Expose Young Children To A Foreign Language

This Summer, Witty Planet is bringing to the US the entire Linea Descubriendo, a line of DVDs, CDs, books and flashcards in Spanish, not just for the Spanish speaking family, but totally fun for non-spanish speaking kids.

Linea Descubriendo was created seven years ago in Argentina, by Primeros Pasos Producciones. The line stars a very young monkey, Buba (pronounced boo-bah), who, like children, is curious, likes to explore, makes mistakes and with the catchiest songs and fun activities takes kids through the ABCs, numbers, colors, senses, good nutrition and many other things. See a Video sample of Buba below.



Already in 9 countries, Buba has conquered the hearts of thousands of kids and now is coming to the United States, brought by Witty Planet LLC.

If you want to learn more about the line, contact Witty Planet at contact@wittyplanet.com. And if you think that somebody you know would love to learn more about Buba, please forward them this blog.

Que se diviertan!

Rainy Days & Mondays

The Carpenters were on to something with their 1971 hit - rainy days and Mondays can REALLY get you down. Although my children are feeling better, we have been besieged by less than favorable weather. Sick children and rain - not a winning combination. In fact, my daughter looked out the window today, put her hands on her hips, and stated "I am NOT happy."

Yesterday, Kobold provided some ideas for toys on the go. In case our "rain, rain go away" dance is ineffective, today we offer you some toy ideas when you are house bound due to illness or weather.

Made by Me Vehicle Kit. Your child can construct and decorate a truck, train, tugboat and tractor.

We love puzzles in our house, especially the scenes created by the artists at Mudpuppy. Their line of Color Me puzzles has a beautiful scene on one side (sea, rush hour, and enchanted kingdom) and on the reverse side the same scene blank waiting for your child to color to his/her taste.

If a storm unnerves your child, consider the story of Rumble & Bolt - a simple story of a friendship that develops between a thunder cloud and a lightning bolt. It's a playful explanation to comfort the young hearts and minds of all children.

For the crafty child, Kobold recommends the Mosaic kits by 4M - dolphins, fairies, mermaids, and princess. No glue, no mess and a colorful project everyone can enjoy when the sun finally shines again!

How To Explain Emergencies To Young Kids

I read a story, last week, in the local paper about a 7-year-old who saved his grandpa from death because he knew how to use a defibrillator that his family had at home. His grandfather fainted and was unresponsive, so the kids took the defibrillator, applied it on his grandfather's chest, pushed 1 button and gave grandpa back a heart beat. Then he called 911, and the rest is a true happy ending.

I can't imagine teaching my 3-year-old to use a defibrillator yet, but that doesn't mean that I can't introduce him yet to the issue of emergencies, how to recognize one and what to do in such case. After all, I spend a lot of time alone with my little ones and who knows if some day they may be my only chance to get to a hospital (hopefully not, though).

That's why I liked so much a little book that I found in one of our vendor's catalogue (Penton Overseas): "It's Time To Call 911".






This awesome children's book teach children about emergency situations, how to dial 911 (with its key pad) and what to say to get help in an emergency. By correctly dialing "911", the child hears "911", sirens, and then a rewarding "Good Job!" from a sound chip. My son loves this book (possibly more because of the sirens than anything else) and now and then he brings up the issue of an emergency, when to call and why.


This book was featured in ABC News, Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It was also chosen as a preferred title by the State Library of Kansas for the Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Program. And, of course, is one of our store's favorites.