Baby Einstein READING II

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Is it possible to make babies more intelligent? For many parents, the Baby Einstein series of videos seemed to be the answer.

Baby Einstein is a line of multimedia products and toys that are aimed at children aged 3 months to 3 years old. The videos consist of a series of colourful images with background music and some voiceover text. The videos deal with subjects such as classical music, art and poetry. They are currently made by a division of the Walt Disney Company. They are marketed under the slogan, “Where Discovery Begins”.

The videos seemed to be the ideal solution. You put your infant in front of a video and magically he or she would get smart. The TV was transformed from an electronic babysitter into an electronic teacher. And scienti!c research seemed to back up the claims. During the 1990s, neuroscientists started to realise what a crucial period the !rst two years of life are for the human brain. The brain is embryonic at birth. And it forms itself in response to what it !nds on the outside. So, many people believed that ultra-stimulation would produce ultra-brainy children. As a result, an entire market of "ashcards, baby sign-language and videos for children was born.

But during the 2000s, people began to question the claims. Could these videos really increase a child’s IQ? In 2004, a study from Seattle found that for every hour of television watched between the ages of 1 and 3, the risk of attention problems at age 7 increases nearly 10 per cent. In August 2007 the same journal published a study showing that for children aged between 8 and 16 months, exposure to baby DVDs delayed their speech. Dr Jack Boyle, a leading child psychologist, said, “If you’re going to claim that a DVD increases a child’s IQ, you’re barking mad.” So, for the moment, it’s back to singing nursery rhymes and telling stories.

Brainy babies. False advertising. A customer refund.

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GLOSSARYa line of something exp a selection of a particular type of product that a company makes/sells aimed at exp if a product is “aimed at” a group, it is for that group background music n quiet/soft music that is less important than the main text/images on a video, etc.voiceover text n words that you can hear on a DVD as images are shown currently adv at present an infant n a baby or very young child to get smart exp to become intelligent a babysitter n a person who takes care of children while the parents are out research n (scienti!c) investigation to back up phr vb if A "backs up" B, A supports Bembryonic adj not developed brainy adj clever; intelligent sign-language n language that is communicated by using your !ngers or hands IQ abbr your “IQ” is your level of intelligence to delay vb to cause to happen later than planned/normal barking mad exp inform extremely crazy/insane

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E 45 1 Pre-reading

Put these people in order from the youngest to the oldest.

2 Reading IDo you think DVDs can make children more intelligent? Think. Then, read the article to compare your ideas.

3 Reading IITrue or false? 1. The videos are aimed at

children aged 3 to 6 years old. 2. The videos are made by a

division of the Walt Disney Company.

3. The brain forms itself in response to the things it sees/hears.

4. The study from Seattle was released in 2003.

5. A study in 2007 showed that exposure to DVDs could delay speech.

4 Language focusThe Past Simple Look at this extract from the article, “But during the 2000s, people began to question the claims.” The writer has used a Past Simple tense (“began”). Transform the following sentences into the Past Simple. 1. They watch a lot of

television. 2. She starts work at 9. 3. They have a lot of work. 4. He makes cakes. 5. It seems to be good.

5 Discussion1. Have you seen any Baby

Einstein videos? What did you think of them?

2. Are there any similar products in your country? What are they?

3. Have you ever received a refund? What was it for?

Watch & Learn! Listen to people discussing this topic in a mini-video at

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I’m already clever!