Review Giveaway of “Playful Planet: Storyland Yoga”

As creators of our own yoga and pilates workout videos for kids, it could be a conflict of interest for us to review other kid yoga DVD’s. But unlike other exercise business owners, we don’t believe we are THE ONLY ONES with ALL the answers. So we don’t see the Storyland Yoga DVD as a competitor, but as one more resource toward which to point fellow parents who are looking for creative ways to keep their kids active.

Scroll down and leave a comment to win a copy of StoryLand Yoga!

I found a lot of things to like in this fresh approach to making children move, but I also saw some red flags. Of course, as a mom blogger who has had to get creative with workouts during my own pregnancies and the early toddler years, I appreciate any opportunity for me and my hyper kids to burn energy at home. So I jumped at the chance to review Playful Planet’s Storyland Yoga DVD for free through tomoson.com which is a service that connects bloggers with products that match their interests. And you all know I am VERY interested in keeping moms and little ones connected to doable workouts through pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Like most busy mums, I ignored the advice on the cover to watch the special features and instructions on the front cover of the DVD. I was having a nutty morning after rising early to teach step at a local athletic club, wrestling everyone through breakfast and dressing, fitting in a shower for myself, hauling my girl to school … I had work to do right after dropping her off, so I did what many American parents do in a moment of such crisis: I popped in a movie for my toddler son and just clicked the first option.

The first routine was the Condor Workout, and I purposefully did NOT encourage my son to pay attention or do any of it, so I could see how he responded to it without my guidance. Meanwhile I just sat nearby with my laptop and jotted down my initial impressions and thoughts.

Playful Planet uses some technology with cartoons that Fit2B Studio doesn’t. We film in a home environment while the two Playful Planet workouts workouts featured in Storyland Yoga  are filmed outdoors, one in a field and one on the beach. The video quality is quite good with multiple camera angles and a crew of kids with gorgeous backdrops. However, as fun and gentle and beautiful as this video was, some of the imaginative wording might irritate conservative parents who don’t want endangered species, wizards and “thanking the moon” to play a role their kids’ fitness routines.

… and my son was not engaged. He mostly just sat and watched or tried to play his piano along with the music. Perhaps this was because my son is quite musical and decided to engage with the music more than the movements. Or perhaps it was because the show host focused mostly on the circle of kids he was working with and not much on talking to kids who might be watching. Perhaps this was because the pace of the workout was so gentle and slow, that it couldn’t hold a three year-old’s attention. Perhaps this was because each of the child-participants was doing something a little different, and he wasn’t sure who to follow.

Later, I did the workout that was all about saving the whales with both of my kids. When I did it WITH THEM, they both engaged in more of the motions. I’ve heard that our kids yoga and pilates workouts here on Fit2B Studio don’t require much parent involvement, but some might argue that more parent interaction facilitates health role modeling. This video needs some parent interaction and guidance, but that might be difficult for pregnant moms who can’t and shouldn’t do all the  moves that the kids do.

Which brings me to another thing I noticed. As story-based workouts, the actual names of the poses were seldom used. For example, cobbler pose was “opening a book,” but that’s okay with me because the kids were still doing the movements, and that’s what matters! However, very few safety queues were given regarding knee alignment, pulling the navel to the spine during difficult moves, or spinal protection. The instructor had good form, but many of the moves (like the bicycle) could cause future diastasis (separation of the abs). The story seemed to take precedence over safety, and no child’s form was ever corrected.

All of that said, I think I’ve offered a fair and balanced look at this kids yoga dvd. I’m a very environmentally aware parent, and I am raising my kids to care for the earth God made for us to enjoy, and this workout will help with that. The only two things I really didn’t appreciate was the use of wizardry and the lack of tummy-safe queuing. Overall, though, I liked “Storyland Yoga” and would recommend it to parents who have time to engage in it with their kids so they can discuss the imagery used in the stories and remind their kids to be safe, breathe and tighten their transverse to support all the moves by tucking in their tummies.

If you would like to win a complimentary copy of Playful Planet’s Storyland Yoga DVD for kids on October 1st, you can enter by commenting on this blog. Contest ends 9/30 and each comment is worth one entry. You may …

1. Comment once if you “like” Fit to Be Us on Facebook

2. Only comment again if you follow @fit2bmama and/or @Fit2b_Us on Twitter

3. Only comment again if you follow @playfulplanet on Twitter AND TWEET the following: @playfulplanet “Storyland Yoga” kids workout dvd #review and #giveaway by @fit2bmama https://wp.me/p1zx71-Bv #free #fitness #parenting #yoga

4. Only comment again if you are a member of Fit2B Studio!

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.