Archives for 2020

Do you suffer from anxiety? Mindfulness really does seem to be helpful and I really enjoyed reading this book. In Clinical Psychologist Dr. Scott Symington’s go-to guide, Freedom from Anxious Thoughts and Feelings: A Two-Step Mindfulness Approach for Moving Beyond Fear and Worry [New Harbinger], he presents an intuitive and accessible approach called the Two-Screen Method® (TSM) to help when you feel overwhelmed and overcome with worrisome thoughts. Using this simplified mindfulness approach, you learn to make space for the challenging thoughts and feelings, while redirecting your attention and life energy to your values. By using the two-screen method, along with its three anchors— mindfulness skills, healthy distractions, and loving action— you learn to relate to your thoughts and feelings in a whole new way. When the internal challenges show up—worries, fears, dark moods, etc.— you’re equipped with an easy-to-follow game plan, so you can experience relief and get back to living your life.

I like that it is easy to follow and is practical. I highly recommend this self-help book. You can find it on Amazon.com.

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample of the book to facilitate this post. Images were also provided.

When a musical dragon with a beautiful voice hypnotizes the dragons and people of Huttsgalor, the Rescue Riders have to find a way to break the spell. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Katie F. comments, “I really enjoyed this new, exciting film, Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing! The cast and animation are incredible!” See her full review below.

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing

By Katie Francis, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

I really enjoyed this new, exciting film, Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing! The cast and animation are incredible!

The story follows Melodia (Renée Elise Goldberry), a songwing dragon who tries to hypnotize the town of Hudsgalore with her beautiful singing voice.  When Aggro (Marsai Martin) and Zeppla (Cassidy Naber) are hypnotized, the dragon gang have to help stop Melodia’s song. To the rescue come Winger (Zach Callison), Summer (Skai Jackson), Burple (Noah Bently) and Cutter (Andre Robinson) as they save their friends and the rest of the town of Hudsgalore. Alongside the dragons are brother and sister Dak (Nicolas Cantu) and Leyla (Brennley Brown) in this musical special that fans of Dragons:  Rescue Riders will love.

The animation in this musical special is excellent, although there are some parts where the sound seemed that it is out of sync with the character’s mouths a few times.

The message of the story is that you shouldn’t use one of your best qualities  — such as the gift of being able to sing like Melodia can — to trance everyone else and make them do what you want.

I recommend Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing for ages 4-13, but it is a family-friendly film so adults will also enjoy it. I give this film 5 out of 5 stars as it is very enjoyable. You can find this film on Netflix on July 24th. Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing is definitely worth the watch!

Bus, do your stuff! Field trips with Ms. Frizzle are wilder than ever, into space, over to the Galapagos Islands even a plunge into the depths of the Sun itself. And along the way, the kids we know and love bring their science investigations into the 21st century still taking chances, making mistakes and getting messy! Climb aboard for a field trip you’ll never forget. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Jude A. comments, “This new DVD brings back the characters we all know and love and doesn’t fail to bring back that hilarious, but educational feeling we get from these fifth graders and their wacky teacher! This DVD doesn’t just deliver a flying school bus and a catchy theme song; it also delivers hilarious dialogue and creative adventures.” Allison B. adds, “While watching this DVD, many details stuck out to me. To start, the theme song is sung by Lin-Manuel Miranda! Not to mention that Ms. Frizzle is voiced by Kate McKinnon. Talk about some serious star power. On the topic of Kate McKinnon, she makes a great Ms. Frizzle, as she gives the character the craziness and yet, calm attitude that makes her really come alive. She isn’t the only voice actor that sticks out to me. Miles KV, as Arnold, conveys realistic emotion through his character by only using his voice. Even when listening, you can tell he is worried about Ms. Frizzle and her shenanigans. The animation in this show has a very interesting touch. While the character and objects remain cartoonish, the backgrounds look magnificently real, especially when the glass goes to space.” Selene W. wraps it up with, “Love this reboot of the magical series I grew up with.  In our household Miss Frizzle can do no wrong as she makes learning complicated science lessons easily understandable and fun.  I was worried that our family’s all-time favorite learning series would be compromised in some way, but I’m happy to share that I can’t wait to watch all the new episodes.” See their full reviews below.

The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Blast Off!

By Jude A., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

Let me take on you on a field trip because today we are learning about the new children’s DVD The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Blast Off! This new DVD brings back the characters we all know and love and doesn’t fail to bring back that hilarious, but educational feeling we get from these fifth graders and their wacky teacher! This DVD doesn’t just deliver a flying school bus and a catchy theme song; it also delivers hilarious dialogue and creative adventures.

The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Blast Off! follows the same group of students and teachers as the original 90s show The Magic School Bus. Once again, it captures the adventures that Ms. Frizzle (Kate McKinnon) takes her fifth grade class on. This DVD includes four wild adventurous episodes, including going into space and repairing near-by satellites, and flying over the Galapagos Islands.

