resources for effective children's ministry
As Christmas quickly approaches, parents find themselves making selections for their children's gifts - there are always lots of options - some of which are fine and other which are not. Many of the toys in the stores are "spin offs" from Saturday morning cartoons - many of these do not encourage character development in our children. I am so very pleased to find quite a variety of toy options this year that tie in with some of the excellent children's video series now available, so in this issue we will look at a number of video, book and toy options for children.
Veggie Tales
Esther - The Girl Who became Queen
Publisher - Big IdeaFavorite Features:
Veggie Tales has been a big hit with kids - "Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen" provides a fun way to help children learn the true story of Esther, understand an important lesson about courage and just have fun! Very well done Big Idea!
- incredible, colorful, amazing, quality animation - excellent!
- basically re-tells the story of Esther
- emphasizes, "you never need to be afraid to do what is right" - excellent!
- familiar veggie tale characters and new ones as well
- provides opportunity for parents and children to watch together and then talk about important lessons
- entertaining and fun way to teach children important lessons
Veggie Tales of course has a number of video and books available - I personally like the Veggie Song videos the best!
Bounce 'n Talk Plush Veggie Tales
Presented by - Big Idea & Fisher Price
Ages - 3 and upFavorite Features:
These toys are an excellent choice for children - and for church nurseries as well. When I showed these toys to children the response was overwhelming delight! One three year old, when given the toys said, "Now I have two new best friends!" (she was given a Larry and Jr.) Another young child, when given the Bob, laughed and her face glowed with pure delight! Parents were pleasantly surprised to learn the price and commented on what an excellent, quality toy for children. Teens as well found these Veggie toys to be very enjoyable - they especially liked the Larry the Cucumber toy and found the saying, "Have you seen my hairbrush" to be especially funny! I highly recommend these toys - they are fun, interesting and being made by Fisher Price reflect the quality Fisher Price is known for. When children play with these toys they will be reminded of the lessons they learned from the videos and books adding to the value of the "Bounce 'n Talk Plush Veggie Tale Toys". Extremely well done Big Idea and Fisher Price.
- available in four favorite Veggie characters - Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato, Laura the Carrot and Jr. Asparagus
- each plush toy says from three to five sayings when "bounced" lightly on the bottom of the toy
- soft, fun and extremely economical at $8 each - excellent!
Sing 'n Dance Veggie Tales
Jr. Asparagus Bedtime Friend
Presented by - Big Idea & Fisher Price
Ages - 3 and upFavorite Features:
These toys are an extremely interesting and fun choice - every person who saw them commented on what an enjoyable toy they are! Young children sing and dance right along with Bob and Larry and even older children and teens were completely delighted by them as well! There is something genuinely funny about a cucumber who sings, "Where is my hairbrush" while dancing back and forth and a tomato who sings the "Veggie Tale Theme Song" while bouncing up and down! The Jr. Asparagus toy is an excellent choice for a young child who might be having a difficult time with being afraid at bedtime. Again these toys reflect the creativity of Big Idea and the quality Fisher Price is known for. I highly recommend these toys as they are fun and are sure to be enjoyed by any who receive them while they will also serve to remind children of the lessons they learned from the videos and books, adding to the value of the "Sing 'n Dance Veggie Tale Toys" and the "Jr. Asparagus Bedtime Friend" just as the "Bounce 'n Talk Toys" do. Extremely well done Big Idea and Fisher Price.
- Sing 'n Dance toys available in two favorite Veggie characters - Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato - excellent!
- Jr. Asparagus Bedtime Friend is plush, has eyes that light up and hums a soothing tune - excellent!
- each Sing 'n Dance toy sings a song and dances - great fun!
- Jr. Asparagus' eyes slowly dim after the song ends
- creative, unique and fun toy and a good buy at $19 each
- runs on batteries which are replaceable
Threads A Pond Full of Pigs & Patches' Present - video
Animator/Producer/Director - Chris Olsen
Composer - David Mullen
Video Publisher - Everland EntertainmentA Pond Full of Pigs - book
Patches' Present - book
Book Author - Greg Holder
Book Publisher - Standard Publishing
Ages 2 - 6Rags the Rabbit Plush toy
Toy produced by - GundFavorite Features of the video:
This video is one certain to be enjoyed by children and adults as well. The computer 3-D animation is extremely well done and the lessons of how to treat others and friendship clearly come through and provide opportunity for parents /teachers to talk with children to build on these important lessons. I have had the opportunity to observe preschoolers as they watch this video - they are completely enthralled with the story, characters and absolutely love the song, "Unpigging the Pond" - it is great fun to watch preschoolers dance to this song! Extremely well done Chris, David and Everland Entertainment. I certainly look forward to the release of more videos in 2001!
