I think we’re all in agreement — and if we aren’t, then I don’t even know what to say to you right now — that Michael Rachap of Readeez is one of the great unheralded heroes of the kindie scene. His songwriting is witty and sharp, he only gives interviews to the finest publications, and his songs are as adorable as well as educational. Yea, verily, Rachap giveth. But what’s that? You want more? You’re terribly greedy — and very lucky. We’ll let Michael fill you in: Want to win an awesome gift for a child you care about? I’m giving away an autographed Grand Slam Bundle, plus a Money Math Folderful (value: $56.95) just to encourage sharing. I call it the Tweet-A-Readee Contest. It’s way easy to enter. Details are here, but it’s basically this
Read More »Who needs a ball and a hoop for March Madness? It’s time to break out your brackets kindie style, with the 2011 KidVid Tournament! What’s a KidVid Tournament, you ask? Only a roundup of some of the year’s best and brightest kindie videos, organized into divisions and marched into one-on-one battle, one round at a time. Cheerleaders are not involved, regrettably, but I imagine some sort of trophy awaits the winner. Or pride. Whatever. Anyway, the fun kicks off today at Out with the Kids, where the Woody Guthrie Regional division is hitting the court. Here’s a breakdown of the videos fighting for your vote today, along with a little commentary from yours truly. Watch the clips and then head over to OWTK to cast your vote!
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If you’ve been reading Dadnabbit for any length of time, you know how much we love Readeez — and with the debut of Omneez, a new line of Readeez for your computer or mobile device, we decided now would be the perfect time to sit down for a chat with Michael Rachap, the voice of “Julian Waters” and the mind behind all that bite-sized educational goodness. Here’s a look back at where the series came from, where it’s headed, and more… I think we should probably start by talking about Readeez. One of my favorite topics! What gave you the idea to take this approach to creating children’s media? I wish I knew. There was an evolution. I’ll tell you the way it didn’t start — with me saying, “I’d like to teach children to
Read More »The following exchange has taken place in my home roughly four dozen times over the last 24 hours: Me: I am a frying pan. My daughter Sophie: (giggling) No, daddy, you’re a man. Me: April fool, April fool, April fool. Why, you ask? Only because the animated duo of Julian and Isabel Waters is back with another collection of the delightful (and educational!) animated musical shorts known as Readeez. Readeez Volume Two: Make It Up the Mountain includes 30 additions to the series that started with last year’s Readeez Volume One, and if you enjoyed the first batch, you’ll be pleased to know Volume Two is even better. The videos have a little more going on, there’s a slight theme tying them all together, and most importantly, the songs are even catchier and more varied
Read More »Billing itself as “brain fruit” that will help your kids “giggle and grin as the knowledge sneaks in,” the Readeez series of animated educational DVDs has just kicked off with its first volume. If you have young children, and are the type of parent who tries to avoid exposing your kids to the fast-paced, commercial-laden shows on channels like Nickelodeon, Readeez may be right up your alley. The setup is simple: Each Readee consists of roughly a one-minute short, most of them featuring the animated duo of Julian Waters (voiced by Readeez creator Michael Rachap) and his daughter Isabel, whose sparsely drawn, gently paced interactions form the backbone of the series. As Julian and Isabel interact, their dialogue is displayed on the screen in large, clear type, helping — in theory, anyway — kids form
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