by Guest Blogger Maytal Wichman
Now that the weather is getting nicer, most of us are planning vacation, which, to some can mean a long road trip. Here are two new CD’s that will keep the kids entertained and give Mommy and Daddy some peace and quiet during the ride.
Nature Jams by Farmer Jason & Buddies
Farmer Jason, a.k.a. Jason Ringenberg, is an Emmy Award winner for his “It’s a Farmer Jason” program on PBS. His new CD, Nature Jams, was released in February and contains really fun songs about nature. they’re perfect for the car. The songs are in various styles, such as folk and jazz and are very catchy.
Aside from songs, there are also some short conversations with farmer Jason’s buddies; some of his buddies are Tommy Ramone, of The Ramones, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick and Farmer Jason’s own daughters, Addie and Camille Ringenberg (in a really adorable and cheerful song about ice skating). The conversations discuss all types of aspects about nature, such as: what is a bayou, all about canoeing and many nature-related subjects that can teach kids, as well as widen their horizons. I found Farmer Jason’s intonation and pronunciation is very clear, which makes it very easy to understand, even for very young children. My kids listened to it on a car ride and loved the songs. My five-year-old was also paying attention to the talks with Jason’s buddies.
The CD also includes a DVD which contains music videos of four of the songs.
You can purchase Nature Jams at Amazon for $9.99.
High Dive & Other Things That Could Have Happened – by Bill Harley
Hailed as “The Mark Twain of contemporary children’s music”, Grammy Award winner Bill Harley has the kind of voice that commands listening to. “High Dive” includes some great stories about kid-related subjects, told in a very captivating way. I received it for review and had my five-year old daughter listen to the stories. I’m not sure she understood all the words, though. I also found some of the content inappropriate for a five-year-old, in particularly “high dive”, number 2 on the soundtrack, which is about a little boy in love with the beautiful 17-year-old lifeguard. However, since my daughter couldn’t really understand the words, probably due to her age, I presume the content is irrelevant. I’m certain slightly older kids would be able to pick up on the words, and I have been told by my husband that a nine-year-old boy being in love with a 17-year-old girl is totally normal, so I will take his word for it. While my little girl will not be able to relate to that, I will definitely let my three-year-old son listen to the CD when he is in grade school, as I’m sure he will enjoy the stories, since they are very relatable. I especially enjoyed the last one, Monster Valentine, which was sweet and very real.
You can purchase High Dive at Amazon for $13.99.
I was not paid for this post. I did receive CD’s for review.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Guest Blogger Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Healthy Bites and also writes for Long Island Mamas. Maytal has been living in New York City for eleven years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but writing about nutrition and helping families eat better is her true passion. She grew up in both California and Israel, which explains her love for California cuisine (fresh, local ingredients), as well as Mediterranean food (flavorful, heart-healthy ingredients). Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to two kids (ages 5 & 2) and works hard to ensure they eat healthy, unprocessed food, while trying to make it as delicious as possible. Married to a vegetarian and being a pescetarian herself, this can be quite a challenge. On an ordinary night at her dinner table, you can hear things like “More cauliflower, please!”, “How come I didn’t get a lot of tomato?” and “Fish oil! Yaaaay!”.
Leave a Reply