Lots and Lots of Penguins! (Marshall Publishing)

We were given the opportunity to review a set of DVD's from Marshall Publishing that included Lots and Lots of Penguins in the Wild, Lots and Lots of Playful Penguins and Their Toe Tapping Feet, and a bonus DVD containing an animated video Party Like a Penguin. This company carries many other DVD's in the "Lots and Lots Of" series. You have probably seen these advertised on TV if you have it in your home.


This year we are using a curriculum called Exploring Countries and Cultures, it is a year of geography and there are unit studies for all 7 continents. Antarctica was supposed to be the last unit, but we skipped ahead so we could use these DVD's along with it. I just love the freedom we have to do that with homeschooling!


Using Lots and Lots of Penguins along with the Antarctica unit was a perfect fit! Compared to the other continents and countries we will be learning about, there isn't a whole lot to learn about Antarctica except for the location, climate, and animals that live there.

After finding Antarctica on the map we put in the Lots and Lots of Penguins in the Wild DVD. This video is awesome because it contains no narration or other distractions. The kids were free to just watch and discover on their own. Other creatures from Antarctica can be seen in this DVD as well. We were able to get a good look at what the land looks like, I challenged them to find a tree or other plants. One of the first comments they made was that they would HATE to live there, the wind howling in the background and the ice floating around in the ocean made them realize just how cold it must be. This led to some great discussion about how God made penguins special so they could live in such a frozen climate. God thought of everything!

Later we watched Lots and Lots of Playful Penguins and Their Toe Tapping Feet. This DVD is different because it used an animated penguin to tell about each kind of penguin. Lots of live video showing the characteristics of each breed and also how each one sounds different made this a very educational experience. We learned that Emperor penguins get taller than our 3 year old and weigh more than my 9 year old and them used that information to compare each of the other breeds. Music "videos" including real penguin footage are played in between the informational parts. Edited clips of penguins make them seem as if they are dancing along. All 4 kids were up and dancing through these sections, and my 3 year old just giggled while watching the penguins waddle and slide around.




The bonus DVD is an animated video with cartoon penguins dancing along to the song "Party Like a Penguin". My 3 and 6 year old like watching this one over and over, but honestly after the first few times this DVD was driving everyone else a little nuts. But then again so does many of the other DVD's they have with sing along songs. This one is definitely geared toward younger kids.





If you have little ones that love penguins or older kids who will be learning about Antarctica these DVD's would be a great learning tool to go along with your studies. The 3 DVD set can be purchased from the Marshall Publishing website or by calling 1-888-300-3455. The regular price is $39.00 but right now its on sale for $19.95 and if you use the code TOS27 at checkout you will also get FREE first class shipping!

Disclaimer ~ We received this product at no cost in exchange for an honest review after using it in our homeschool. No other compensation was given. All opinions expressed here are my own.