As a fan of the original show, I was skeptical at first because remakes can sadly sometimes diminish the love for the original. The new show is a breath of fresh air and leaves you wanting more of these wild field trips. Kate McKinnon is the best possible actress for the role of Ms. Frizzle because of her overall humor and energy. What a perfect fit!

This show is educational and provides belly-laughing humor without sounding forced. Many morals are also provided as it teaches children about the importance of teamwork and friendship. Along the way, this show teaches children that mistakes are okay; the best thing about mistakes is that you can learn from them.

This DVD goes above and beyond the stars just like Ms. Frizzle and her class do and provides an educational, yet fun-loving show that all children can enjoy. I give The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Blast Off! 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 4 to 8. It’s available on DVD or Digital now so look for it.<p>By Jude Adler, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

The Magic School Bus Rides Again Blast Off! 

By Allison B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 13

I was absolutely wowed with The Magic School Bus Rides Again Blast Off! This adventurous DVD collection kept me entertained, laughing and wanting more. You will ride along with crazy Ms. Frizzle and her lovable class on the adventure of a lifetime. 3…2…1 BLAST OFF! 

The Magic School Bus Rides Again Blast Off is a collection of four episodes: Frizzle of the Future, Space Mission: Selfie, Ready, Set, Fail! and Making Magic. Each episode has a new, exciting field trip to watch and enjoy. In this series you will travel from space to the Galapagos Islands while learning lessons about failure, teamwork, getting messy and having fun while doing it all! The kids and teacher you know and love are back and better than ever, so hop on for an experience you’ll never forget!

While watching this DVD, many details stuck out to me. To start, the theme song is sung by Lin-Manuel Miranda! Not to mention that Ms. Frizzle is voiced by Kate McKinnon. Talk about some serious star power. On the topic of Kate McKinnon, she makes a great Ms. Frizzle, as she gives the character the craziness and yet, calm attitude that makes her really come alive. She isn’t the only voice actor that sticks out to me. Miles KV, as Arnold, conveys realistic emotion through his character by only using his voice. Even when listening, you can tell he is worried about Ms. Frizzle and her shenanigans. The animation in this show has a very interesting touch. While the character and objects remain cartoonish, the backgrounds look magnificently real, especially when the glass goes to space.

The message of this series is: if at first you don’t succeed, try again. The kids learn this through trying to take the perfect space selfie, to getting a magical orb that seems to hold all of life’s answers. While doing these things, they figure out that failure can be a good thing, because you can learn from mistakes. They also learn that with good teamwork and a positive mindset, anything is possible.

I give The Magic School Bus Rides Again Blast Off! 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to ages 7 to 14. This series can now be found on DVD and Digital. 

The Magic School Bus Rides Again – Blast Off!

By Selene W., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12

The Magic School Bus Rides Again!  Love this reboot of the magical series I grew up with.  In our household Miss Frizzle can do no wrong as she makes learning complicated science lessons easily understandable and fun.  I was worried that our family’s all-time favorite learning series would be compromised in some way, but I’m happy to share that I can’t wait to watch all the new episodes.

The Magic School Bus Rides Again starts with a new Miss Frizzle and a new school year in science class.  Fortunately, we learn that Miss Frizzle is the younger sister of the original Miss Frizzle who is now Professor Frizzle, as she has been busy getting her Ph.D. and continues to be voiced by the incredible Lily Tomlin.  Like classmate Arnold, I was nervous about accepting the new Miss Frizzle, but Kate McKinnon adds her voice and personality to her role as Miss Fiona Frizzle and we soon accept her as our new teacher.  I say “our” because, as a viewer, you are pulled into the lessons being taught in each episode. 

All of the original characters return in this series except for Phoebe who has moved and we are joined by a new classmate, Jyoti.  The Blast Off! DVD contains four field trips and you will enjoy the new high-tech school bus and other updated gadgets in the new series which bring it into the 21st century.  The animation is updated by animator Matthew DaSilva; you still recognize the characters and classroom, but it has a more modern feel and integrates well with the story.  You just have to watch these episodes to see the other minor updates.

If you’re new to the series, jump on the bus!  The Magic School Bus Rides Again is such a fun way to learn, while being massively entertained.  Each episode explores a science topic and the magic of the series is that it can take you forward or backward in time, place or size and alters your appearance in an effort to experience life as the subject you are studying.

The message of this series is to learn by taking chances and making mistakes and that is still as true today as when the original series aired.  Kids learn through exploring the world around them and seeing how everything is interconnected.  Miss Frizzle not only teaches us science but life lessons as well!     

I rate this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 16 and, of course, adults will like it too as our family watched this incredible series together.  This compilation is available now on Digital or DVD from NCircle Entertainment.