Princess Twilight Sparkle

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is back on DVD with the first volume of the fourth series now available on DVD and digital download - Princess Twilight Sparkle.  Lara and Holly both enjoy My Little Pony Friendship is Magic now and while Holly is a fan of Apple JAck and Rainbow Dash, Lara has always had a soft spot for Twilight Sparkle so she has enjoyed watching as Twilight Sparkle has to learn what it takes to become a princess; shiny new wings, a crown and important decisions to make!

The DVD has 6 episodes of My Little Pony friendship is magic and the first two full episodes are about Princess Twilight Sparkle who, newly crowned, has to save Equestria from a giant plant!  Also in this volume you'll find a tale about a haunted castle, an adventure where the pony's are transported into a comic book, a story about the pony's favourite author (as far as I can tell, a reference to J.K. Rowling) and finally, a build up to the Equestria Games.

AS predicted, the girls most enjoyed the stories centred around Twilight Sparkle's princess-ness but Holly didn't like the evil vine and got a bit upset!  Despite the DVD being centred around Twilight Sparkle, all of the mane size ponies get plenty of air time in this DVD so everyone is happy!

My girls enjoy the tales of Equestria in the Friendship is Magic series and this is a fab DVD for us to play one episode of every evening before dinner.

Princess Twilight Sparkle is available NOW to own on DVD or digital download.

Peter Rabbit DVD - The Tale of the Great Breakout

My little Peter Rabbit fan enjoys the classic tales and the new animated adventures; Holly is always a little wary of Mr. Fox when she watches Peter Rabbit on the television but she has thoroughly enjoyed the latest installment of Peter Rabbit's adventures which is out now on DVD - The Tale of The Great Breakout.

One of the things that Holly enjoys about Peter Rabbit is the recognisable characters and storylines - in the first episode on the DVD Peter has to save a group of squirrel Nutkin's friends from Mr. McGregor and this really brings back memories of the original tale of Peter Rabbit; Peter has to help the squirrels escape from Mr. McGregor's garden with the help of his friends.  Holly enjoys seeing Benjamin Bunny and Lily the rabbit too as the three of them normally get into scrapes together!

Other episodes on this new DVD include:-

The Tale of the Mystery Plum Thief

The Tale of Benjamin's Strawberry Raid

The Tale of the Downhill Escape

The Tale of the Unguarded Garden (in which naughty Peter tries to take advantage of Mr. McGregor's absence to raid his garden for radishes!)

and

The Tale of the Cat and The Rat

The DVD from Abbey Home Media features over 70 minutes of Peter Rabbit adventures and also comes with a free height chart which Holly thought was excellent fun (she feels better knowing that her big sister is taller than Mr. Fox).  Since watching this DVD, Holly has shown a particular interest in eating radishes...I wonder why?!

We've enjoyed watching Peter Rabbit and his friends in The Tale of the Great Breakout and I expect this DVD to join us on a few of our holiday travels this summer too.

Paw Patrol Pups and the Pirate Treasure

The Paw Patrol phenomenon took me by surprise at Christmas and now, as Easter approaches, I've found myself with two massive Paw Patrol fans who absolutely love the show.  A new set of 6 episodes of Paw Patrol adventures is coming to DVD tomorrow - Paw Patrol Pups and the Pirate Treasure.

Paw Patrol: Pups and the Pirate Treasure is releasing on DVD from 14th March 2016. The new DVD has a nautical theme with 6 episodes featuring pirates, pools and seaside adventures.  Join Ryder and his Paw Patrol pals this Easter on their mystery-solving adventures in their search for pirate treasure, when they discover a secret map!

The pups discover a secret pirate cave as part of a treasure hunt - both Lara and Holly loved this episode so much that they wanted to go on a treasure hunt of their own. Every episode features puzzles to solve and challenges that the pups have to overcome.

We love the fact that the paw patrol pups all have their own special skills and yet they always work together as a team to save the day.  On the DVD you will find:-

1. PIRATE TREASURE
2. GHOST PIRATE
3. SAVE THE BAY
4. SAVE A GOODWAY
5. POOL DAY
6. CIRCUS PUP

The DVD is out on Monday 14th March and would make a fabulous Easter gift as an alternative to sweet treats!

If you, like me, have Paw Patrol fans then why not download and print this Paw Patrol printable colouring activity sheets set which I have uploaded for you here.

