Organa Kids: Animated Kids stories from around the world review

We don't have cable. I find a lot of what is put out for children to either be incredibly annoying or majorly inappropriate. We do have netflix and have found some shows we think are ok for Tabitha who is 3, to watch, but there are a lot of shows that we have "sent on vacation" IE we blocked them from netflix because they are annoying or inapropriate. A few weeks ago we received two DVDs in the mail from Organa kids. Organa Kids specializes in kids stories from around the world. They sent us Castle Farm and Happy Valley.
Organa LLC was started in 1995 as a way of introducing American families to stories, characters and cultures from around the world. Organa Kids is a subsidiary of Organa LLC and is aimed at promoting multiculturalism, original storytelling and interactivity. They have a variety of kids DVDs from Castle Farm (UK) to Dougie in Disguise (spain).

When the DVDs arrived I was able to sit down with Tabitha and watch some of Castle Farm. I thought it was a fun and entertaining video, but it was slightly over Tabitha's head. She liked the bright colors and the talking Animals, but she got board after a bit. There is no singing like in a lot of children's shows, and I think that may be why she wasn't that into it. There is a lot of asking questions and problem solving which I think is wonderful, but Tabitha just wasn't that into it. I think in a year or so she will like it more and be more into it. Each episode starts with Farm girl and Piggy having some sort of quest, but they get off track, and seem to day dream a lot. When they have a question they can't answer they ask Unicorn for help. Farm Girl is feisty and not afraid to get dirty, the kid of girl you want your girls to see, she's not weak or dumb like so many cartoon girls are these days. Piggy is sensitive and gets embarrassed easily. Then there is Leonard, the chief Cow Hand. His main goal is to get his hands on Unicorns Gold but he never seems to get it. He's a little too money hungry for my likes, but makes a good dumb "bad" guy for Farm girl to accidentally foil at every turn.
The second DVD we got was Happy Valley also from the UK. Tabitha LOVES this one. I didn't get to watch it with her at first because I was dealing with a sick Eva, but my husband has watched it with her many, many times. She usually asks to watch Happy Valley when they have their TV time together. She loves it so much she renamed one of her dolls Win after Gwen in the Happy Valley DVD.

Our whole family has been sick on and off for a few weeks now, and since we've been inside a lot, we've ended up watching way more TV than we normally would. Tabitha asks to watch Happy Valley any time we sit down to watch the TV. She LOVES it. Happy Valley has a lot of catchy songs, and easy to follow story lines. There are questions and problem solving elements, and lots of singing. Tabitha loves the singing. Happy Valley is set in the country side by the sea. In each episode the children go about their day weather it be going to school, on a field trip or to the dr. Happy Valley uses nursery rhymes and songs to tell stories, which makes it very effective for young children. We received Volume 2 of Happy Valley and will definitely be buying Volume 1 for Tabitha. The narration is done by one soothing voice and the colors are vibrant and happy. Even though we don't really let Evangeline (6 months) watch TV, she gets a little here and there and she really likes Happy Valley, she smiles and claps her hands to the music. The DVD is 60 minutes which is perfect, because after that Tabitha is ready to go play or do a craft. Its a great DVD to put on for quiet time or when I'm making dinner and Morgen isn't home yet. It keeps her occupied when I need to cook, but its not junk tv so I feel ok with letting her watch it.

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