Wild Britain with Ray Mears DVD

In this series, television’s original survivalist, Ray Mears, takes us on an incredible journey, travelling the length and breadth of Great Britain. Each episode is themed around a different habitat to discover some of the varied landscapes and fascinating wildlife that these islands have to offer. From the dramatic heather moorlands of the Peak District, to the beautiful North Norfolk shingle shore and the quintessentially British hay meadow, Ray reveals the hidden world that lives just beyond our doorstep. Sharing his knowledge of field and craft and his passion for British wildlife, Ray shows us how to decode the landscape.

Deciduous Forest
The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is one of the few remaining ancient forests in England. It’s Spring and the forest floor is carpeted with bluebells and Ray’s favourite woodland creature, the hazel dormouse, is emerging from hibernation.

Shingle Shore
Britain’s bird-watching capital the beautiful North Norfolk coast where Ray explores the shingle spit that attracts grey and common seals, nesting sand martins and natterjack toads.

Breckland
One of the country’s least known habitats, ‘The Breckland’ in East Anglia, home of the rare stone curlew.

Heather Moorlands and Uplands
One of the best-loved spectacles in the British countryside--the mighty Peak District--where Ray discovers short-eared owls and great-crested newts.

Wetlands
Ray travels to the beautiful Somerset Levels to explore the atmospheric waterways that are home to otters and an important breeding ground for herons.

Hay Meadow
Ray visits the quintessential British habitat--the beautiful hay meadow. Ray reveals the vital link between this precious habitat and some of our most glorious wildlife from bees to Barn owls.

An informative, educational and interesting look into Britain in the wild. Ray Mears takes us on a walk around Britain introducing us to the wildlife and plants etc and encourages viewers to investigate Britain themselves.

I really enjoyed the DVDs, having never watched any of his shows on television before. The last episode with the Barn Owls was my favorite and although cameras captured this footage, it never felt that they had intruded into their privacy. A breathtaking set of DVDs.

Thank you to Michael from The School Run Forum for sending me these DVDs to watch.

Tinga Tinga Tales - Why Elephant has a Trunk

Why do zebras have stripes and leopards spots, rhinos horns and camels humps? Tinga Tinga Tales tells a modern, young audience what really happened.

You see there was a time when Elephant had no nose. He couldn't swat away the flies, or scrub his belly - he couldn't even blow his nose. Then one day snappy Crocodile snapped! Crocodile pulled and he pulled and he pulled - until ker-doing! Crocodile let go and Elephant's nose was all long and wiggly! And that's why Elephant has a trunk.


*Why Elephant Has A Trunk
*Why Snake Has No Legs
*Why Hippo Has No Hair
*Why Hen Pecks The Ground
*Why Bat Hangs Upside Down
*Why Warthog Is So Ugly

These popular television programmes are now available on DVD for the first time and are at the moment on promotional offer in most retailers.

When watching the DVD I was immediately drawn to the bright colours and all the animals included in each episode. The colours are ones which I immediately think of when thinking about traditional African art and tales.

I have always loved elephants and the story of Why Elephants have a trunk has always been a favorite, and it is well animated and illustrated. The African voices add to the whole theme and I loved the colouring pages included on the DVD.

The stories are from traditional African tales and I think they have been beautifully adapted into these DVDs. The music and voices all carry on the African theme and make you believe you are too in an African village.

The DVDs also have added extras - interactive games, downloadable wallpapers and printable colouring pictures which can continue the learning after the programmes have finished.

The DVDs are perfect for young children and will capture their attention and imagination. I know from friends these are popular programmes and the DVDs will be great additions to your DVD library.

Thank you to Michael from The School Run Forum for sending me these DVDs to review.

Tinga Tinga Tales DVD - Why Lions Roar

Why do zebras have stripes, leopards spots, rhinos horns and camels humps? Tinga Tinga Tales tells a modern, young audience what really happened.

You see there was a time when Lion had lost his roar. Crocodile was snapping at all the animals in Tinga Tinga and ruling over the Waterhole. Lion could do nothing about it as he had lost his roar. Then one day Flea told Lion that if Lion dares to enter the Great Cave of Tinga Tinga, maybe he will find his roar. Lion plucked up his courage and confronted the Great Cave. He roared with all his might. An even bigger roar came back, but Lion stood strong. He roared again and an even bigger roar came back. Lion's very own Echo! He found his roar! From that day on Lion has always roared with pride, showing any beast who's the real King of Tinga Tinga.He roars again and an even bigger roar comes back. Lion's very own Echo! He has found his roar! From that day on Lion always roars with pride, showing any beast who's the real King of Tinga Tinga.

Episodes Comprise:

1. Why Owl's head turns all the way round
2. Why Tickbird Sits on Hippo's Back
3. Why Frog Croaks
4. Why Vulture is Bald
5. Why Giraffe Has a Long Neck

These popular television programmes are now available on DVD for the first time and are at the moment on promotional offer in most retailers.

When watching the DVD I was immediately drawn to the bright colours and all the animals included in each episode. The colours are ones which I immediately think of when thinking about traditional African art and tales. I love the Frog story and remember reading this when I was younger and the Giraffe story is beautiful.

