Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Cowboy Playground CD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Do you have a little cowboy or cowgirl in your home? Or do you have a trip planned to the Wild West this summer? There’s a really fun CD that Putumayo Kids has jut put out that will create the perfect setting for an outdoor adventure!

The CD is called Cowboy Playground and it is full of really fun songs that you may recognize, such as Pecos Bill, Home on the Range, Happy Trails and Whoopie Ti Yi Yo.

These are all songs that I know, but that I never thought to teach to Darah. Now that we have this CD, she is learning them and loving them (especially Whoopie Ti Yi Yo, which really makes her laugh). I think this is the perfect music for summer days, and it also brings up a lot of great imaginary play ideas!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Cowboy Playground!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Introducing Dad and Musician Ben Bowen (Guest Post and GIVEAWAY!!!)

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My name’s Ben Bowen. I’m a husband, a father of two, and a musician. In February 2010 the opportunity came up to teach music to classes of preschool children. I try to approach risk with an attitude of “embracing failure,” so, not knowing quite what to expect, I grabbed my guitar and dove in headlong. The obvious first move was to turn to the music of my own childhood for inspiration: Raffi, Sharon Lois & Bram, The Goat with Bright Red Socks, but soon it became obvious that I needed to start sourcing new material and so, guided by friends’ recommendations and various parenting blogs, I started buying kids’ records.

   After a number of false starts I ended up stumbling across a veritable “Holy Grail” of kids’ and folk music, the Seegers. The first discovery was Pete Seeger’s Birds, Beasts, Bugs, and Little Fishes, a reissue of two LPs from 1955. My family and I we were immediately drawn in by his warm rich voice, his meticulous playing, and songs we’d never heard before but that somehow seemed to awaken a long-dormant part of ourselves. I also found a 94-track album called American Folk Songs for Children, recorded by Mike and Peggy Seeger in 1978 which was a companion to a book written by their mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, in 1948. For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, these records had a profound effect on me, and the songs began to work their way into both our home life and my teaching.

   See, once upon a time, music was imbued with our collective story. We handed down traditional songs and tales from generation to generation, and even in the very act of that transmission we could sense the history of ourselves, of our ancestors, of old ways of life. More than that, though, folk was the sort of music you didn’t passively listen to on record but was instead the type you got together and sang with your friends and neighbours in your living rooms and kitchens, smiling into one another’s faces as voices blended together and social bonds were strengthened through shared song and common narrative.

Last year I started singing these songs in public in front of audiences. In September I opened for Fred Penner. Shortly thereafter, it seemed like a reasonable next step to try to record some of my favourites. In December, with my sister and brother-in-law in tow, I went into the studio and over the course of a single day recorded ten songs, five of which now appear on the Bumblebee EP.

These songs resonate in me like church bells, cutting through the din and complication of modern life with their simple beauty and often playful lyrics. This EP is the first of what I hope to be many recordings of this kind of music; I hope you find my love for it infectious, and that maybe it encourages you to go out and find more of these rich socio-cultural treasures yourself.

The Bumblebee EP is available on iTunes, CDBaby, and emusic, and can be previewed (so-to-speak) in its entirety at www.benbowen.ca/epk.htm.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to score the entire album!

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Darah’s Favorite Musician Writes Children’s Books! Caspar Babypants Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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bunny rabbit in the sunlight I’ve told you before that even though Darah might have one of the greatest collections of children’s music of any kid I know, she still has a favorite artist (how did she choose?! So many great choices!). Her favorite is Caspar Babypants, otherwise known as  Chris Ballew from a band we grownups may recall, The Presidents of the United States. She knows MANY of his songs by heart and loves to giggle, sing and dance when we play his music.

And now she loves to read his books! Chris and his wife, Kate Endle (an EXTREMELY talented artist) have created two beautifully written and illustrated books for kids. The first one is a board book, called Bunny Rabbit in the Sunlight. Darah loves the cover artwork of the bunny, because he looks just like her beloved bunny. The book has a great tempo to it, and you can imagine it being sung like a song. It’s all about different creatures enjoying all the different types of light (morning light, candle light, twilight, etc.). The pictures are truly gorgeous and we read this frequently.

my woodland wish But the book we read every single day is My Woodland Wish. This is a larger picture book, and the art inside is very cool paper collage. It’s all about a kid who is aware of all the wonderful wildlife that exists right outside her back door, and how she longs to get to play with all those creatures. The book even comes with a free MP3 of the book being performed as a song by Casper Babypants. It is absolutely beautiful, and Darah quickly picked up on the fact that there’s a clever ladybug waiting to be found on every page of the book. That is a mission she takes VERY seriously when reading.