- tremendous animation in the videos - excellent!
- deep, rich vibrant colors
- fun characters children are literally captivated by
- teaches important lessons in ways children will understand and remember - excellent!
- creative, interesting story lines
- music to get little toes "tappin"
Favorite Features of the books:
I am so happy to see books available to encourage parents and teachers to talk with and help children truly learn the lessons taught in the videos. These books reintroduce the characters from the video and allow children to spend time with them in a more interactive way with adults as well. I am pleased to know there will be additional books and coloring books to add to this excellent series - I highly recommend Threads videos and books - extremely well done Greg and Standard Publishing!
- deep, rich vibrant colors in the illustrations
- illustrations are from the animation of the videos
- provides opportunity for parents/teachers to interact with the children as they read the stories together - excellent!
- clearly teach children about treating others as they want to be treated and the value of friendship - excellent!
Favorite Features of the toys:
Again, I am very happy to see quality toys available that tie in with video and book resources when those resources teach so effectively important lessons on the Bible and character development. The Threads toys are a wonderful choice for children of all ages and being made by Gund they reflect the quality Gund is so well known for. When children were shown this toy they instantly wanted to hug it - it is one of the softest, most huggable toys I have seen. There are four toys available in this line - Rags the Rabbit, Lacey the Lamb, Patches the Pony and Bobbin the Bear - I highly recommend any and all of these - they are sure to be loved by children and certain to become "best friends"! Extremely well done Everland Entertainment and Gund!
- extremely soft
- colorful, fun characters
- provides opportunity for children to remember the lessons from the story books and videos
Jay Jay the Jet Plane
Created by David & Deborah Michel
Publisher - Tommy Nelson
Ages - 2 - 7
Jay Jay the Jet Plane Plush Finger Puppets
Ages 1 and upFavorite Features of the videos:
These videos teach a wide variety of lessons - from accepting your self to numbers - and are an excellent choice for young children. I would encourage parents to watch these videos along with their child so they are able to talk together about the lessons presented to help the child truly learn and understand these lessons. Very nicely done David, Deborah and Tommy Nelson!
- three stories on each video
- each story teaches a simple point even young children will understand and remember
- computer animation mixed with live action for an interesting video
- deep, rich, colorful animation - excellent!
- friendly, fun characters children will enjoy getting to know
Favorite features of the puppets:
These toys are a terrific way for children to continue to learn the points they see in the videos. When I showed them to some young elementary age children, one boy said he liked it because it was an airplane and he could fly it around. Another preschool boy thought it was "cool" because it was soft and because it had wings. I highly recommend these toys because they are an excellent choice for younger children - very safe as they are plush and vinyl - and provide an opportunity for children to play act the lessons they learn from the videos. Very nicely done David and Deborah and Tommy Nelson!
- soft, safe, fun toy for young children
- finger puppet features add to the fun!
Little Dogs On The Prairie
Publisher - Tommy Nelson
Ages 4 - 7Favorite Features
These videos provide a fun and memorable way for children to learn important Bible lessons in ways they will understand and remember. The old west setting in interesting and fun and the stories deal with issues children will relate to and understand. I am pleased to see books being added to this series and look forward to additional resources to help continue the learning opportunities children will experience as they get to know these characters. Very nicely done Tommy Nelson.
- each video has three stories
- each story teaches a verse and point
- each story has a song
- fun characters kids will like
- soft colors in the animation
3-2-1- Penguins
Publisher - Big IdeaFavorite Features:
This new series of videos is one sure to be a favorite with young and old alike! I especially appreciate how clearly the point of the story comes through all the fun and humor. I sincerely hope additional videos, books and toys will follow this first excellent release of 3-2-1 Penguins! I highly recommend this video! Extremely well done Big Idea!
- colorful, bright, quality 3-D animation
- creative, interesting story line children will identify with and understand - excellent
- characters children will enjoy
- stories geared to elementary age children, but ones even preschool age children will watch
- teaches important lessons
- humor children and adults will be delighted with
Scripture Bear
Presented by - Cook CommunicationsFavorite Features:
This toy is an excellent choice to help children learn verses - it also provides an excellent opportunity for parents/teachers to talk with children to help them understand the verses and how they can live the truth of the verses in their day in day out lives. I highly recommend this stuffed toy bear - it is sure to be a much loved friend of any child who receives it. Extremely well done Cook Communications!
- soft, cuddly, plush stuffed bear
- pressure points on ears, hands, feet for children to press and hear Bible verses
- fun way for children to learn and remember Bible verses
Table of Contents
About The Children's Department - Volume 4, Edition 2
Copyright © Lynda Freeman
Last Updated November 25, 2000
Web Page by Lynda Freeman
Send an e-mail to Lynda at dfreemansr@earthlink.net