The stories are from traditional African tales and I think they have been beautifully adapted into these DVDs. The music and voices all carry on the African theme and make you believe you are too in an African village.

The DVDs also have added extras - interactive games, downloadable wallpapers and printable colouring pictures which can continue the learning after the programmes have finished.

The DVDs are perfect for young children and will capture their attention and imagination. I know from friends these are popular programmes and the DVDs will be great additions to your DVD library.

Thank you to Michael from The School Run Forum for sending me these DVDs to review.

Philips SHE9000/10 In-Ear Headphones - Black

Perfect fit, precise sound. Easy grip enables perfect in ear fit. With a vibration-absorbing metal housing, these high performance speaker create bass fidelity, for true-to-life sound. Uniquely curved design enables perfect fit. ComplyTM foam tip for perfect noise isolation. Fabric cable prevents tangle.
Premium metal housing: Housed in superior metal, these earphones are shielded from unnecessary vibration for accurate sound transmission, resulting in smooth bass response and clear mid-to-high range tones.

For deepest and richest bass: Turbo Bass air vents allow air movement for high-fidelity reproduction of the deepest and richest bass.

Precisely tuned acoustics: Perfect in-ear seal surprises you with exceptional noise isolation

For best sound at low volume: You don't have to turn up the volume in noisy places anymore. Angled Acoustic Pipe and the perfectly sealing earbuds cut off background noise significantly, delivering the same quality sound at lower volume and a longer battery life.

Uniquely curved design: A unique curved headphones housing design, enables easy grip and makes it easy to get perfect in ear fit - even on the go.

Soft memory foam cushions: Ultra soft memory foam cushions perfecty shape around the contours of your ears. This gives you the best fit while you hardly feel them.

Ear fitting design: The design superiority of a slight 15-degree tilt in the Angled Acoustic model based on the anatomy of the human ear achieves a natural fit and supreme comfort.

3-size ultra-soft silicon caps: 3 sizes of ultra-soft silicon caps sit comfortably in your ears without adding pressure to them whilst blocking out unwanted noise.

Anti-tangle fabric cable: Textile covered cable prevents cable tanglling, is very long-lasting and extends the product life.

Anti-tangle slider: When storing your headphones there is a risk that the cables tangle if not stored carefully.This makes it a hassle to store the headphones and get them ready for listening. Simply slide the anti-tangle slider towards the earpieces to keep the two earpiece cables neatly together, and to minimze the risk of the cables tangling.

1.2m cable: The ideal cable length to give you the freedom to put your audio device where you want.

Flexi-grip design: The soft flexi-grip material that the body of the headphone is sheathed in enhances its performance and extends its durability. It protects the cable connection from damage that otherwise could occur due to repeated bending of the headphone body from frequent contact with the user's fingertips when being put on and removed.

Technical Details
Premium metal housing offers accurate sound transmission
Turbo bass air vents for deepest and richest bass
Perfect in-ear seal blocks exceptional noise
Exceptional noise isolation for quality sound at low volume
Uniquely curved design enables easy grip for perfect fit

When i opened the box I was immediately confused with all the different attachments, however after reading the brief instructions I found that there were three different silicone caps and one foam cap to choose from. These are in ear buds, something else i had not tried before but they are very comfortable and the sound quality is great (I am not into technical vocab but the sound sounded great to me!). The fit of the buds also are great for blocking out exterior noise, I was listening to music at a lower volume to previous pairs.
The other thing that struck me was that the cord was not a usual earphone cord, it was a fabric cord covering and it seems to be harder to get tangled, a great plus in my opinion.
I have never bought a pair of earphones separate to what has been provided before and for a pair costing £[] I was expecting something spectacular; however there is no volume control on the cord or no case to put all the bits in. This set had great sound quality and were very comfortable to wear.

I received this product from the Amazon Vine Program.

LEGO®Pharaohs Quest 7327 : Scorpion Pyramid

As they discover the golden headdress hidden in the dark depths of Pharaoh Amset-Ra's pyramid, the brave heroes go face-to-face with the evil mummy horde! If the mummies get the ulJake Rainesate Golden Nemes, they will awaken the Pharaoh! Can the heroes navigate the treacherous maze of booby-trapped stairs and the Pharaoh's tomb to escape the clutches of the mummies? Includes 7 minifigures: Jake Raines, Mac McCloud, Professor Archibald Hale, Pharaoh Amset-Ra, 2 Anubis guards and 1 flying mummy Collect all of the LEGO Pharaoh's Quest sets to have all the treasures and awaken the Pharaoh! Features golden coffin lid and other gold elements! Accessories include Egyptian swords, scarab shields, dynamite, spears, wrenches, guns, a pickax, binoculars, scorpions, snakes and golden coins Navigate through sliding doors, booby-trapped stairs and a mummy tomb! Pull lever to open trap door! Battle behind the wheel of the armored ATV! Shoot Pharaoh's tomb out of pyramid with flick-fire action! Remove the scorpion from the pyramid for battle Pyramid measures 10' (25cm) tall and 15'(38cm) wide


I grew up with lego, loved building houses, and now my children also enjoy creating with lego - they have houses, police station and firestations, along with loads of vehicles. However, this kit offers so many more possibilities - this kit would be brilliant for lovers of anything egyptian or would be an ideal introduction to ancient Egypt.

