"Pocket Snails: Aquaphonic Adventure" DVD Review

The Pocket Snails, three colorful mollusks with British accents, live in the pocket of their friend Jake. In “Aquaphonic Adventure,” the snails help Jake learn the sounds of the letters as they explore the sea around Phonic Island. The snails photograph an object for each letter of the alphabet, and they also highlight the vowels with the song, “We Love the Vowels.”

Along with the characters and colorful animation, Pocket Snails DVDs use upbeat music, humor, and repetition to teach children about the alphabet. Soaring Star Productions, makers of the DVD, strive to provide media that has true entertainment and educational value.

“Pocket Snails: Aquaphonic Adventure” gives children a good introduction to letter sounds and the vowels. As the snails find each object, the sound of the first letter in the object’s name is pronounced, and the first letter is highlighted as the word appears on the screen. This emphasis provides a strong visual reinforcement of the concept of phonics.

The vowels are explained through brief dialogue between the characters and a song which emphasizes the vowels and their corresponding sounds. While it may be difficult for children to pick up on the vowel sounds at first, the song will help them remember which letters make up the vowels.

The animation is simple, but the colors and characters will effectively hold kids attention. The songs sound like a computerized version of a bad Erasure song (they do grow on you though). Again, very young kids will love the beat and the songs will help them remember the information. “Pocket Snails: Aquaphonic Adventure” is one of the very few children’s educational DVDs with such a strong focus on phonics.

• “Phonics Pics” Activity
• Deleted Scene
• Outtakes
• Music Player
• Meet the Snails
• Company Bio
• TV Commercial

• Take your kids on their own phonic adventure. Walk around the block and find an object for each letter of the alphabet.
• Read a book that emphasizes the letter sounds. The book series "My First Steps to Reading," by Jane Belk Moncure, features a book for each letter of the alphabet. The adorable characters named after their letter have a box that they fill will with objects beginning with the letter. (I got a great deal when I bought the whole set on Ebay.)