A Christmas in July Brother Francis Review

Today is "Christmas in July" so I'm going to tell you about another Brother Francis DVD that I should have reviewed about seven or eight months ago.  Why did I take so long?  Well, there was the pregnancy related exhaustion and the nausea which was induced by looking at any sort of screen or text, and then there was the serious strep A infection from the cut on my finger just weeks before Christmas that posed a nice threat to both the baby and my well being which pretty much limited my using my right hand for a couple of weeks.  And by the time all was once again well with me, Christmas had come and gone and Lent was on it's way.  Sigh.  So that's the nickel tour of why I'm reviewing a Christmas DVD and companion coloring book in July.

In Brother Francis The King is Born children will learn about the true meaning of Christmas.  As with other episodes of Brother Francis, I love how well our faith is explained to little ones in a way that is right on their level and in a way that they will take to heart.  In this episode, Brother Francis beautifully explains how Christmas isn't just about getting gifts and having parties, but rather, it's all about celebrating the birthday of Jesus.  The segment where he explains this is sure to reach little ones.

As children watch this DVD they will learn the story of the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah and the birth of John the Baptist, along with the stories of the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity of Our Lord and the presentation.  Throughout the episode there are some great songs some of which, you and your child may already be familiar with.

My youngest daughter was glued to my laptop when I put this DVD on for the first time since Advent.  She's seen this episode many times but I've never seen her so drawn to it like she was today.  When it was over she wanted to see more.  How awesome is that?  As a parent, you can't help but be thrilled when your child wants to watch such good program that helps in laying a solid foundation of faith.  I really can't recommend the Brother Francis series enough.

When I received the DVD of "The King is Born," I was also sent a copy of the companion Coloring & Activity Book.  The book is filled with coloring pages and activities that are appropriate for children between the ages of pre-school and second grade.

This DVD is great not only for sharing with your own children toddler through age ten, but it's also ideal for a religious education class.  I have shown several of the previous Brother Francis episodes to my kindergarten religious education classes over the years and they're always a hit with the kids. 

I was provided with review copies of The King is Born DVD and the companion Coloring & Activity Book by the publisher, Herald Entertainment, for the purpose of this review.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information or to place an order.  Christmas will be here before you know it!  This episode will be the perfect way the help prepare the hearts and minds of little ones  for the Christmas season this Advent.

CD Review: Brother Francis Walking with Jesus

Several months back I was sent a copy of Brother Francis' Walking with Jesus music CD.  The CD is a collection of rosary prayers in song.  Many of the songs on the CD are familiar songs from the Brother Francis DVD series so they were an instant hit with my toddler and have seen a lot of play time as a result.

So what should you know about these songs? Well, for starters, they help to familiarize little ones with the rosary and the the prayers of the rosary.  I play many of these songs for the students in my religious education kindergarten class and last year when they put on an end of year show with another class the teacher of the other class came to me weeks later telling me how she had one of the songs stuck in her head and she needed to know the name of the CD.  Several of the songs are quite catchy like that.  When teaching little ones their prayers I like anything that helps to make it stick and these songs do just that.

All of the prayers we pray during the rosary are presented in song form on this CD.  Children are also introduced to the four sets of rosary mysteries through a series of songs.  It's a great way to introduce little ones to the rosary.

This CD is perfect for toddlers through second grade.  The songs are all beautifully done and will resonate with youngsters.

Since we're approaching the time of year where people start thinking about Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, I think this CD would make an excellent faith filled gift idea.  It would fit perfectly in a stocking!

I was provided with a review copy of Walking with Jesus: The Rosary Prayers in Song by the publisher, Herald Kids in exchange for my honest review.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information on this CD and their other great Brother Francis products.

Brother Francis Let's Sing

By now I think it's pretty well established that we're fans of the Brother Francis series of DVDs.  The kids love them and I like them because of how well they teach young kids about their Catholic faith.  One of the things the kids like the best about the Brother Francis DVDs is the music.  Someone always winds up having a Brother Francis song stuck in their head after watching one of the episodes.

When we were first introduced to the Brother Francis series, the girls would frequently mention that it would be nice if the songs were on a CD so they could listen to them.  I was excited when I found out about the Brother Francis CD called Let's Sing.  Let's Sing has all of our favorite songs from the Brother Francis episodes 1-5.

If you're a fan of the Brother Francis series, you're sure to like this CD.  The music is catchy and fun for  young kids.  It's the perfect music for playing in a religious ed class for the preschool through second grade age range.  I played a few selections from this album for my kindergarten students this morning and they liked the new songs.  We listened to the Sign of the Cross and Our Father Songs and many of them started singing along when I played it a second time.  I also like how well some of the songs tie in with certain chapters from our text book.  Today I taught a lesson about how we are part of the Church and the catchy song "I've Got a Family" summed up the entire lesson in roughly two and a half minutes.  If the song sticks with them the way it does with my own children then what they learned today in class is sure to stick with them.

