Do you have an evening ritual with your baby or toddler? We have developed one over the past few months. It starts with dinner, followed by about 30 minutes of playtime. After that, we hit the tub and rub a dub in there for a while. Then we get dressed for bed, read some stories and start talking to Darah about going to sleep. We have found that she goes down much easier if she has a heads up that bedtime is around the corner.
Depending on how tired she is, we’ll read anywhere from 1-8 books, some of them more than once! Whatever the number, you can be sure that one of the books on the agenda every single night is Goodnight moon. Darah adores this book, and loves to point at the cow, the moon, the mouse and the cats. We definitely have the book memorized, and Darah probably does, too!
Given that this book has become part of our daily lives, imagine my joy at learning that Scholastic put out a DVD, Goodnight Moon & More Great Bedtime Stories, where the book is read aloud, along with a person signing the book! SOOO cool! Darah knows a handful of words in sign language, and she is completely mesmerized by this dvd. The background is the pages of the book, which she recognizes, and I think she is aware that the person signing is communicating. We have been working on a few of the signs like moon and cat, and it probably won’t be too long before she has the hang of them. I’m not a big fan of putting Darah in front of a tv, but this dvd is great, in my opinion, since it isn’t animated and fast-paced. It’s just the pictures she already knows, along with sign language. A++, Scholastic!
Buy it!: If you have a Goodnight Moon or a sign language fan in your house, or you think you might in the near future, I highly recommend this dvd. At $12.95, you will certainly get your money’s worth, as it will be watched time and time again.
Win it!: Scholastic Storybook Treasures has one copy of Goodnight Moon for one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader! This contest will run until September 24th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me the bedtime story that is a favorite to your child/children, or that was your favorite growing up. If you have taught your child/children any sign language, I’d also like to know (just because I’m curious!).
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Join the Scholastic mailing list (found on the bottom left of the linked page)
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Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own This post contains affiliate links.