There’s no doubt that Chris Ballew can write beautiful music. And now I see without a doubt that Kate Endle can draw captivating images. What a magical thing occurs when the two put their talents together for children’s literature. I highly recommend both books to be added to your child’s library! We’re so glad they are part of ours!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your choice of book from Kate and Chris! Woo hoo!

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The Jimmies: Children’s Music That Rocks My Socks Off! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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As I learn more and more about children’s music, I have noticed that there are artists who like to stick to a particular sound, and there are also artists who like to show off all their varied musical influences by producing songs with very different sounds, all on one album.
Within that sub-group of musicians, I have also noticed that the majority of these artists do not necessarily excel when they try to be too many different things. They don’t necessarily fail, but rather, just produce ok music that seems a little wacky and all over the board.
The Jimmies, however, are a group that seems to have absolutely nailed this skill. If you were to randomly choose any song on their new cd, Practically Ridiculous, you would think that they were singing a song in their preferred style, and you would think that because they would be so good at it. Move to the next song, and you’ll be shocked to hear a completely different sound, though equally as good.
The Jimmies are a musical marvel, I think. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. They have been voted one of the Top 20 Best Kids Album of the Decade by AOL ParentDish, and The Jimmies find themselves on over 12 Best Album of the Year lists. Woo!
Practically Ridiculous will be available for purchase for $14.99 starting on September 20th. But I have a chance for you to win it right now! Woo hoo!
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Music for Kids: Putumayo Kids World Party Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Is your little one in need of a fun new YouTube video and song? Here’s a great one!
This is from the fantastically fun new album from Putumayo Kids called Kids World Party. We have really been enjoying dancing around the house to it! It has a wide variety of artists from all over the globe, and it brings home a really terrific selection of different musical styles and sounds.

Here’s a list of the artists and their home countries:
Pakita (France)
Solanna (US)
Famara (Switzerland)
PALO! (Cuba)
Asheba (Trinidad/Tobago)
Sharon Katz and the Peace Train (South Africa)
Tom Freund and Friends (US)
Lucky Ali (India)
Will Street (Canada)
Monedita de Oro (Mexico)
Balentes (Italy)
Eric Bibb (US)
A portion (50 cents) of each album sold goes back to Amnesty International, in commemoration of its 50th anniversary and in support of its work to promote and protect human rights worldwide. I also loved that that packaging for the cd uses no plastic. Way to go on both of these matters, Putumayo Kids!
Buy it!: Kids World Party was released on June 28th and is available for $14.98. If you are looking to bring a global experience to your living room, look no further!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will snag your own copy of Kids World Party! The contest will run until July 24th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Have a little listen to the tracks on this cd (you’ll be so glad you did!) and tell me which one you really like!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Putumayo Kids on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Putumayo Acoustic Dreamland CD (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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It’s time to talk about some new music selections for the little ones!!! Today I’m highlighting Acoustic Dreamland, the fifth CD in the Dreamland series by Putumayo Kids.

Let me back up a bit and tell you about Putumayo Kids! It is a record label that is committed to introducing kids to cultures all around the world through music! They have two primary series: Playground and Dreamland. Today’s feature is the newest Dreamland cd, and it joins a great group of other cds that are already out, including Dreamland, African Dreamland, Asian Dreamland and Celtic Dreamland.

The CDs in their playground collection are too numerous to name, but they have an incredible selection, with some of my favorites being Animal Playground and Caribbean Playground!

Ok, so back to Acoustic Dreamland. You guys, this is such a sweet cd. I adore it! It has this mellow, folksy vibe, and you just can’t help but slow yourself down once you start to listen to it. Quite simply, it is the very best cuddle music I have yet to find! I also like that the songs are pretty easy to pick up, so that you can start singing right along with them. You might even recognize some of the tunes, as the CD includes songs originally recorded by the Allman Brothers, James Taylor, Wilco and Mary Chapin Carpenter!

This cd is just perfect for the time right before bed, when we need to start winding down and relaxing. The play time is 31 minutes, which is absolutely perfect. I very highly recommend it if you are looking for some music to play to help set the mood for dreaming!

