and caregiver at once.
Parents will find the "first words" selected for the video entirely appropriate and the musical soundtrack pleasing. The sights and sounds change gradually--they are never jarring or over-stimulating.
The CD-ROM included in the video/CD-ROM set features three interactive activities as well as a musical "jukebox". Although these require very basic clicks or taps of the keyboard, parents will need to direct the activities, which can be changed with more deliberate clicks of the mouse. Children should especially enjoy the Building activity. Each tap of a key on the keyboard (or click of the mouse) is the next step in the "building" of an object, and each object is pulled directly from the video.
The DVD edition also includes the interactive games mentioned above. These can be played on the TV using the remote control, or on a computer equipped with a DVD drive. Repeat play is possible on this edition. The package also includes the So Smart! Sleepytime audio CD, featuring classical music tracks--from the likes of Mozart, Vivaldi, and more--selected for quiet moments.