Cleo - A Movie Review

It is not very often that Holly, my three year old, sits still for more than 10 minutes in one go. Even her favourite movie (the one with Anna and Elsa... you know the one) is watched in bursts but this weekend I witnessed a little miracle.  Holly sat and watched a whole movie in breathless silence.  Cleo.

Cleo is the tale of an enormous cuddly dog (a St. Bernard I'd guess) who lives with his 11 year old owner, Luke.  Luke and his friends live in a very snowy small town and over the school holidays his friends challenge each other to a snowball fight on an epic scale.  Cleo encourages his owner to take part and is there egging them all on through thick and thin as the group of warring friends challenge each other to bigger and bigger snowball fights.

There are lots of different characters in the story from the tiny genius (who designed this amazing fort) to the grumpy early teens.  From the feisty new neighbours to the silly twins.  Holly enjoyed seeing all of the different characters develop.  But of course, the start of the show is Cleo the dog who takes on all of the challenges with such enthusiasm and is responsible for bringing all of the friends together in lots of different ways.

The animation in Cleo is quite unlike anything else you will have recently seen. The people style is distinct and the colouring is strange (mostly because, in a snowy environment the screen is either very bright, or else very dark when the sun drops).  The style is one of the things which I think intrigued Holly because it was so different to anything else she watches.

There were laughs (who doesn't enjoy watching people slurp cold drinks and get brain-freeze?).  There were also tears.  Be warned, there is a very emotional ending which got both of my girls snuggling me on the sofa.

Cleo is out now on DVD and digital download - it recently premiered at the Sundance film festival under the title Snowtime.

Stick Man, Now available on DVD

One of my highlights this Christmas was settling down to watch Stick Man with my girls.  From today, you can now enjoy this classic animated story on DVD to share with your family all year round.   Stick Man is out on DVD, courtesy of Entertainment One.

Stick Man is the latest of Julia Donaldson's children's stories (and Axel Scheffler's amazing illustrations) to be adapted for an animated adventure. And an adventure it is...Stick Man is the tale of a stick who, due to a series of unfortunately timed events, ends up a long way from his home and his loved ones who are waiting for him in the family tree.

Stick Man's travels take him through a park with a dog, along the river to a swan's nest, across the ocean, washed up on a beach and eventually he is left, unconscious on a fire. Just when you think it's too late, a surprise visitor disturbs him - Father Christmas! Stick Man struggles but he does, eventually, find his way back to the family tree.

I've always found Stick Man to be a struggle to read (when compared to the magical rhyming wonderousness of the Gruffalo and Room on the Broom) and yet this animated adaptation of the book really brought the story to life for me and made me realise where I'd been going wrong trying to read it. He's Stick Man, he's Stick Man, he's Stick Man, you see!

Stick Man himself is voiced by Martin Freeman of Sherlock fame. Throughout the tale you can also listen out for Hugh Bonneville, Jennifer Saunders and Rob Brydon.

Both of my girls have been absolutely captured by the magic of Stick Man and ask to watch it every day. As the story travels through all of the seasons, I don't see this movie being limited to the wintery months and I think it will have year-long appeal for my girls.

On the DVD of Stick Man you will also find behind the scenes footage and live footage of Julia and Axel as well as special artwork from Stick Man.

If you have a little stick man fan then why not print off this fun activity sheet. Click on the image to open a full sized printable version.

Kate & Mim-Mim: A Christmas Wish DVD Review

We are definitely beginning to get into the Christmas spirit now; Holly has been practicing for her role in this year's pre-school Christmas show and Lara has helped me make our Christmas cake so I'm allowing myself to start thinking about festivities. To get us into the Christmas mood we have been watching Kate & Mim-Mim: A Christmas Wish, out on DVD on from today, courtesy of FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment!

Kate and Mim-Mim was new to me (although the girls had seen a couple of episodes before) - I really like the animation style and the honest simplicity of a story about a little girl and her toy bunny Mim-Mim. A Christmas Wish is a DVD full of wintery and festive episodes featuring snow, twinkly stars and Christmas wishes.  Each episode features a problem that Kate needs to solve so we twirls with her toy bunny rabbit until they are magically transported into a special world together and Mim-Mim is able to help her find new friends and clever ways to solve her problem - this often takes them on fun adventures together.

Both Lara (6) and Holly (3) very much enjoyed the DVD, especially the episode about snow bowling which sees Kate need to find enough snow to build a fort. I think this particularly appealed to Holly because she hasn't had more than a couple of minutes of snow play in her whole life and she still finds the idea of snow and ice extremely magical.  I think my favourite episode was the first one in which a house is overrun by kittens which are actually woolen mittens - very cute!