Buy it!: Acoustic Dreamland is available for $13.10 on Amazon! It’s a great buy!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to have their child’s bedtime ritual get much dreamier! You will win a copy of Acoustic Dreamland! The contest will run until April 19th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the lullaby you love to sing to your little one!

My answer: Baby Minee from Dumbo!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Putumayo Kids on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Intergalactic Awesome from Recess Monkey

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I really love telling you all about great new bands that kids (and adults) will love. If you have avoided “children’s” music up to this point, I really want to encourage you to give it a try. While I’m sure there are plenty of not-so-great bands out there (just as in every genre of music), I have been seriously impressed with what I’ve been hearing over the past 5 of 6 months as I’ve explored different albums.
Today I’m bringing you the perfect album for your little space traveler. Check out The Final Funktier. It has been out since June 15th, and it is, (bad pun warning), OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! The 15 songs on the cd are all have to do with space and science in some way. I have several favorites, already, including Moon Boots, Black Hole in My Room and My Brother is a Satellite.

The sounds you will find here are upbeat and lots of fun. The entire album runs just 34 minutes, which can hold a young child’s attention all the way through. It is a fun journey, and you might find, like me, that you are a little bit sad when the ride is over. That’s such a good sign for cd, my friends!
The members of Recess Monkey have released 6 albums, and in their spare time, they all teach at the same school in Seattle. Isn’t that cool? How fun would it be for your elementary school teacher to be a rock star?! 🙂

Buy it!: If your little one needs some music to accompany him/her on trips to other galaxies, pick up The Final Funktier for $15 or you can buy is for under $12 on Amazon.

Win it!: Fasten your seat belts, one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is about to take off with your own copy of The Final Funktier! The contest will run until August 2nd at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is drawn. Limit one entrant per household, please. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory entry: Tell me another album from Recess Monkey you’d like to own (search under the Store tab)

Additional entries:
1. “Like” Recess Monkey on Facebook
2. Follow Recess Monkey on Twitter
3. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
4. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
5. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS, email or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
6. If you are a blogger (posted something within the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.

Be sure to check out all the other current giveaways, listed on the sidebar of my main page!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links. 

Jungle Gym by Justin Roberts; Capturing Childhood in Song

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I have had the privilege of listening to some really fun family music over the last 6 months. There are so many wonderful bands out there who are making albums for kids, but who also keep the parents who have to listen to them in mind. I have had a blast discovering new groups and new songs that I love, and that as Darah grows a little bit, will make her giggle.

justin roberts jungle gym Today I’m bringing you another album. Justin Roberts has just released his seventh album, called,Jungle Gym , and it captures the magic and wonder of childhood like nothing else I have heard.

Check out the playlist, and you’ll get a sense for the topics covered:
1. We go duck
2. Sleepoverland
3. Trick or Treat
4. Sign My Cast
5. Gym Class Parachute
6. Obsessed by Trucks
7. Cardboard Box
8. Snow Day
9. Never Getting Lost
10. New Haircut
11. Fire Drill
12. 2 x 4

The songs are so fun, and the sound is ever so slightly reminiscent of some classic Weezer, in my opinion. I’ve been rocking out to this cd a lot lately. It has brought back some of the excitement that I used to feel for things like snow days, playing with a cardboard box (the possibilities were ENDLESS!), and of course, the day that the parachute came out during p.e., which was hands-down my favorite day. I especially loved Never Getting Lost, which is such a sweet song about getting lost (and then found) at the mall. It is just so innocent, and it totally nails what a child feels when s/he get lost in a store, and what a relief you feel when your mom finds you. Now, of course, I can think about this scenario from the perspective of a mom, and I just cried the whole way through that song!

Buy It!: You can buy a copy for you and your children to enjoy today at Justin’s website for $15.00.  You can also snag it on Amazon for $11.99! I assure you that it is worth every penny.

Edit: This giveaway is CLOSED.

Win It!: Awwww yeah! Here’s your chance to win your own copy of Jungle Gym (and seriously, if you don’t win, you need to buy it…it’s a must have, I’m telling you). The contest will run until July 2nd at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is drawn. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the Justin Roberts music video that made you laugh the most!

Additional entries:
1. Follow Justin Roberts on Twitter

2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

3. “Like” Justin Roberts on Facebook

4. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways (there’s a list on the sidebar of my homepage!).

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Rock Music for Kids: Three Great Albums

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EDIT: This giveaway is now closed.

