There are thousands of videos on the market for children today that offer entertainment value, but in my opinion, few are truly educational and worth time it takes children to watch them.  That is not so with a great fledgling video series I was introduced to by my sister when she gave Gus Outdoors, the very first DVD ever produced by Sand Video, to my daughter as a present.  It was an instant hit and she watched it every day for a month!  Now that my son is old enough to watch videos, Gus Outdoors is his favorite series as well.

According to the producer,  "Gus Outdoors is a series of natural history DVD's for kids created by Gus (7-years old) and his Dad, Sean (39 years old). Throughout Gus' childhood [they've] spent a lot of time looking for adventures that kids can safely enjoy in their own backyards."



We began watching Gus narrate his own outdoor adventures three years ago, when he was four-years old.  My daughter, who was three-years old at the time, instantly connected with him.  The neat thing about the DVD's is that my children are taken on nature explorations through the eyes of a child.  It's the most effective approach I have seen in nature videos targeted to children.  The background music is really cool too!

In the DVD Gull Island, which is Episode #1 of the series (and previewed above), Gus visits an island where sea birds nest throughout the summer. According to the producer, "it's an interesting place to visit! Even though the common opinion of sea gulls is not that great, we spent four months visiting them frequently to follow their nesting and feeding behaviors. It turns out sea gulls are excellent parents and cool creatures!"

The cinematography is wonderful and allows an "up close and personal" look at the animals Gus is investigating.  The cameras follow him closely in his explorations and capture his great off-the-cuff comments, which always make my kids laugh. 

We have the original DVD The Bahamas and Gull Island and are looking forward to Episode #2, Lizard Town, which I am guessing may incorporate footage from The Bahamas.

As you know, it is always my goal to get my children away from the television and outside exploring nature, but I make an exception for these DVD's.  I have no qualms about sitting my kids down to watch them.  They are perfect for a rainy day, offer a nice way to relax after a busy day and teach valuable information about nature at the same time. If you are looking for quality DVD's for your children.  I recommend Gus Outdoors!  To quote my 2 1/2 year-old son --- "more Gus please!"