School House Rock!

I was telling a friend of mine how my kids were really struggling with multiplication.  She suggested that I play the song "Three is a Magic Number" to help with their three facts.  I told her I had never heard of it.  She said that she learned it from School House Rock!  I gave myself a mental head slap and felt like saying, "Duh!"  Not only did I watch those shows religiously when I was younger, I own a School House Rock! DVD.  In fact, I own the 30th Anniversary edition, which has multiplication, grammar, economics, American history, money, science, etc.  I had it scheduled in my weekly school schedule, but only occasionally for grammar.  So, I started playing the DVD for them.  They watched every single song from the multiplication set list, and when they were done, they begged to watch it again and then do a different set list.  The amazing thing is that they are memorizing the songs and it's actually helping out with school.  I had intended it to be for the two older kids to watch occasionally throughout the school year, one song at a time.  But they love it so much, they just about watch it daily (well, actually they get in moods where they watch it daily, then they don't watch it for weeks, etc)  What also surprised me is that my two younger ones are also singing the songs.  My first grader was sittin' on the pot (tmi, sorry) and singing "Three, six, nine...twelve, fifteen, eighteen...twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-seven...thirty!"  While my pre-schooler was singing, "The Great American Melting Pot".

What a great resource this DVD is!!  I definitely recommend it, and I don't think there is too young of an age (or too old for that matter!) to have your children watch it.

And thanks to my dear, sweet friend (you know who you are!) for suggesting it!

This DVD is on sale from many popular online companies.  Prices range from $9 + shipping to $20 +

[The only complaint I have, if you could call it a complaint, is that since it was done in the 70s & 80s, the female cartoon characters are wearing very short skirts and are...well, let's just say...busty.]