5 DVDs That Won't Rot Kids' Brains

Ah, summer, when the air is warm and the days stretch long. If truth be told, some of the days stretch too long when you have kids in the house.

It's a rare kid who wants to go to sleep before the sun is down. What this means is we have more hours to fill with quality stuff, even when the kids are enrolled in various summer programs.

Unless you're a superparent, able to stay patient, creative and focused for the equivalent of two school days, then you might want a little help from your old friend TV. You don't want to rot your kids' brains by sending them to the equivalent of Camp Remote Control, of course. But a little break -- maybe while you fix dinner or drink a mojito with the spouse -- can be a welcome relief.

Fortunately, there are some DVDs that can help you keep your kids active, learning and entertained during their time away from school. Here are five the Cinemama likes.

For Kids Who Are Learning to Read

Memory is a fickle thing. I distinctly recall sitting on my dad's lap with a book called "Teach Me to Read." Five minutes later, I was reading novels. From this, I can only conclude one thing. My brain is a horrible liar. It took my oldest child years of practice -- most of it directly supervised by me or her dad -- to become an independent reader.

I've started this process with my 4-year-old. One thing that keeps it fresh for both of us is using a variety of approaches. There's only so long you can sit down with a book and sound out letters before you're both exhausted -- and completely disengaged with whatever story you're crawling through.

We've used software, books, games and video to get started. This is why "Meet the Sight Words" is a welcome addition to the video library. It's a patient teacher for kids who know their letters and are ready to start figuring out words.

If you've had a kid go through kindergarten, you know teachers make a big deal of sight-word memorization. Most kids would rather eat raw broccoli than stare at a list of sight words.

Put those same words on a video, though, and your kid will happily watch. "Meet the Sight Words 1" is the place to start, and it exposes your kids to 16 useful words, including "of," "I," "to," "have" and "and."

The video, by the Preschool Prep Company, costs $14.95. There are two more in the series, along with introductions to numbers, letters, shapes and colors.

For More Advanced Readers

Scholastic Storybook Treasures is out with a couple of new DVDs that kids will love: "Diary of a Spider ... and More Cute Critter Stories" and "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," a Beverly Cleary classic.

These videos, the latest in a highly regarded series, animate characters from popular kids' books and run the text along the bottom of the screen. This probably won't teach nonreaders to read as much as it will reinforce the skills of kids who already have their basic decoding work down. So, kids in kindergarten and first grade are most likely to benefit from the video, though older and younger kids will still enjoy the story.

"Diary of a Spider" is part of a series of a-day-in-the-life bug stories by Doreen Cronin. The DVD includes several other tales, including the very cute "Roberto the Insect Architect," about a termite with unusual aspirations. I can say firsthand that these videos do inspire reading; after watching this, my 8-year-old chose "Diary of a Fly" the next day in the bookstore.

"The Mouse and the Motorcycle," meanwhile, brings a Cleary classic to the screen once more (there was a made-for-TV version in the '80s). Cleary is one of the all-time great children's writers. She created Ramona and Beatrice; Henry Huggins and his dog, Ribsy; and Ralph S. Mouse, who learns to ride a motorcycle and drive an ambulance in this live-action/stop-motion animation hybrid.

The movie has a very retro feel that might appeal more to parents than kids, but it's really cute and a great introduction to a master writer for kids who haven't found those old Cleary books in their school libraries.

Scholastic will release two more books-turned-movies this year: a 40th-anniversary edition of "Corduroy," about a bear who wants a friend, and "Where the Wild Things Are," not to be confused with the big-screen adaptation by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. That one's due out next year.

For Kids Who Have an Abundance of Energy

Remember how we used to ride our bikes everywhere in the summer, unfettered by sweaty bike helmets and other protective gear? Kids today generally don't do that anymore. Nor do they run loose in alleys with their friends.

If your kids need to get some exercise and you have to get dinner on the table, "School House Hop" is a lot of fun. Meant for kids between the ages of 5 and 14, it's an introduction to hip-hop dancing taught by a smiling hipster named Roger G and his posse of kids ranging from elementary school on up.

Meant for beginning dancers, the video teaches kids the basic steps to a number of songs, including "Chicken Noodle Soup," which, I must confess, has been stuck in my head ever since. Chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side. I dare you to stop saying that once you've heard it.

Average kids and their uncoordinated mothers won't end up ready for "So You Think You Can Dance" after one or two viewings. But it's definitely fun to follow along.

And One Classic, Because Kids Deserve to Laugh

"The Muppet Show: Season 3" is here, and if you haven't seen it you're missing out.

You could look at this box set as an investment in your kids' cultural literacy. Life is better, after all, when you know who Harry Belafonte is and you can sing along with him to the "Banana Boat Song."

And what could be more fun than explaining the appeal of Alice Cooper and Liberace to kids?

Or, you could forget all that cultural literacy stuff and look at it as a healthy dose of summer fun. Each episode is about 35 minutes -- just right for the family to share at the end of the day. There are songs, hilarious comedy sketches and performances by some of the 20th century's biggest stars.

Interestingly enough, a "Muppet Show" revival is set to launch July 19 at 8 p.m. on the Disney Channel. Called "Studio DC: Almost Live," it pairs the Muppets with contemporary kid favorites, including the Jonas Brothers, Miley Ray Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale and the Cheetah Girls.

Will it be as good as the classic?

It better be, or people are going to feel fully justified in sending Animal after the Jonas Brothers, and the Swedish chef and his big knife after Cyrus' spooky Hannah Montana wig. Miss Piggy, for her part, will be able to take care of Tisdale on her own, and most likely will want to once she sees some of the promotional pics of Ashley making eyes at Kermit.

Come to think of it, that would be a scene I'd like to see. Perhaps in a future episode, if this comeback show is any good.

Martha Brockenbrough is MSN's Cinemama, for the Parents' Movie Guide. She is also the author of "It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond." She's also founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. She writes a fun-with-kids column for Cranium.com, as well as an educational humor column for Encarta. Check out her Web site.

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