Shalom Sesame DVDs

Have you seen the Shalom Sesame DVDs? They are so much fun. The Sesame Street muppets teach children (and their parents too) about the Jewish culture and Israel. I am not Jewish, so a lot of this is new information for me. I love learning about different cultures and traditions, though, so watching these is always a learning experience. It's the same for kids. The DVDs have some of their favorite characters teaching them all these great new things. And if you are Jewish, it's a great way to teach your young kids more about your traditions and culture.

Shalom Sesame Overview:Join lovable, furry Grover and celebrity host Anneliese van der Pol (That's So Raven, Broadways' Beauty and the Beast) as they travel to Israel in this 12-part DVD series co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, and Israel's Channel HOP! Designed to help bring the vitality of Jewish culture and tradition, as well as the diversity of Israeli life, to American children and their families, each 30-minute, live-action and animated DVD focuses on storylines drawn from Jewish cultural traditions, highlighting lessons on Hebrew letters and words, unique sites in Israel, and Jewish values.

It's a Sweet New Year with All-New Shalom Sesame DVDs 

 The Sticky Shofar

and

 Monsters in the Sukkah 

DVD Synopsis:The Sticky Shofar - It's Rosh Hashanah, and Avigail discovers that honey is sweet and very, very sticky! Grover, Avigail and Brosh learn a valuable lesson in friendship and forgiveness, just in time to start the New Year right. R/T: 27 minutes. 

Bonus extras of 25 minutes include Trailer, Sneak Peeks, Grover's Video Player "The King and the Bee," and Grover's Sing-A-Long/Karaoke "Rosh Hashanah Hannah," a spoof of Hannah Montana. 

Monsters in the Sukkah - Avigail and Brosh's plans to welcome their guests come crashing down with their sukkah. Oh no! How can they rebuild it in time for Sukkot? With a little help from their friends, of course! With Anneliese van der Pol. R/T: 26 minutes.
Bonus extras of 24 minutes include Trailer, Sneak Peeks, and Grover's Video Player "Kids on a Kibbutz."

Adventures in Israel
DVD Synopsis:Adventures in Israel - Anneliese's adventure in Israel is almost over, but there are still so many sights to see before she goes. Meanwhile, Grover explores Israel his own way...by balloon! R/T: 27 minutes 

Bonus extras of 25 minutes include Trailer, Sneak Peeks of all the titles in the Series, Grover's Sing-A-Long & Karaoke of "Rubber Duckie" in Hebrew and Grover's Video Play segment of the song "There Must be Another Way" by Achinoam Nini, Mira Awad and the Shalom Sesame puppets - the song that represented Israel in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, sung in Hebrew, Arabic and English.

 

The Full Series of the NEW Shalom Sesame Now in a 12-DVD Gift Box

The Gift Box:Culminating a year-long campaign during which individual DVDs were released every few months to coincide with the Jewish holiday seasons, the entire set is now available for the first time. It comes boxed in a handsome slipcase, at a savings of close to $30.00 if purchased individually, making it perfect for Chanukah gift-giving. 

Each DVD in the set includes a wealth of over 20 minutes of bonus extras including trailers, sneak peeks of all the titles, Grover's Video Player (music videos), sing-alongs and Karaoke of favorite tunes like "Aleph Bet Song," "Rosh Hashana Hannah" (a spoof of Hannah Montana), and the famous "Rubber Duckie" song (in Hebrew) among others. One of the highlights of the Grover's Viedo Play on Adventures in Israel is "There Must Be Another Way" by Achinoam Nini, Mira Awad and the Shalomg Sesame puppets - the song that represented Israel in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, sung in Hebrew, Arabic and English. 

Shalom Sesame 12-DVD Gift Set Collection includes the following programs:Welcome to Israel
Chanukah: The Missing Menorah
Shabbat Shalom, Grover!
Grover Plants a Tree
Mitzvah on the Street
Be Happy, It's Purim!
It's Passover, Grover!
Grover Learns Hebrew
Countdown to Shavuot
The Sticky Shofar
Monsters in the Sukkah
Adventures in Israel 

Awards: * CINE Golden Eagle Awards: Shalom Sesame 12-DVD Series won in the Professional Telecast Fiction Division. (2011)
* Hugo Television Award Certificate of Merit: Children's Program for It's Passover, Grover! (2011)
* Dr. Toy Award Best Pick Award. (2010)

We've watched several of the Shalom Sesame DVDs and have thoroughly enjoyed them. If the topic intrigues or interests you at all, I can highly recommend these high quality videos. They are well-made and great for children and the whole family. I think you'll enjoy watching these with your children as much as I did. They would also make a great addition to any elementary school's library video collection.

You can learn more about Shalom Sesame at www.shalomsesame.org, view Shalom Sesame previews and video clips on YouTube at www.youtube.com/shalomsesame, and visit Shalom Sesame on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShalomSesame. To order Shalom Sesame DVDs visit www.sisuent.com.



*Disclaimer: We received a product to review. All opinions are my own.*