Brother Francis Let's Sing is a great collection of 14 songs.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information on this CD or to order a copy.

I was provided with a review copy of this CD by the publisher, Herald Entertainment, in exchange for my honest review.

Brother Francis Born into the Kingdom

The latest episode of Brother Francis is out and this time it's focus is the sacrament of baptism.  Born into the Kingdom is every bit as good as the Brother Francis episodes that precede it.  Since this DVD has arrived at our house it has been watched countless times by my seven year old.  Even our one year old is captivated by this show.

As always, Brother Francis explains the Catholic faith to youngsters in a way that is fun and right on their level.  In order to explain the sacrament of baptism and why we need it, Brother Francis introduces viewers to the story of Adam and Eve and the first sin.  From there, children see a few little short stories where the characters learn the importance of doing what they were told to do vs. doing what they feel like doing--such as taking short cuts that weren't short cuts at all.  It all leads up to giving them a good understanding of why we need the sacrament of baptism.   There are two catchy songs in this episode.  "I've got a Family" teaches children that they become a part of a larger family when they are baptized into the Church.  "Jesus is the Light of the World" that shows children how God is present in the world today.

My older daughters were laughing out loud over the segment where they show a baby being baptized because of the baby's funny made up last name..  They were able to recall when their baby sister was baptized a little over a year ago and point out the parts of the baptism that they remembered.  Everything about the baptism is explained so little ones who have a younger sibling who is about to be baptized could watch this beforehand and come away with a good understanding of what happens when someone receives this sacrament.

From our one year old to our elven year old, Brother Francis is well received in our home.  Our eldest daughter can't help but rush into the room to see her favorite parts of this episode when she notices her little sisters watching this DVD.  So I think it's safe to say that Brother Francis, despite being geared to preschool and younger elementary school aged chidden, can even appeal to some middle schoolers (provided they have younger siblings, I think).

I was provided with a review copy of Born into the Kingdom, by the publisher, Herald Kids, in exchange for my honest review.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information or to purchase a copy of this DVD.

DVD Review: Brother Francis Forgiven!

For the past two months the latest Brother Francis episode entitled Forgiven! has been a heavily requested DVD in our house.  Forgiven! teaches young children about the sacrament of reconciliation.  As with other Brother Francis episodes, this episode beautifully explains the sacrament of reconciliation in a way that is easily understood by children and will reach them.

As with the other episodes of Brother Francis, this DVD contains two catchy songs.  The first song is called God is a Loving Father and teaches children that God wants to help us.  The song is accompanied by a fun little cartoon of children playing on a swing set.  My seven year old really enjoys this song and the cartoon.  The other song is called "Praise God, I'm Forgiven!"  It's an upbeat song celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation.  The visual accompaniment for this song is scenes of the sacrament and the children and Brother Francis joyfully singing about how happy they are to have received God's forgiveness.  This particular song is probably my favorite part of the episode, but that probably has something to do with the song getting stuck in my head.

Just like the other Brother Francis DVDs, the show flips between standard animation and CGI.  I like how they use both of the mediums because I think it adds interest to the way the show is presented. 

Brother Francis gently teaches children about sin, conscience, and what exactly the sacrament of confession is and why we need it.  His approach is such that children should come away with a good understanding of the ways in which we can sin (thought, word, deed and omission), why we should listen to our conscience, and how we can obtain God's pardon when we fail to do what we should by going to confession.

I was really happy to see the Parable of the Tax Collector in this episode.  I like that it shows children that they should approach the sacrament with a humble heart and not an inflated ego.

Brother Francis also tells children how to prepare for confession, gives them the steps for the sacrament and explains what a penance is.  I think children who are nervous about their first reconciliation that watch this episode of Brother Francis will feel a lot less anxious about this sacrament after watching this.  My seven year old who will make her first confession in six months is finding herself more at ease with the idea of going to confession the more she watches this DVD.  Hopefully by the time the date of her first reconciliation rolls around she will feel very comfortable with this sacrament.

Brother Francis easily captures the attention of children from preschool age up to about age nine.  Our ten month old will happily sit and watch an episode of Brother Francis with her big sisters.  The show appears the have the biggest appeal with our middle daughter who is now seven.  She's been hooked on Brother Francis since she was five, and is always asking if there are any new Brother Francis DVDs out yet.  

I heartily recommend this episode of Brother Francis for anyone who is preparing a child for first reconciliation.  This DVD would be perfect for religious education classes, too.  I have shown other episodes of this series to my kindergarten religious education students and they have all been well received.

I was provided with a review copy of Brother Francis: Forgiven! by the publisher, Herald Kids, in exchange for my honest review.  Visit www.brotherfrancisonline.com for more information on the Brother Francis series.