TRACTOR & FARM DVDS: bee bright - Out and About On the Farm - 2 DVD set (Justin Fletcher)

I am very impressed with these two DVDs. Several very pleasant afternoons have been spent watching the programmes with my two- and four-year-old boys - almost unbelieveably pleasant, due entirely to the attention which these DVDs commanded. A rare event in our house. I'm sure in part it was because my two are already so familiar with Justin Fletcher's voice, and the CBeebies star gets much more attention and respect from my kids than I ever can - but I'm positive that's not all that's going on here. I was particularly impressed to note that as we were watching my four-year-old was asking questions out loud to me, which were almost immediately answered by Justin's voiceover - so clearly there is a sense of progression and script-timing that matches my young-'un's thought processes almost to the second! No mean feat, given the way he skips around ideas sometimes, and (like most children that age) will quickly lose interest if something doesn't grab him. Even my two-year-old (who cannot speak properly yet at all, but we are working on that) was saying the character-names "Buzz" and "Fizz", and calling out "Bee Bright" on cue by the time the programme was over. These are not words he's ever spoken before - so evidently the characters must be striking a chord with him (though I must confess I'm not all that enamoured of them myself, but it's a small thing to endure compared to the otherwise excellent presentation throughout elsewhere. The animated character parts form a very short buffer to the beginnings and ends of each topic in order to introduce and round them off - they don't intrude on the actual 'show' parts at all, and are thus easily ignored by adults if they don't like them!). Although it was sometimes a tad harder to engage my two-year-old in sitting still and watching (and he is below the declared target age, to be fair), he definitely picked up key aspects and was content to sit next to me and watch for long periods - he particularly liked the pigs and sheep, and of course our house echoed to the sounds of the farmyard for much of the time he was involved! We have all - adults and children alike - learned so much from these DVDs and had a very enjoyable and fun time doing so! All great stuff, and I'm very happy with my purchases. I did originally feel that the DVDs were quite expensive, but I am much happier now that I've actually watched them and seen the quality and worth of them. Our household had become a recent convert to the rival Tractor Ted DVDs since the recent (June 2013) show at Bowood. It was while hunting for more Tractor Ted DVDs that we found these ones from Bee Bright. The Tractor Ted ones are are similarly-priced, and although they are good and I'm not knocking them (we will be buying from both camps now, I'm sure), the Tractor Ted ones are not as detailed nor as long-running, nor are they quite so well-produced as the Bee Bright ones. The Tractor Ted ones do tend to have more songs (which my children love, but I cringe everytime I'm forced to sing "shearing the sheep, their wool is so very good to keep" and other rather 'cod-poetry' lines that seem a bit forced or poorly thought out). However, in my opinion the Tractor Ted DVDs have lower quality to some of the camera work, and the scripts can be a tad amateurish sometimes in comparison to the Bee Bright Out and About productions. The Bee Bright ones are top quality, well written, well shot, and extremely well edited. You can tell simply by watching that many moure hours of filming have gone into each episode - when seasons in the future are referred to, you actually get shots of grown crops or winter snows and the like. Clearly, someone's properly documented the entire processes and stood in a field in all weathers to get the job done - and the dedication shows right there on the screen. And what the Bee Bright DVDs lack in songs is more than made up for in the jokes department. My four-year-old is already charming us as many times as we can bear with "what do you call a really tall house where pigs live?" (A: a sty-scraper - cue groan) and other similar Justin-style jokes, though he sometimes still needs me to help him form the 'gag' or remember the punchline, but that's half the fun with teaching a four-year-old humour, isn't it? All in all, I would wholeheartedly recommend any of these Out and About - On the Farm DVDs from Bee Bright. They are true 'old-school' quality - proper documentaries for children, pitched just right. They're engaging, well-filmed, with good scripts that can hold an adult's attention as readily as they can a child's, and they're worth every penny. If you're sick of the lightweight, dumbed-down TV shows for kids that fill the satellite channels, or you've had enough of informational programs that only seem to come in an American flavour and teach your child about 'trashcans' instead of 'dustbins', then it's time to stand your ground and invest in some truly British, truly worthwhile documentary entertainment that your children will love and learn from - properly. They really ought to be on CBeebies, CITV, Nickelodeon or those kinds of channel, because they are definitely up to par, and well beyond a lot of the low-grade nonsense we see. As a parent or grandparent, the time you spend on the sofa (and afterwards) discussing the topics your children have seen, hearing their well-formed questions and seeing that light go on in their head, is a joy that is too good to miss. Take the gamble - buy these DVDs. You won't be disappointed.

I normally don't take the time to write reviews but we're so pleased with this purchase I didn't want anyone else to think twice about purchasing... I have been looking for a dvd for my 2 year old son who is obsessed with all farm machinery. After reading up on lots of them I decided to go for these even though the recommended age is 3-8. I'm glad I chose these as he is delighted with them. They have held his undivided attention from the first viewing. He has learned a lot as have the whole family! They are very informative and the filming is great. The voice of Justin Fletcher makes a great finish to the DVD's and keeps us all amused. I cannot praise these enough and think they are suitable for 2 years and up. They will continue to learn as they get older. My son would watch them all day if I let him but he's limited to 1 topic a day...much to his disgust ;-) They are entertaining and more importantly educational. Will be using them as birthday and Christmas presents. We cannot wait for the next 2 to be released. A must have for a child interested in farm animals, machinery and and where things come from. Will fuel any inquisitive mind.

I bought these DVD's for my son after purchasing the whole set of "First Steps" DVD's which he absolutely loves. I was unsure initially if they would interest him as he is only two and the suggested age range for these DVD's is 3-8yrs. However, I went for it and am glad that I did. He absolutely loves them both and loves to tell me the names of the animals and the farm equipment which he sees on the screen. He has learnt many new words through watching these DVD's and his enjoyment of them doesn't seem to be decreasing over time. As a parent it's lovely that I can sit him in front of something that is both enjoyable and educational.

Great DVDs, the crop one is ESP good, very educational and great filming of farming vehicles working. My son (2) loves it and asked for it every day and my daughter (4) also will sit and enjoy watching it. More educational and interesting than peppa pig!! Justin is brill, as always at narration and keeps it moving along we'll. even makes mushroom growing quite interesting! Would recommend. Animal one also v good, but both keener on vehicles at moment.

My 7 yr old grandson loves these dvds as he loves animals and the workings of farms. Educational too.

Sadly disappointing. Didn't hold the childrens attention and they were soon up and off. Would recommend them for much older children 9+.

Bought these for my farm mad pre schooler to watch. He loves them and recognised Justins voice even though he isn't visually in them. My little boy likes the fact he can select which topic/section to watch, so each time we see them in a different order. He also loves the Bee's that appear at the beginning and end of the sections. We like the learning windows that explain things in more detail (for example the different animals that are milked in different countries or the different uses for potatoes) My little boy is a Tractor Ted fan but loves these just as much in fact given the choice he will often select the Bee Bright dvd's over the Tractor Ted ones!! Hoping to purchase more from the range for Christmas.

I've had these DVD's for several months now. When they first arrived the children watched them (I'm a Childminder) but didn't seem overly impressed & they were not a huge success. However, over the following months the children have seemed to like the DVD's more each time they have watched them & the farm animals one is now a favourite.