New sneakers, new backback, new pencils..yes, the new school year is starting up for the kiddos. But this week, we're going way, w-a-y back for a Chuck Berry song that has been rocking kids out the door for over fifty years. Chuck Berry'…
Is there any creature more perfectly suited for toddlers to love than a monkey? Mischievous, adorable, snuggly, and prone to making gigantic messes, it's no wonder that almost every toddler I meet will go bananas (heh) for this song. Mon…
Woody Guthrie would have been 100 years old this summer, so it seems fitting that we pay our respects to his legacy. CMP favorite Elizabeth Mitchell has more than done his music justice with her gorgeous children's CD Little Seed which f…
My niece will be hopping on the school bus for the first time in just a few weeks. For her and her fellow kindergartners, I've found the perfect song to sing them out the door off the debut album of kindie favorites The Not-Its! Kicking …
Ice cream for dinner. Late nights blowing off bedtime. Skipping baths because, Hey!, we cleaned off in the pool, right ? Oh, I do love summer, which can feel like one big party, and if you agree, grab this download and get ready to par-t…
For the past few years, one of our favorite storytellers is the gifted musician, singer, and spinner of tales, Randy Kaplan . And on his latest, release, Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie , my kids love to hear one song about a boy named Carl, a boy…
At all the summer parties, there is one staple of suburban life that makes my kids jump for joy every time they see it: The big, inflatable bounce house. And now they have an enthusiastically rocking ode to those inflatable fun houses fr…
Lazy Sundays in the early summer are just about our favorite days ever, especially when there are both sunshine and ice cream in the forecast. And now these days have their own background music with this song by CMP favorites, Sugar Free…
Since I work off a five-year-old laptop that looks like a Commodore 64 next to some of the newer laptops on the market, I'm always looking for ways to spruce it up. I frequently update my desktop wallpaper with kids' photos and change th…
Even though my kids still have weeks left of school, Memorial Day weekend feels like the unofficial start of summer to me. For that reason, we've had the latest Okee Dokee Brothers' release, Can You Canoe? , on heavy rotation because its…
To help us celebrate this 42nd anniversary of Earth Day (wow!), we've picked out a song from one of our favorite bands for kids and adults: They Might Be Giants. Their most awesome CD/DVD combo, Here Comes Science , is a must-have for an…
In a couple of weeks, I'll head to Brooklyn for the fourth annual Kindiefest kids' music conference . It's fun, enlightening, supportive, and---as you'd expect---full of great music from some of our favorite kids' performers. And though …
I've tried to teach my kids to look beyond the color of a person's skin, or their clothes, accent or taste in music, and treat everyone the way they'd want to be treated. But, it turns out, I'd neglected to remind them of one major group…
Look out Peter Cottontail, my kids have a new favorite on the block. And this bunny is really a monster who only thinks he's a bunny in this adorable collaboration between a rabbity monster and one exasperated little girl. Listening to m…
When I told friends that my son and I were headed to Skywalker Ranch to see an early viewing of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D , a startling number of them wanted me to find George Lucas and ask him " Why??? " Why Jar Jar? Wh…
Whether you watch for the football, the commercials or just show up for the Super Bowl snacks , it's a fair assumption that a good many of us will tune into the Super Bowl today. And since most of us will get behind a team (I made it pre…
Though it is always about 100 times messier when my kids want to help in the kitchen, I've always loved their help. And since this is great cookie-baking weather, I've found a sweet little tune to play while we get busy stirring, taste-t…
No one is more disappointed than I at the wimpy winter we've had in southern New England. So, with all my apologies to the rest of you who are covered in the white stuff, this little Justin Roberts number goes out to all those kids who c…
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here, and it's starting to sound that way too. Consider freshening up that tired holiday playlist with a lovely new collection of classic Christmas carols from none other than Dan Zanes …
I'm holding onto my Christmas cheer with two hands, refusing to let it be sullied by the endless ads and 1,000th version of Dominick the Donkey. And I've also got the prettiest and, yes, sunniest Christmas song on heavy rotation from one…
While most people are dreaming about what foods they are going to (over)eat on Thursday, my picky eater is already loudly proclaiming everything he hates about Thanksgiving: Mashed potatoes are yucky. Turkey is yucky. Pie is yucky. You g…
The candy is bought, the costumes are (almost) finished, and the kids are already bouncing off the walls in anticipation of the night we let them stay up way too late eating sugary treats. If you want to ramp up their excitement a wee bi…
You can really never have too many lullabies, can you? I love lullabies for bedtime, of course, but also to play when we need to calm down after lunch, or on lazy rainy afternoons. And when the lullaby is as pretty as this one from Ameri…
My son has adopted everything from a mixing spoon to a couple of russet potatoes as his friends, so I know a thing or two about kids and the oddball company they keep. That's why I love this seriously catchy song about friendship from Ma…