Kate & Mim-Mim: A Christmas Wish features 7 episodes in total as well as a music video.  My girls always go all gooey whenever they watch a TV show based around a Christmas theme and, while there is a wintery theme to the entire DVD, one of the episodes centres around Christmas Eve and it is this episode they have asked to watch again!

Kate & Mim-Mim is targeted at 4-6 year olds and I think it would make an excellent stocking filler for little people this Christmas as well as a wonderful way to help get your children into a Christmassy mood.  It costs around £7.99.

For all the latest Kate & Mim-Mim news visit https://www.facebook.com/KateandMimMim

DVD Review - Tree Fu Tom and the Carrots of Doom

Tree Fu Tom and the Carrots of Doom - how could we possibly resist a DVD with a name like that?

Lara (6) and Holly (3) very rarely agree on a television show that they would both like to watch but Tree Fu Tom seems to perfectly bring together their two age ranges and they were excited to hear that Tree Fu Tom and the Carrots of Doom is released this week on DVD.  As is the norm, both girls spent most of the time watching this DVD while stood up in the living room so that they were ready for action as soon as Tree Fu skills are required.  I love this interactive part of Tree Fu Tom which encourages kids up and out of their seats to get active.

The Carrots of Doom is just one of six episodes on this DVD (132 mins in total).  In the title episode, the Tree Fu Rangers have to harvest some enormous carrots that have grown too huge; the team use some ingenious inventions and work together to solve the problem.

The gardening theme runs through quite a few of the episodes - Lara and Holly most enjoyed the episode, Range Tom : A Badge Too Far in which the rangers are competing to try and get more badges than each other.  I think this really appealed to Lara now that she is in Beavers and is trying to earn badges of her own.  There is an important lesson in this show that trying to cut corners and do too many things as once can often result in nothing being done very well at all.

The last episode on the DVD has a Christmassy theme so we are saving that one for watching a little closer to the time to find out about the Tree Ranger's Winter Fest.

The girls both enjoyed this DVD - the mix of nature challenges, Tree Fu skills, mild peril, silly stinky mushrooms and collectors badges captures the imagination of both girls and boys from age 2-7.  Tree Fu Tom and the Carrots of Doom is out now on DVD by Freemantle media and costs around £6.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic DVD Review - May The Best Pet Win

May the Best Pet win is the new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic DVD which is out now to buy.  This is the second DVD in series 2 of My Little Pony : Friendship is magic and my two girls have absolutely loved watching it; Lara is a big My Little Pony fan but she doesn't get much opportunity to watch the Friendship is Magic series on TV so this has been a little luxury for her.

May the Best Pet win is a DVD which features 5 episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the DVD gets its title from the first episode in which Rainbow Dash hosts a competition to try to find her new pet.  Lara is now of an age where she really understands the morals behind children's TV stories and explained to me that the reason why Rainbow dash chose her new pet was because they stuck with her when disaster struck (she got caught in an avalanche during the race... love my little girl for understanding this.  Every My Little Pony episode has a clear moral behind it but the topics are still fun.

Other episodes include Sweet and Elite (in which Rarity risks her friendships by socialising with a group of elite ponies) and Secret of My Excess in which the pony's friend Spike over indulges and regrets it.  There are lots of fun stories, songs and new characters to meet.

Each of the episodes of My Little Pony:Friendship is magic lasts 22 minutes which is a good length for children of this age who have a longer attention span.  Lara ABSOLUTELY loves this series and, of all the programmes that she likes to watch, I find this DVD one of the most bareable to watch as an adult (maybe it's that level of nostalgia?)

May the Best Pet Win is out now on DVD and there is a special edition boxed DVD available which also includes a My Little Pony Toy (this, in Lara's eyes, was the coolest thing... EVER).

Planet Bong!

Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom: Planet Bong is out now on DVD and is the latest series of adventures from the Little Kingdom.

Lara has been a big Ben and Holly fan for several years now and I will admit that I think I enjoy watching it even more than she does!  There is something slightly more grown-up about the humour in Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom than in Peppa Pig (which is made by the same people) and I always look forward to seeing how the relationship between Nanny Plum and the Wise Old Elf will develop.

