children's video & dvd review

brainy baby art 

Rating: 

Review Sections: Product Overview  Dollar Value    

Product Overview
Designed especially for very young children, Brainy Baby Art is a delightful exploration of art through live-action video and song. What sets it apart from other videos that teach children about colors and shapes is its brave and refreshing depth as it explores concepts like form, color mixing, famous paintings, textures, and more.

This unique video begins with an introduction to primary colors, moves on to color mixing, which then perfectly sets up a discussion of secondary colors. Cool and warm colors are explored, as well as different shades of colors. Children are shown some paintings from famous artists and asked to observe the different uses of colors in the artwork. Lines (straight, broken, wavy, thin, and thick) are defined and demonstrated (for example, wavy lines reminding us of water). Basic shapes are introduced along with children forming the shapes with their bodies for extra reinforcement.

The video moves forward with explorations of texture, mediums (clay, paint, etc.), and patterns. Children are encouraged to discern patterns in different objects, such as a criss-cross pattern on a fence and a zig-zag pattern on a chimney, and more famous paintings are introduced. For example, children are shown the painting, "Mardi Gras" by Paul Cezanne and asked, "Which clown has a pattern on his costume?"

Suggestions of art activities are offered, such as the simple but fun process of painting on one side of a paper and folding it to create a beautiful symmetrical design. Plenty of information is offered in this video, all delivered by a warm, clear voice and supported by the voices of children.

Brainy Baby: Art is a refreshing video that is both enjoyable and educational. The concepts introduced are more abstract and complex than are found in most videos designed for the very young, and parents might be pleasantly surprised to discover how much their children will learn as they watch.

Dollar Value
The video retails for approximately $15.98 US; and the DVD edition is available for a suggested retail price of $19.98 US.

The Bottom Line

This video never underestimates a young child's ability to learn as it introduces kids to art concepts beyond basic colors and shapes. Very recommended!

 

Released: 2003

Reviewed: July 2003

VHS edition:
 

DVD edition:

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