I’ve seen my share of the hottest “pop” music videos out today, and most make even a lapsed Catholic want to attend Confession afterward. In other words: Not anything I want my kids to see.
Still, my kids love “watching” music, and with the interactive nature of touch screens on the iPhone and iPad, I am loving what this one company is doing to bring kid-friendly videos to young kids.
StoryChimes’ SongBook puts music into an interactive ebook format with lots of areas to tap and touch. Each line of the song appears on the screen as it is sung, and the song pauses until the child “turns the page”–I like this feature a lot since it gives toddlers and preschoolers enough time to explore all the touch-screen features, like making bees fly higher into the air or decorating the tree with apples.
For $2.99, you’ll get two videos, with additional songs available for purchase in the app. And I was happy to see one of our favorite kindie artists, Charlie Hope, has her adorable The Frog Song here which toddlers are bound to love.
Perhaps the biggest coup is that StoryChimes has scored several Beatles songs, covered by various singers. Now I must say I’d much prefer the originals (of course), or at least less commercial-sounding voices covering them with less jingle-like arrangements. Even so, I’d rather see my kids enjoying a mediocre Beatles cover over even the best-produced Katy Perry video. Now excuse me while I go tell the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn. –Christina
Check out StoryChimes’ SongBook for the iPhone or iPad at iTunes.
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