This is a large kit which will keep children (and adults) occupied for hours. Upon opening the box I was confronted with 7 bags of lego, 2 instruction books and a moulded lego base.

As with all Lego kits, the lego is split into bags, which are easily identifiable within the instruction books. THe instructions are split into very simple steps, listing the individual pieces required for each step at the start of each step. The photographs of each step are large and easy to follow.

The recommended age on this piece is 8-14 years, but as with all Lego kits, I am sure there is no age limit for the enjoyment people receive from Lego. A great way to relieve stress of the day or to spend time with children.

As well as the main pyramid construction to build, there is also vehicles, characters and a giant scorpion to tackle, all with detailed, pictorial instructions.

Although the kit has a finished product in mind, there is plenty of room for development with children able to combine kits to add their own twist. There are also additional kits which can be bought to add extra models to the kit.

I received this kit as part of the Amazon Vine Program.

The Lakes (Series 2)

The second series of this beautiful natural history series, presented by Rory McGrath which looks at life in one of Britain's favourite holiday destinations during a busy summer and the characters who inhabit it.

I missed this series when it was on TV and was really glad to have had the opportunity to watch it on DVD. Giving an insight into life around The Lakes, a snapshot of everyday life.

Set in The Lakes, there is stunning scenery throughout the DVD, as the film crew follow the lives of people and businesses set within the Lakes. The films show the real community spirit around the towns and villages, full of the highs and lows of daily life, none more so than the tragedy when Derrick Bird killed those innocent people, and just three weeks later the annual fair took place. The floods which affected the area are also inlcuded. Happier times are also celebrated - the life of a pig farmer, who is trying to breed micropigs and a lady who leaves the city to open up her own cafe/coffee shop.

The series is narrated by Rory McGrath. There are no extras on the DVD, however with nearly 4 1/2 hours of stunning scenery to watch, there is no need for extras. It is a shame that each programme is only 30 minutes long, it would have been lovely to have seen more on each of the snippets included in the series.

There is excellent camerawork throughout the whole series and I am definitely adding The Lakes to my places to visit.

Thank you to Michael for sending me the dvd set to review.

Tracy Beaker Returns DVD

The complete first series of Tracy Beaker Returns. Includes 2 discs with over 6 hours of content, featuring interviews with Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt and characters from the show, illustration top tips from Nick Sharratt and 4 exclusive postcards.Tracy’s back at the ‘Dumping Ground’ - her affectionate term for the children’s home - where she grew up, but this time she’s working there, as a trainee carer. Things can get complicated because Tracy often feels she understands the kids better than the adults. Tracy is determined and bold as ever, but tries her best to do what she thinks is right.

Episodes:

Tracy Beaker Superstar--With a published book and TV appearance Tracy’s grown-up life is going well – until she gets arrested.

New Life--Working at the Dumping Ground, Tracy finds she’s not as indispensable as she thought. Will she get the sack?

Bad Luck--Toby believes his life is jinxed and Tracy makes it worse by writing about him. Meanwhile Sapphire has plans for a night out alone.

By the Book--Tempers reach boiling point when Tracy comes between brother and sister. Family Values--Lily & her sisters get fostered, leaving Carmen alone. Her loneliness leads to conflict with the other kids

Anarchy--Tracy’s first night duty descends into a chaotic nightmare certain to end in disaster. Secrets--Tracy finds stolen goods in Sapphire’s room and Liam discovers Gus’s notebooks are full of peoples’ secrets.

Sisters--Lily returns to the Dumping Ground without her sisters. Tracy resolves to re-unite them which leads to disaster. Tee hides a sheep in her room.

Good Luck Boy--Toby and the lads have to fake being a family when they win a free holiday to Florida.

Viva Carmen--Carmen’s mother turns up wanting her daughter to live with her again. But is she all she seems to be?

Werewolf--Who or what is the werewolf Carmen sees lurking in the grounds? Day at the Beach--A day trip to the beach becomes a journey beset with disasters; is someone sabotaging the trip?

Moving On--Tracy will leave to become a full time reporter if the kids co-operate on an article she has to write. They won’t.

I received only disc 2 of this collection to review, however my children loved it from the moment I put it on.

The set is a complete series of the popular Tracy Beaker show which is shown on CBBC. There are extras on the DVDs. On disk 2 this was an interview with Jacqueline Wilson (author) and Nick Sharatt (the illustrator of the books) which was really interesting and gave some history to the creation of Tracy Beaker. There is also a great section with Nick Sharatt discussing how he designs characters.

There are many topics and situations covered within this series, which children may be affected by and I think they are dealt with in a sensitive and positive way.

My children were laughing and crying throughout the programs, and even though they have watched the series on CBBC over and over again, they still loved seeing it again.

This is a great DVD set for children aged 7+

Thank you to Michael from The School Run Forum for sending me this to review.