Kid Music

I don't know about your kids, but my child loves to listen to the same thing in the car over and over again. Most recently, it has been the Star Wars soundtrack. I love John Williams and all, but I get tired of hearing the Imperial March 10 times in a row! So when we went to San Diego, I decided that if I were to keep any sanity in the car, I would buy some new CDs for Aiden. I really like what I bought, so I thought I'd pass it along in case you are also ready for something new.

1. "Gross Songs Kids Love to Sing!" from Twin Sisters Productions. These are pretty funny, especially for little boys. Includes classics like "Greasy Grimey Gopher Guts" and "Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me". The CD also includes Lyrics and Fun Activities that you can access on your computer. See www.twinsisters.com

2."Toddler Sing-A-Longs" by Kid's Club. This is a 3 disc set, with 56 songs in all. The kids singing isn't all that annoying, and they take some of the songs and put them into different musical styles. That makes it more fun.

3. Bear in the Big Blue House: "Greatest Hits". This is our absolute favorite CD right now. I love watching Bear with my kids, and as a musician I can appreciate the styles of music used in all the songs. These aren't simple little ditties, but actual musical pieces! And kids can still pick up on the tunes and sing along. We also use these songs around the house for things we do: "Brush Brush Bree" for teeth-brushing; "Clean Up the House" for obvious reasons; "What's in the Mail Today?" while we walk to the mailbox.

All of the above were found at Wal-Mart. We also already own a few other CDs, or have borrowed some that I love:

1. The Wiggles: I love anything by these guys. I know not everyone loves them, but we do. I love watching their show with my son and doing the dances, too, because then I get a good cardio workout for 30 minutes (try it. It's fun!).

2. Sharon, Lois, and Bram: "Mother Goose and More". This CD is published by Fisher Price, and is full of nursery rhymes (sung and spoken) and old folk tunes. If you don't know Sharon, Lois, and Bram, you are really missing out. I used to watch them on "The Elephant Show" on Nickelodean with my preschool-age sister (who is now 17 and leaving for college!). Found this CD at Wal-Mart about 2 years ago.

3. Baby Genius: We have several CDs by this company. They take "classical" music and group it into categories like "I.Q. Builder" or "Night Time Classics". Really good for bedtime or quiet time. We also love anything by the Baby Einstein company (actually own several DVDs). This company also uses "classical" music, but with their own, more simple arrangements and instrumentation.

4. Little People: "Songs & Games for the Road" by Fisher Price. I hate this CD. Not kidding. It has a great group of songs for kids on there, but I can't stand the singing or talking. These kids' voices are just waaaaay too annoying. If you like Barney (which we don't allow in our house), you'll like this CD. I also found this one at Wal Mart about 2 years ago.