As my son, Michael, has severe speech difficulties, we are constantly looking for new ways to encourage him to communicate and one of the things that was recommended by the nursery nurses at his development group was the Makaton Nursery Rhyme Video featuring Dave Benson Phillips, who just happens to be one of my sons favourite TV presenters. So we hurried along to our local WHSmith and ordered it (not actually having the internet at the time), and only time would tell whether our son would gain anything from it.
~~~What is Makaton?~~~
Makaton is a form of sign language which is often used by people with learning difficulties (such as my son has). Although based on BSL (British Sign Language) it is easier for children (and adults) with learning disability to use, and is used extensively in special schools in the UK and abroad.
~~~The Stars~~~
The main presenter of the video is Dave Benson Phillips, better known (in this house at least) as Big Dave from Playhouse Disney. Dave is a larger than life personality, who signs effortlessly and unlike many children's presenters is not in the least bit patronising, he really does seem to be at their level.
However, Dave is not in my opinion the real star of the video, that accolade is reserved for the children that join him in performing the rhymes. These children use Makaton throughout their daily lives, and their enthusiasm and the fun they are having really shines through.
~~~The Rhymes~~~
There are a total of nineteen rhymes including such favourites as Old Macdonald and The Wheels On The Bus. All of the rhymes are familiar, performed enthusiastically and fun to both watch and listen to. Michael's absolute favourite is Dingle Dangle Scarecrow, which is delightfully funny to watch.
~~~What the child gains from the video~~~
Obviously what your child will gain from this video will depend on their developmental stage. However, even quite young children will enjoy watching and listening to the rhymes. My daughter was 18 months old when we bought this, and soon learnt some basic signs. We actually bought the video for Michael, and he adores it and has learnt a few signs and sings along in his own way.
Remember, signing can be an invaluable tool for all children, especially now that more and more special needs children are being integrated into mainstream school.
This video has been a fantastic buy and enjoyed not only by my son, for whom it was bought, but also by his younger sister. Although the running time is relatively short, this is actually a good thing as at the age and developmental range that it is targeted at children tend to have a short attention span. In fact we usually just watch one or two rhymes at a sitting.
I do however have a gripe, which is that it's not available on DVD. Not only do we only have one VHS player in this house, but the quality would remain consistent with DVD and we would have the ability to jump straight to our personal favourites.
Now I must admit, I've actually enjoyed watching and joining in with the rhymes and can often be found signing songs while on the bus, which can attract some funny looks. I am therefore recommending this video to all parents of young children, as a video to watch and join in with your children.
* Please note this is only available on Video, and therefore I cannot include anything about extras as there aren't any.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
My mum signs since she has always worked in special needs schools, colleges etc so I was brought up signing too. It's a great way to get children to communicate even if they don't have specific needs for signing... this sounds really useful and educational.
jesi 02.05.2005 01:03
I ought to get this - I'd love to learn them - I used to sign/sing interpret for our church worship (back in the 1970s in USA) - and it is such a relaxing way to sing!... - ♥ - jes ≈≈≈≈{; -)-{{::::: |||||<
vickiuk 31.03.2005 00:58
I've not seen this before, it sounds and looks good, Take care, Vicki :o)
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (95%):