I haven't watched any Ben and Holly episodes with my girls for quite some time for one reason or another so I snuggled down with them one afternoon to watch the Planet Bong DVD!  Planet Bong is one of the epic, two-episode stories that you occasionally find in the Little Kingdom.  Ben, Holly and Nanny Plum are called to aid the Not-so-wise Old Elf who is trying to save face when challenged by an alien species to save their planet.  Between them they must work out how to reduce the temperature and bring back plant life to a previously thriving alien planet where the inhabitants have been forced to live underground.  It is quite amusing to see the Wise Old Elf admit that maybe he needs a little help every once in a while!

The DVD also features a number of other episodes including the very silly "Chickens Ride West" and "The Mermaid" which, once again features Ben and Holly's human friend, Lucy, and she introduces them to her Dad who can' quite believe his eyes.  All in all, the DVD features 10 episodes of this family favourite animation (nearly 2 hours of entertainment).  My girls both loved it and I'd expect us to watch this DVD frequently over the coming months.

Inspired by this latest Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom DVD, we've also been reading this Christmas-themed board book, "Christmas at the North Pole" which tells the story of when the elves and fairies have to make a crash landing when trying to deliver clockwork toys to Santa for his Christmas deliveries.  The arctic elves come to help and they all look suspiciously like their Little Kingdom counterparts!  In  the end, Santa offers to drop them all back home in time for their fun festive feast.  There is even a little song to sing on the last page.  I don't remember having seen this episode of the TV programme so I can't remember the tune of the song so together Lara, Holly and I make up a different tune every time we read this fun, Christmassy book.

 

Barbie and the Secret Door

I will admit that I secretly quite enjoy watching Barbie DVDs with the girls.  There is something absolutely spot on about a Barbie movie - the target them so well at little girls of about Lara's age without them being unecessarily naff (which lots of kids TV is!).  The new Barbie and the Secret Door DVD is released today and I think they've got it just right again - an animation that ticks every box on ever little girl's list of movie must-haves.

In this latest Barbie musical, Barbie stars as Princess Alexa, a young girl who daydreams of having magical powers.  One day she stumbles across a magical kingdom and makes new friends, a mermaid and a fairy, who need her help to save all of the magic in the kingdom from the hands of an over-zealous ruler.

We loved the funny magical creatures with crazy noses and lively bright colours.  We loved the synchronised fairy dancing, pop musical numbers and glittery magic wands.  I can well imagine, after a few viewings, Lara trying to sing along and re-enact the songs and dancers with her friends.  If you buy the DVD I believe there is an in-pack song book to help them on their way!!!

Barbie and the Secret Door opens up a fun world of imagination - what would you do if you suddenly discovered that you had magical powers?  What parts of your world do you take for granted that others might not know about?

Barbie and the Secret Door is available to own on DVD from today.

  

The Snowman and the Snowdog Review and Giveaway

The Snowman and the Snowdog is released today on DVD and Blu Ray.  If you missed it's first screening in the run up to Christmas last year then you missed something really magical and now is your chance to experience this short animated movie which continues the classic Snowman tale.

The main feature on the disc is 23 minutes long but there are lots of additional features to enjoy.  The 23 minute movie is very true in style to the original Snowman animation but with slightly brighter colours, the hand-drawn style flickers in and out an gives the Snowman, the Snowdog and their friends a gentle softness that makes it a really enjoyable watch.  The movie is more or less silent but with atmospheric music and the occasional sound or voice to add specific effect.

The story starts on quite a sad tone, Billy and his Mum have to move house and then they lose their family pet.  Billy discovers a box full of snowman kit under the floorboards and, next time it snows, he builds a snowman, and with a spare bit of snow he also makes a dog to look like his old friend.  Then the magic does its work.

When the Snowman and the Snowdog come to life they take Billy to compete in a race at the North Pole.  At the end of the night, Billy goes home to bed and wakes the next morning to find a surprise.

The Snowman and the Snowdog is a really magical story that will almost certainly become a classic part of Christmas.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the Snowman and the Snowdog on DVD, just leave me a comment below to tell me what Christmassy animation most gets you in the festive mood?  The competition will close on the 18th November.

