Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too
Folks were out in droves here in the Northwest over Mother’s Day weekend. Blinking like moles, sun-starved kids and parents heeded the call of unusually sunny and warm weather . With so many kids plugged in for most of their waking, indoor hours, it’s always encouraging to see the under-10 set re-discovering life in the great outdoors.
And that’s the point of a new release from The Okee Dokee Brothers. This Twin Cities-based musical duo spent 30 days canoeing the Mississippi River last June, paddling downstream from St. Paul to St. Louis. Along the way, they camped and wrote the songs that make up “Can You Canoe?” (out on May 15th). The 15 songs and music videos on this beautifully packaged release all add up to inspiration. The folks who’ve been lucky enough to hear the songs already, testify that the message – encouraging kids to explore nature, and their own creativity – really affected their families. Read more...
We only just enjoyed the special Mother’s Day message from Brave, and then discovered we’d missed this Kilt featurette from last week? This brief 40 second clip asks, “Are you Brave enough to wear a kilt?” We imagine this will appeal to our young cousin whose favourite part of WALL-E was when Wall-E put a woman’s bra over his eyes. Oh Pixar you masters of comic relief!
Have you noticed the absence of moms in Disney movies? The heroines, with the exception of Sleeping Beauty, either have a wicked stepmother, or their dad just hasn’t found a new wife. But Princess Merida from Brave seems to have a very present and loving mother in Queen Elinor. Could this be why Merida promises to kick so much ass?
We very much enjoyed this new Mother’s Day spot from Brave and June 22 just can’t get here fast enough.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the king of kid hop (that’s hip hop for kids) along with his daughter MC Fireworks, make music guaranteed to make your whole family get up and dance. Of course they love all the wacky rhyming found in a Shel Silverstein book!
What’s the story? This is the only of Shel’s books that he actually wrote for one of his kids. It is a strange and dyslexic world from the mind of the all-time great.
Age recommendation: Like all family-friendly Silverstein, it is truly for all ages, but this one is a little more aimed at the child mind.
Why it rules: Almost every sentence is a letter-switched riddle (like Runny Babbit = Bunny Rabbit), and after a few pages, you begin thinking backwards!
What are some similar books/authors? There is noone else like Shel Silverstein, but other books include Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and for the grown ups, Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book.
For a taste of Secret Agent 23 Skidoo’s own rhymes, download his song, “Gotta Be Me” and check out his latest album, Make Believers, out next week!
The International Museum of Women is an online gallery that celebrates all things woman and with this series, calls attention to the important role mothers play all over the world. The idea behind the Mama’s Work gallery is that “at any moment, mothers across the world are telling each other stories.”
And if you happen to be in San Francisco this weekend, you can check out a pop-up photography exhibit Making Mothers Visible, another project of the IMOW.
Mother’s Day! It’s a day to celebrate the women who raised you, and if you’re currently in the process of raising kids, it’s a day to accept some homemade cards and extra kisses. If you don’t have brunch reservation, you’d better hope that breakfast in bed is pretty tasty and not at all full of bits of eggshell.
