Laptime Songs

Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Fingerplays for Kids

Animal Tales from Key Wilde and Mr Clarke

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Released last month, Animal Tales has been a super hit with our clan. Key Wilde and Mr Clarke weave facts, storytelling and music into a beautiful listening experience. Animal Tales was part of our Road Trip Soundtrack to Hershey last month and we loved singing along to Bear Song and Alligator Get-Together.

Today, Key Wilde and Mr Clarke are debuting a new music video from Animal Tales.

Armando Armadillo is the story of a hardworking family man just trying to get home safely to his wife and three sets of gender-identical quadruplets. The video is reminiscent of the Brady Bunch and the computer game Frogger. Man, I loved playing Frogger. Check out Armando’s road crossing skills now!

To celebrate the release of Animal Tales and the music video for Armando Armadillo, Key Wilde and Mr Clarke are offering a free download of this song from their Soundcloud page. You can also stay up to date with this energetic duo on Facebook or their website.

All These Shapes

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We’ve been totally inspired by the Pop Ups new maker-themed album Appetite for Construction. If you’re little ones aren’t in school yet, you may not be familiar with the “maker” trend in bringing children into a wonderful world of creativity. Children as early as kindergarten are attending STEM classes. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Children get to witness and participate in real world applications of these fields in age appropriate ways. I love that schools are focusing on making “making” fun!

If you spend most of your time with the under 5 crowd this being a new focus may surprise you. Toddlers and preschoolers are natural makers. They are prolific makers. Every waking moment is filled with discovering the way their world works. Our joy is in learning to be makers all over again by following their lead.

The songs on Appetite for Construction bring shapes, building, robots, glitter and craft night together in upbeat, energetic melodies. Use these songs to inspire your activities as you ad your little ones explore science, technology, engineering or math concepts.

Edie Carey and Sarah Sample’s Til The Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort

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Moving has been tough on the little ones. The endless packing, cleaning and stacks of boxes really started to wear on us all toward the end. The disruption to our typical laid back schedule started to affect the kids’ ability to settle down and fall asleep. Enter Edie Carey and Sarah Sample’s Til the Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort. When this gem arrived in the mail I knew the timing couldn’t be more perfect. We all needed extra comfort during this transition.

I started playing Edie Carey & Sarah Sample’s new album, ‘Til The Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort’ during our bedtime routine. The soothing sounds of Edie and Sarah’s voices brought a sense of calm to an otherwise chaotic part of our day. I clung to the beauty of the music as much as, if not more than, our kids did. As we became familiar with the music the words began to sink into my mind.

I have found that I am most drawn to children’s music that meets two criteria: 1) Songs that give me insight into my children’s perceptions of their experiences 2) Lyrics that inspire me to cherish my children, to embrace my role as their parent and be better starting that very moment for those precious children.

These two criteria meeting together in heart-touching lullabies has worked miracles for our bedtime. Edie Carey and Sarah Sample have a tender story of friendship and collaboration. From their press release: “In 2010, after releasing her third album and having her second child, Sarah Sample realized that most of her music-making at home involved singing to her children.  It felt only natural that her next record should embrace the lullabies that were at the core of her motherhood experience.  At this time, her friend Edie Carey was in the throes of a two-year struggle with infertiity following a near-fatal experience while on tour.  Sarah soon became one of Edie’s main sources of support, and their friendship deepened.

“Edie welcomed a son in 2012 (thanks to winning a $16K IVF cycle at a raffle!), and soon the two friends began hatching plans to make Sarah’s lullaby idea come true.  They wanted to not only honor the quiet moments between parent and child, but also to pay tribute to the struggles of infertility, recognizing the circuitous and painful journey many people must travel to become parents. ‘Til The Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort carries a message of love, comfort, and solace for any listener.”

New Album: Joanie Leeds Good Egg

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Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights new album Good Egg has been such a fun listen for our family. Good Egg is Joanie’s 6th album. It will be released tomorrow, June 24, accompanied by a concert at Madison Square Park! Then they are ending the week by participating in KindieComm where they will perform at the Industry Showcase Saturday night.

Back to Good Egg, Joanie Leeds nails the perfect combination of kid-centered lyrics, energy, and singable melodies. We sing along with all the songs on the album, but our faves are Good Egg, Hipster in the making, and Confusing Costumes. I love the message of Good Egg which is that while we’re not perfect, we aren’t defined by making mistakes. We are good in our hearts and we can try again. This is a powerful message for children who are in an intense growth spurt pretty much nonstop. As parents we are trying to guide and refine our little ones’ knowledge, actions and ability to make choices. There seems to be a lot of correction and nagging as we try to help kids figure out how to navigate our culture and expectations. It’s important they know they are good, even though they are learning and make mistakes. Good Egg conveys that message powerfully in a way that is easy for kids to access.

Sammi loves Confusing Costumes because she has turned into quite the science girl/book worm and so she loves the idea of dressing up as famous scientists/authors/etc. Brent’s fave song is Hipster in the Making. It’s just so spot on for this trend. It’s fun to sing and we all get a kick out of it.

New Music from Joanie Leeds, Good Egg is her 6th album for kids. She nails the lyrics, music and energy making this a fantastic addition to your kindie collection. Joanie Leeds and the Nighlights new album Good Egg is available on Joanie’s website, CDBaby, iTunes and Amazon.

The Apple Tree and The Honey Bee: New Album from Bari Koral

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Hey Cousin! Have you heard the buzzin’? Bari Koral released The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee today! We had so much fun participating in the Bari Koral Family Rock Band’s Kickstarter campaign to get The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee finished up and ready for sale.