  

TERMS and CONDITIONS:

1. There is no cash alternative.
2. The competition is open to UK and Ireland residents only.
3. Only one comment entry per person. Multiple, automated or bulk entries will result in immediate disqualification
4. The winners will be contacted by email.
5. Entries will only be deemed valid if a valid email address is provided when commenting - people who just log into intensedebate with their facebook account will not qualify for entry because it is too difficult for me to contact the winners
6. The winners will be selected at random from all valid comments received by 11:59pm on 18th November.
7. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
8. The winner's names will be published on this site

Barbie and her Sisters in a Pony Tale Review

Lara and I often enjoy watching a movie together on a Sunday afternoon.  Lara is into all sorts of things at present, but Barbie is a relatively recent discovery for her so she was over the moon when we were asked to review the new Barbie movie - Barbie and her Sisters in A Pony Tale.  Ponies don't feature highly on my list of top things to look for in a movie but Lara seems to be interested right now (I'm not going to question this in a 4 year old girl!) and very honestly, I had previously quite enjoyed the Barbie movies we had watched together.  Barbie and Her Sisters in a Pony Tale didn't disappoint - even for grown-ups, it is a very watchable movie!

Lara sat quietly and watched the whole movie with me; I think this may be a record.  The story obviously made an impression on her because she rushed straight into school the following morning to tell her teacher all about Majesty the mysterious wild horse who comes to Barbie's rescue when she needs a horse for the all-important horse show.

Barbie's sisters cover all sorts of ages and tastes.  I was particularly taken with Skipper who seems more interested in her tech and her blog than with the ponies.  I thought it was interesting that the movie just began to touch on her relationship with... boys (although this was totally lost on Lara).  Lara most likes Barbie's youngest sister who thinks it is unfair that she only gets to ride a tiny pony... but then she is quite tiny herself.  There were several points in the movie that Lara laughed out loud at her antics.

Because the movie is based in Europe (in the bright sunny setting of the alps) there are lots of European accents.  I didn't find any of the movie to make me cringe, which to me is very important if I am going to watch a film with my daughters.

Barbie and her Sisters in a Pony Tale is a celebration of all things girly - ponies, pinks and Barbie all rolled into one.  It comes out on DVD and Blu Ray next Monday the 28th October.

 

Phonics learning with the Alphablocks

Earlier this week my Alphablocks DVD competition closed (I'll be posting the winners soon) but today I wanted to share our thoughts on the very first Alphablocks DVD.

We only started watching Alphablocks on CBeebies a little while ago when Lara first started learning basic phonics at nursery; Lara instantly took to it and quite regularly requests to watch her new DVD. The DVD has 18 episodes on it, starting with a basic introduction to the phonics letter sounds. The episodes are short and easily digestible.

Each episode features one or more of the letter blocks as the focus. As the blocks travel through their little world they meet other letters and every time the letters hold hands, they make a word. The sounds of the letters are sounded out individually by the blocks and then the word is repeated.

Both myself and Mr. B enjoy watching Lara when she is absorbed in the Alphablocks. I hear her making the sounds of the letters and saying the words. I can also see that little glint of recognition when she notices a pattern in some words. I've always said that watching Lara learn is one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent and when she is watching Alphablocks I get that tingly feeling. Lara doesn't realise she's learning because she is enjoying the programme.

The new DVD comes with a parents guide AND a free Alphablocks alphabet poster. Lara, very surprisingly, seemed uninterested in her poster but I really think this is because she is sooooo interested in the DVD. She more or less ripped open the packaging which is wonderful to see for a programme with such strong educational background behind it.

So far, I think Lara's favourite episode features the "e" noise.  The E alphablock has quite a strong female (?) character and many of the words that feature the "e" sound are ones that Lara can recognise and repeat herself.  Interestingly though, Lara tends to struggle with reading the letter e (in comparison to the other vowel sounds) so I'm really hoping that watching the Alphablocks can help her with this.

You can find out more about the new DVD at www.alphablocks.tv .

Grandpa In My Pocket : Lighthouse View Good As New DVD Review

We are all big 'Grandpa in My Pocket' fans in the Mellow Mummy household - even Holly who has grown up watching and listening to her big sister's favourites and now finds it very peaceful to be sitting on her own watching Grandpa while I am busy in the kitchen!

I love having Grandpa in My Pocket DVDs on hand so that I can respond to the demand for some quiet time whenever Lara needs it and this latest DVD - Lighthouse View As Good As New - from Abbey Home Media is full of episodes that we haven't seen (probably because Lara was too busy being a big sister for much of the summer).

This particular selection of five recent episodes of Grandpa In My pocket features all of our favourite characters including Bubbles the babysitter, Great Aunt Loretta and of course, Captain Dumbletwit.  It also has two episodes about the very quirky Mr. Mentor the inventor, including one where Mr. Mentor decides he wants to give up inventing.  Oh noooooo!

