We were chosen to review Your Amazing Name - Personalized Adventures for EVERY Name! from CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts. We received a personalized cartoon video for Breeze, which featured Breeze's artwork, her photo, a message from me, and the meaning of her name. The video is almost 30 minutes long.
I watched the video before I let breeze watch it. She sometimes is like an old soul trapped in a 9-year-old's body. She's the type who hates songs like A Thousand Years because, "You just can't keep dying every day! And you can't love someone for a thousand years. You don't live that long!" I was worried that would find the fantastical cartoon too childish, and too long.
Fortunately, the video managed to hold Breeze's attention, despite the fact that the main character was Benjamin, the talking pencil. Breeze did have this to say about Benjamin saying that he's a right-handed pencil (since his name means 'right-handed'): "Pencils don't have hands."
In the video, Benjamin talks to Breeze directly. He converts Breeze's artwork into a rocket ship, and they blast off, on an adventure to look for what Breeze's real name, Sarayu, means. They meet stars, an owl, and sheep along the way. Throughout the video, there are ample opportunities to talk about God and his creations, and the importance of a name. It was also emphasized that God knows exactly who we are, and He calls each of us his. If there is one thing that Breeze should take away from the video, I hope it is that knowledge that she can be secure in God's love and knowledge of us.
The video ends with a letter from us (the parents), which was read aloud, and a definition of 'Sarayu.'
Overall, Breeze liked the video. I think she was secretly thrilled that it was just about her. Although in typical Breeze fashion, she said, "That was a bit too kiddie, but amusing."
It was done in old school animation style--nothing slick or snazzy, but more of the cartoons that I grew up with. The graphics were sharp, and the sound was clear. Overall, the video gives off that warm-and-fuzzy vibe. And it did manage to keep Breeze amused. In fact, she liked it enough to want to watch it again.
We do have a couple of fundamental issues though. First is that 'Sarayu' was mispronounced throughout the video. I received an email asking how to pronounce it, and I replied, but they still didn't quite get it. It's sah-RAH-yu, not sah-rah-YU; the stress is on the second syllable.
Second, the meaning they gave in the video isn't what Sarayu means--at least not our meaning. Breeze's Sarayu means 'wind.' The meaning given in the video is 'beloved princess.' It's a lovely meaning, sure, and it ties in with Breeze being a beloved of God. But it just isn't what her name means for us.
Still, I appreciate the effort that went into the making of the video. It really can make a child feel special, with all the personalized touches throughout. I liked how God's word was interspersed throughout. We also received a PDF file of various activities that we could print out. These, too, were personalized with her name. Several were too young for her--tracing sheets for her name, and simple mazes. She did enjoy the word search puzzle.
You can click on the video below to learn more about Your Amazing Name - Personalized Adventures for EVERY Name!.
Other homeschooling families also received personalized videos from CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts. Click below to read about their experiences.
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