Since Darah was in the womb, Tim and I have made an effort to expose her to a variety of music. She gets plenty of classical music when her dad is home with her on Mondays. When she’s with me, we like to listen to a lot of Ben Folds. We’ve recently discovered that Darah is particularly fond of a few Michael Jackson songs, especially Smooth Criminal. She loves the quick beat; it makes her giggle when we play it! This got us thinking that we needed to find more rock music for kids.

I’m glad that we are exposing our baby to music that we love. We also need to look beyond our own favorites and expose her to other types of music that she might love all on her own. I recently had the opportunity to try out three bands that are new to me, because they are bands geared toward children.

The first a charity and the rock music for kids lbum we listened to was Party Like a Twinkle Star, a double album by Charity and the JAMband. The first cd has 10 songs designed especially for “rocking out,” and the second cd has 10 songs for the end of the day as you wind down. I really love that the music is on two discs, separated by overall mood. We listen to selections from the Party disc at different points throughout the day. We seem to dance the most to “Get Your Booty Out of Bed” and “Row Row Row Your Boat.” We also listen to the Twinkle disc sometime in between her last nap of the day and her bedtime routine. There are several really sweet songs on this disc, with our favorites being “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “So Long to the Day.” So what does this group sound like? From their website, “JAM is a hootenanny, a hullabaloo, a dance party, a shindig-bash, a festival, a family band, a rain dance, a sun song, a fairy frolic, a wander in the park, a race on the beach, a flitting floating butterfly-bop, a blundering thundering elephant-stomp, a twirling-whirling-swirling dizzy-dee fall-down boogie!” The overall sound of this band is what I would call funky laid-back rock. It’s not the type of music that Tim and I already had on our Itunes, which makes it a welcome addition! I was also impressed to learn that two of their four albums have won Children’s Music Web Awards! Check this album out for yourself. Right now you can download “We are Stardust” from the Twinkle album for free and get an idea of what you would be buying! I really think you and your little one will like it!

rock music for kids: Sarah Lee Guthrie The second album we have been listening to is Go Waggaloo from Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family. Sarah is the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, and she is definitely continuing her legacy of gifted singing and songwriting. If you are a fan of his, you should know that this album features three songs with lyrics by Woodie that have never before been put to music. So what does this music sound like? From her site, “The arrangements blend traditional folk music with contemporary lyrics and instrumentation. Among the surprises on Go Waggaloo are a scratching drum machine, songs about Xboxes and DVDs, and a spur-of-the-moment song recorded on a cell phone by the Guthrie family on a road trip.” I really liked the overall vibe of this album, and I have found myself singing some of the songs to Darah even when the cd isn’t playing. “Don’t I Fit in My Daddy’s Shoes?” and “If Mama Had Four Hands” are among my personal favorites, and “Oh How He Lied” makes Darah smile when she hears it. You can really get a good sense for the music by checking out this short YouTube clip about the album.

rock music for kids The third album we have added to our music collection is the self-titled album by Earthworm Ensemble. I thought this was a very interesting cd because if features a lot of different vocalists, which gives each song a unique sound. From their site, “We’re calling it family music, rather than just children’s music. We hope children and their parents can enjoy the songs together, and talk about some of the ideas in the songs. We sing about the earthworm’s role in the plant cycle; about buffalo migration as told by a young buffalo; buying fresh corn at the farmer’s market and taking it home to cook; how to make pizza from scratch; and trains, walking in the woods, birds, and a superhero team of Bear and Dog who’ve come to save the planet!” That pretty much sums it up, folks. With this album, I found myself chuckling quite a bit and tapping my feet right along with the music. If you are intrigued now (and you really should be!) and you’d like to hear some of their tunes, check out their MySpace page.

Buy Them!: If the only music you have in your house is the stuff you know and like, it’s time to branch out a bit and try some sounds that will appeal to kids (and that will surprise you by how much you enjoy them, too!). Purchase Party Like a Twinkle Star (double album) for $20, Go Waggaloo for $11.98 and Earthworm Ensemble for $15.99.

Win Them!: Right now I’m giving away one copy of each of these terrific rock music for kids albums! Three very lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will be winners! The contest will run until Thursday, February 18th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States. Be sure to leave your email address in your comments or have it in your profile or else I can’t contact you to tell you that you won!

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry: Tell me which of these albums you’d most like to win (1 winner will be selected for each album).

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email
2. Follow me through Google connect (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Put my button on my blog and leave a url where I can find it (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
4. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (include your TwitterID)

Disclosure: I received product samples for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.