As always, Grandpa (James Bowlam) always puts on his shrinking cap and tries to save the day.  Our favourite episode features a celebrity chef - Mrs. McWhiskit - who has been invited to try some of Great Aunt Loretta's cooking - euch.  Grandpa sorts it all out though in the end.

Lighthouse View As Good As New would make a great christmas pressie for any Grandpa fan.

Mister Maker Watch & Make 4 DVD Review

Lara has developed somewhat of an obsession with Mr. Maker and his competitor, Art Attack! Abbey Home Media fuelled this passion by sending her a copy of the new Mister Make Watch & Make 4 DVD to review and she loved it! We watched it non-stop for about 4 days and then it dropped down to just one episode a day. Given that there are only five episodes on the DVD, we all know how to make the art and craft projects VERY well now!

The episodes of Mister Maker on the Watch & Make 4 DVD are mostly ones that I remember seeing on television but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable. Mister maker gets to work making bubble-wrap cacti, pop-up scenes, an ancient picture out of bandages and a quick one-minute lizard out of a lolly pop stick.

There are lots of ideas in here for craft projects Lara can attempt on her own and picture ideas for when she is a bit older so there is plenty of life in the DVD.

And of course, there are those pesky 'shapes' who annoy the life out of me (this along makes Lara giggle) when they jump down off the shelf and do their funny dance. Lara gets great pleasure out of guessing the picture that the shapes will make, or guessing what the brightly coloured children will make too. Even after watching the episodes so many times, she hasn't quite grasped that it isn't going to be a brand new picture every time she watches! hehe.

The best thing for me about the latest Mister Maker DVD is that it comes with a free mini make. The box comes with instructions and all of the craft materials that you need, including glue. Lara's mini make was a spotty giraffe and she had great fun making it and felt so proud afterwards. I think that with the mini-make included, this is an awesomely good value DVD.

Thomas & Friends Rescue on the Rails DVD Review

I know Lara isn't unusual as a little girl who enjoys watching Thomas & Friends. We have had at least one occasion where we simple COULD NOT leave a shop without the purchase of a new Thomas DVD and, having lost the argument with her, I am pleased to say that the DVD became one of her very most watched programmes! Lara has had a sneak preview of the latest Thomas &; Friends DVD - Rescue on the Rails which is released tomorrow.

As always, the episodes on the DVD have a good mixture of engine action along with important life lessons to be learned. The key message I came away with from watching Rescue on the Rails is that teamwork pays. The episodes all feature Sodor search and Rescue and for us, it was the first time that we had seen Flynn the Fire Engine who has to come to Thomas's rescue when his firebox catches alight.

Lara's favourite episode was where Gordon got derailed in the marshes and his friends had to pull together to lift him out. She really got quite wrapped up in the story and was urging the team to succeed!

For the first time, Lara also seemed to enjoy the non-animated sections of the DVD in between episodes. In this DVD, Mr. Pickles is preparing for a magic show. Perhaps it is a sign of Lara's age (she is nearly 3) that she is not only enjoying animation, but also acting.

Thomas & Friends, Rescue on the Rails is released by HIT entertainment tomorrow, 21st May on DVD for around £12.99. It lasts just under 1 hour.

Tractor Ted DVD Review

Very occasionally Lara and I disagree on things. There are times when I have to leave the room because, although Lara is mesmerised by something on TV, I simply cannot stand it! Justin's House is one of these things on which we disagree... Tractor Ted is another.

We first discovered Tractor Ted on holiday in Hereford this autumn. Lara was unwell towards the end of the trip and so we raided the stash of videos and DVDs that the farm owners had left us - Tractor Ted was an immediate hit with Lara. Since then we have been asked to review the latest DVD - Tractor Ted Mighty Maize Machine.

I'll admit that the Maize Machine in question is quite impressive... a forage harvester that efficiently munches up corn and maize at quite a phenomenal rate. I just find the commentary and the slow speed of the DVD grates on my nerves. Lara however will quite happily sit through the entire DVD in silence - something that is very rare given the attention span of a 2-year-old.

Tractor Ted is a cartoon character who introduces clips from the countryside and from real farms of daily farm life with animals and machinery. Tractor Ted was set up by farmer David Horler and by Alexandra Heard when her three children were young and asked her all the time to stop and watch the machines at work in the fields. There are now 15 DVDs covering big machines, looking after animals, the seasons and about growing food. It is educational but somehow holds a magical fascination for Lara.

There are lots of bright Tractor Ted farm-related toys on offer at tractorland.co.uk where you can find out more about Ted and even join his fan club!!!