The Fascinating World of Birds DVD {a review}

BrainFood Learning began when Bryce and Jennifer Mooney couldn’t find the educational, yet entertaining videos that they sought for their two young children.  To remedy the lack of stimulating content out there, they have made the “Fascinating World of……” DVD series.  There are three different DVDs in the series, and my kids and I had the pleasure of reviewing the Fascinating World of Birds DVD.

The Fascinating World of Birds DVD ($14.99) is appropriate for all ages, but is targeted for ages 3-11.  The 45 minute DVD begins with a brief introduction to birds and then goes on to explore ten different kinds of birds in more detail.  The ten kinds of birds that you will encounter and learn about are:

• Ostriches
• Penguins
• Canada Geese
• Eagles
• Hummingbirds
• Woodpeckers
• Macaws
• Pelicans
• American Robins
• Owls 

The high-quality, live-action footage and still images capture the attention of even the youngest viewers, and the clear, perfectly-paced narration makes this DVD easy to follow and comprehend.  There are vocabulary words interspersed throughout the DVD that enhance the learning experience.  The variety of birds highlighted in this DVD give a thorough overview of the many different characteristic of the Aves class.

The DVD wraps up with four separate review sections that help reinforce the information presented in the DVD.  The review sections are as follows:

• Review #1: Review Your Birds – a picture is shown of each of the birds highlighted in the DVD and the viewer is to give the name of the bird.

• Review #2: Features of a Bird – seven features of birds are reviewed by the narrator.

• Review #3: Review Bird Facts – ten multiple choice questions are asked about birds.

• Review #4: Review the Big Words – eleven multiple choice questions are asked to review the vocabulary presented in the DVD.

My kids and I watched this DVD over a two day period.  It can easily be viewed in one day, but since all seven of the kids were watching the DVD (and four of them are ages 4 and under), it was a little difficult to get everyone to sit and be quiet all at the same time.  Thankfully, the DVD was interesting and kept the attention of the older kids over the commotion of the little ones.  We watched the second half of the DVD while the littles were taking a nap.  My four oldest kids (ages 10, 8, 6, 4) really enjoyed the DVD, as did I, and they retained much of the information as was proven during the review sections.

Overall this DVD is a solid supplement to any bird curriculum or unit study, and can be used in either a homeschool or classroom.  If you like adding videos to your curriculum plans, I highly recommend this DVD.

I’ll leave you with a sneak peek:

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