Award Winning Storyland Yoga DVD Review

Most children today live a pretty busy, fast paced life filled with school, homework, after school activities, carpools, competitive sports, video games, household chores, playdates and more. As parents, we usually don’t think of these activities being stressful for our children, but truthfully most children do get a bit stressed at times. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, it’s important for children to have a positive outlet for stress relief, and a way to help them calm down and relax.

As an active mom of four, one of the best ways I’ve found to help my kidlets relax, concentrate and just have an overall sense of calm in the midst of a busy day is with kids yoga. If you aren’t familiar with kids yoga, and the wonderful impact it can have on your child’s overall well-being, let me share just a few of the many benefits…

• Yoga helps improve strength and flexibility.
• Yoga helps kids understand anatomy and health
• Yoga increases concentration, focus, and attention.
• Kid’s yoga increases self-esteem.
• Yoga decreases anxiety and increases ability to relax
• Yoga increases trust, compassion, teamwork and leadership skills of children
• Yoga improves digestion and ease in gas pains for children
• Yoga helps to release stress and breathe well
• Yoga strengthens the immune system of kids
• Yoga teaches environmental awareness and earth care
• Yoga encourages creativity and imagination
• Yoga cultivates a peaceful, relaxed state of mind
• Yoga increases flexibility and mobility of the joints
• Yoga naturally enhances your connection to nature.

We have been practicing yoga at home with our kidlets for quite some time, and have several kids yoga dvd’s in our media library. Our most recent addition was Storyland Yoga by Playful Planet which was sent to me to review, and share with you! This kids yoga dvd was created by a mom to empower children with playful and interesting activities that foster health and sustainability, designed for children ages 3-8.

The first thing that I noticed about the Storyland Yoga dvd is it came in a cardboard case made of 100% recycled materials. I also noticed a portion of the sales from this DVD are donated to “Save The Whales” and “Kids vs Global Warming Foundation”. As an eco-crazy mom, this was very encouraging, and showed that Playful Planet truly is a company that cares about the environment.

When my 5 year old came home from kindergarten she noticed the new dvd sitting on the kitchen table, and was very eager to give it a try! Hailey grabbed her yoga mat (a blue towel) and I started the dvd for her. The Storyland Yoga DVD features two great programs, “Condor Trek” and “Save The Whale”.  Hailey chose to start with “Condor Trek”, which led her on a journey to ”Sun Mountain” to return lost Condor eggs. Throughout her journey, Hailey joined Ahmed and friends chasing crocodiles, roaring like a bears, hopping like frogs, slithering like snakes, stretching like wolves and riding in a solar-powered rocket ship- all while practicing relaxation, guided imagery and various yoga poses suited for children.

In the next program, “Save The Whale” Hailey took a trip with Amhed and friends to the beach to save a beached whale, our 9 year old son even decided to join in! Throughout the journey they imitated various ocean friends using simple yoga poses, stretches and lots of imaginative play. Finally, they called upon the power of nature to raise the tide and free the whale, ending with a simple relaxation exercise after a job well done.

Storyland Yoga has proven to be a wonderful afterschool activity, helping our daughter relieve stress, relax and transition from school, to the home environment. We’ve also found Storyland Yoga to be a great pre-bedtime tool for helping our kidlets release tension, burn off excess energy and end their day in a fun, positive way. As a childcare provider, I look forward to incorporating Storyland Yoga into our daily routine when the little ones I care for get a bit older. This kids yoga dvd would make a wonderful addition to any school or daycare program, and would be a fantastic addition to any homeschool curriculum as well.

The only negative thing I can say about Storyland Yoga is the kidlets may eventually get tired of hearing the same two stories over and over again. It would be great if there were other Storyland Yoga dvd’s available for purchase. However, Storyland Yoga does include a ”Special Features” section which allows you to view all of the kids yoga poses individually. This feature expands the play value of this dvd  infinitely, making it possible for you and your children to learn each of the poses and use them to create your own yoga stories! Other special features include information about Playful Planet, Yoga Benefits and the ancient art of Storytelling.

I am so thankful I discovered Storyland Yoga and recommend it to all families with young children. Yoga is such a positive and beneficial activity for children, and Storyland Yoga makes it fun, and easy to learn!

Buy It!

You can purchase your own copy of Storyland Yoga for just $14.99 here.

Win It (Ended)

You can also enter to WIN this fantastic kids yoga dvd using the simple Rafflecopter form below…good luck!

*Giveaway open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. One winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter on October 15th 2011. Winner will be notified via e-mail and must respond within 48 hours to claim prize or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Congratulations entry #9 Erin N. you are the WINNER of the Storyland Yoga DVD!

(Total Entries: 37 via Rafflecopter)

 *I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Terri
For more eco-crazy tips follow Eco-Crazy Mom on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow my blog and join my mailing list to be the first to know about new posts, giveaways and the latest eco-crazy news!

Did you find this information interesting or helpful? Please help spread the word! Give this post a +1 or share it on your favorite social media site using the buttons below.