Accessible Media for Your Winter Celebrations

DCMP has many fun learning opportunities in its accessible media for your winter celebrations. Two brand new titles are: 1) Too Many Tamales. Based on the book by Gary Soto. Maria was feeling very grown-up on Christmas Eve as she helped her mother prepare the tamales for Christmas dinner. When she slipped her mother's diamond ring onto her finger, she only meant to wear it for a minute. But suddenly, the ring was gone, and there were 24 tamales that just might contain the missing ring; 2) The Magic School Bus Holiday Special. It's the last day of school before the winter holidays, and Wanda plans to see the Nutcracker ballet. But during a trip to a recycling plant, her toy soldier accidentally gets recycled. Devastated, Wanda wishes for a world without recycling. Ms. Frizzle activates the bus's un-recycler, taking the class on a song-filled field trip. (Note: Take your students for more rides on The Magic School Bus series of 51 award winning videos.)

Compelling Films on Scientific Topics

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education in the United States. States the Institute’s vice president for science education: “A key premise of the short classroom film effort is that the story-telling power of film combines with the teacher’s ability to prepare students for the key concepts in the film.”

The Making of the Fittest is a series of five films that take students on an adventure—from the postglacial lakes in southern Alaska to the deserts of the American Southwest, and from the icy Antarctic to the highlands of East Africa. At each location, fascinating creatures and pioneering scientists reveal how the fittest are made.

The Origin of Species tells the stories of the intrepid naturalists who have traveled the world, from the famed Galápagos Islands to the Malay Archipelago, in search of evidence and answers. How do new species form? And, why are there so many species?

Want to know about more series that the DCMP has? There are over 75 listed on this page! Here are tips on how to find out if a title you are using is part of a series.

Holiday Quick Hits

Learn Holiday Vocabulary In American Sign Language A man holds up closed hands. Caption reads In February, we have President's Day.

These six short videos are DCMP’s holiday gifts to beginning signers: 1) Holidays In ASL teaches signs for holidays in each month of the year, including: Christmas, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, and more; 2) Christmas Vocabulary In American Sign Language includes 24 signs: angel, Christmas carol, Christmas tree, fireplace, holiday lights, and more; 3) Hanukkah Vocabulary in American Sign Language teaches nine signs: Hanukkah, candle, dreidel, game, Happy Hanukkah, menorah, miracle, music, and potato pancake; 4) Kwanzaa Vocabulary in American Sign Language includes eight signs: Kwanza, African mask, corn, creativity, culture, (African) drum, fruit, and Happy Kwanza; 5) Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! has captions and signs for the lyrics of this popular winter tune sung by Dean Martin; 6) Christmas - American Sign Language Tutorial includes fourteen signs: Santa Claus, cookie, milk, stocking, present, reindeer, and more. Note: There is so much more for everyone! Browse our catalog under Sign Language and be introduced to over 200 titles in the Sign Language section of the DCMP media library.

Santa To Send Braille Letters to Blind Boys and Girls
A toddler wearing glasses sits on Santa's lap as his mother supports him.

In this exclusive behind-the-scenes video direct from the North Pole, Santa Claus explains how he sends Braille letters and raised-line pictures to blind boys and girls with the help of his honorary elves at the National Federation of the Blind. To get your child’s letter from Santa, visit www.nfb.org/santa-letters. Merry Christmas from jolly St. Nick and the NFB elves!

Picture Books Come to Life for Kids with Visual Impairments Logo for Great Expectations, showing a cartoon drawing of a girl and her dog riding on a giant open book like a flying carpet. A bird follows them.

Great Expectations brings popular picture books to life using a multi-sensory approach — songs, tactile play, picture descriptions, body movement, engaged listening — all designed to promote active reading experiences for children with visual impairments. Parents will learn how to describe a picture in a book, how to explore a book’s visual concepts, how to play and have fun telling “the whole story.” Children will learn to listen carefully to words, feelings (voice), actions, scene, plots, and character development—elements that they would otherwise miss by not seeing the pictures. If you want to learn more about bringing pictures to life when you read to your children, review 10 tips here.