We’ve had The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee on repeat today celebrating in our own little way this new album, Bari Koral’s fourth album of upbeat, engaging music for little ones and their families. Bari Koral has long been a favorite in our home. We were all super excited to get to know The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee and have not been disappointed. I love how Bari pairs kid-relatable lyrics with inspiring and comforting melodies.

My personal favorite from this album is track 7 “Sisters and Brothers” all about sibling relationships. The chorus just melts my heart: “Sisters and brothers. Brothers and sisters. When they’re away you know I miss ’em. Sisters and brothers. Brothers and sisters. A friend when you need a friend.” This is what I want for our children, to be friends and to miss each other when they’re apart so they are excited to play together when they are back together.

Another big hit with our crew is the song “Birthday” al about celebrating your special day. This is Bari Koral’s second birthday song. She also had one on Rock and Roll Garden released in 2009. They are both fabulous! I would love a whole album of birthday songs from Bari. She makes me want to celebrate my little ones’ birthdays every day. “Birthday” is full of energy and prompts for moving around and really feeling the excitement of celebrating a birthday.

I think Elli’s favorite is track #1 ” Dancing Bear” She loves all the crazy places the bear dances. She loves to sing along and call out the next line before it’s sung. I love seeing her so excited about music! Elli is a dancer to the core and I think she really identifies with the bear who is just dancing all day long.

As amazing and awesome as this album is, you’ll want to get yours today and watch the joy in your little one’s face as they dance along to The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee by Bari Koral.

Laura Doherty’s New Album In A Heartbeat

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We’re excited to share with you Laura Doherty’s third album, In A Heartbeat. Laura is a Chicago-based kids’ musician from New York. She drew from both cities in creating this album which features the drumming genius of Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche. Laura has a captivating style both in her vocals and melodies. This album is geared toward the 0-6 crowd and our little ones in that range have definitely engaged the most with this music. However, even Sammi at 7 ½ hums the melodies or sings bits of verses here and there.

You’re Happier When You’re Happy from Boxtop Jenkins

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We are excited to start the year with some great music from new-to-us musicians. We received Boxtop Jenkins latest album called You’re Happier When You’re Happy at the end of our stay in Utah. We first listened to this album when we were driving across the country with our four children. To survive the drive the kids had been watching movies. One morning I convinced them to give Boxtop Jenkins a try before we turned on a movie. The whole family loved it so much we listened to it twice and repeated a few of our fast favorites.

Lishy Lou and Lucky Too

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We are so excited for Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band on their recent Latin Grammy win for Best Children’s Album. And we can see why they were so well received. We have enjoyed getting to know them through Lishy Lou and Lucky Too.

The first thing that the children fell in love with on this album was the jokes. The girls have been really into jokes this school year. We’ve checked out joke books from the library and even Scott has a few jokes in his repertoire. So when Lishy Lou and Lucky Too had awesome joke segments between fantastic songs, the kids laughed non-stop.

Lishy Lou and Lucky Too is presented as an old timey radio show. The segments capture the humor and feel of radio shows both in content and sound effects. Elli loves the song Thingamajig which follows a segment all about a traveling salesman selling all sorts of thingamajigs and whatchamacallits.

Marsh Mud Madness by Roger Day Review

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“Jessie is a Turtle Girl” sings Elli.
“Jessie is a Turtle Girl” sings Sammi.
“Turtle Girl! Turtle Girl!” hollers Scott.

Roger Day has won us over again! We were first introduced to Roger Day when we reviewed Why Does Gray Matter (his awesome CD all about the brain). Then we actually got to meet Roger Day at our library in Tennessee last summer. It was then that we first learned about his project to create a school curriculum all about marshes, their plant and animal inhabitants and how they create a healthy ecosystem. After experiencing the successful way he incorporated facts about the brain into upbeat, catchy tunes I had no doubt that Marsh Mud Madness would be awesome. And it is!

Turtles have become an obsession of sorts for our kids. They love it when Brent draws turtles and then they draw turtles for days. Scott has a favorite turtle story he tells (it’s a tragedy and non-fiction). So it was a no-brainer that the kids would love “Turtle Girl” which actually appears twice on the album. Once as recorded in the studio and once as recorded live at the Savannah Music Festival where most of the songs on the album were recorded. We also love “Mosquito Burrito” which was originally on Rock N Roll Rodeo and was performed at the Savannah Music Festival and is also included on Marsh Mud Madness. Because what would a marsh be without mosquitoes???

So the nerd in me loves that Roger Day’s website also includes ideas for incorporating his sings into learning experiences for young children. You can check out the wide range of ideas and age groups on his website. Even Brent and I has a lovely impromptu lesson on estuaries and deltas as a result of the song “Flushing Out the Estuary.”

Desert Island Disc from Recess Monkey

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Recess Monkey is at it again! After their June release of Deep Sea Diver, they released a follow-up album this fall. Desert Island Disc was released earlier this month. In the short time we’ve been reviewing kids’ music (for grown ups, too!) Recess Monkey has released four albums. But the most amazing part is that they are all fantastic. How Drew, Jack and Korum can continually produce quality lyrics, danceable melodies and enough energy to wear out my children is beyond me! But they do, again and again. And we love them for it. We are Monkeynauts through and through.

On our first listen through of Desert Island Disc I was struck by how simple the music was. There were fewer instruments and a stronger focus on vocals. On my second listen through I really felt like I was on an island relaxing on the beach listening to these songs. The lighter sound really caters to an island feel.

Of course, we have some favorite songs. The kids always ask to repeat The Hermit, all about a crustacean looking for a new shell. I always find myself singing The Cave at random times during the day. And it doesn’t even bother me that it’s stuck in my head! Dessert Island is a lullaby to bring you down from the sugar high of all the sweets found there. Perfect for all the sugar that kids are about to consume on Halloween.