Holiday Gift Guide- Music CDs and Software

Wide Wide World by Miss Amy -Listen to all the tracks here http://www.last.fm/music/Miss+Amy/Wide+Wide+World before you buy. For fans of Laurie Berkner and The Wiggles. $15.00 on Amazon.

Universal Music Family has put out a 5-CD Family Collection that is a wonderful way to introduce your children to great music. I recommend buying one for yourself and one to give as a gift, seriously! Here’s everything you get in the 5 CDs:* Ella Fitzgerald: Miss Ella’s Playhouse (Verve/Ume) – Introduce kids 1-4 to original jazz hits from America’s favorite songstress like “A-Tisket, A-Tasket…,” “Organ Grinder Swing (Eenie-Minie-MO),” “The Muffin Man,” “Chew-Chew-Chew (Chew Your Bubble Gum),” “Melinda the Mousie,” “Old Mother Hubbard,” “Molasses, Molasses,” “The Bean Bag Song,” “Two Men in a Flying Saucer,” “The Hot Canary,” and “Old Macdonald.” R/T: 31 minutes.

* Future Idols (Decca Broadway /Hip-O/Ume) – Get your little future “Idols” ages 5 and up ready with popular Broadway tunes including “Do-Re-Mi” (The Sound of Music), “Tomorrow” (Annie), “Popular” (Wicked), “Consider Yourself” (Oliver!), “A Day With the Cat in the Hat” (Seussical), “Getting to Know You” (The King and I), “Put on a Happy Face” (Bye Bye Birdie), “Closer and Closer” (The Little Prince), “Big Rock Candy Mountain (Sing Out Sweet Land), “Anything You Can Do” (Annie Get Your Gun), and “76 Trombones” (The Music Man). Approximately 39 minutes.

* Jazz Lullaby (Verve/Ume) – For kids 0-4, this collection features relaxing jazz to soothe all, including “Lullaby” (The Singers Unlimited), “Hit the Road to Dreamland” (Mel Torme), “Dreams Are Made For Children” (Ella Fitzgerald), “Two Sleepy People” (Johnny Hodges), “Lullaby For Helene” (Bill Evans), “Over The Rainbow” (Ben Webster), “Lullaby” (Ray Bryant), “Lullaby For the First Born” (Acoustic Alchemy), “Little Child (Daddy Dear)” (Wes Montgomery), “Russian Lullaby” (Ella Fitzgerald), and “Conversation With a Baby” (Abbey Lincoln). Approximately 34 minutes.

* Motown For Kids (Motown/Ume) – Introduce kids 2 and up to classic Motown hits like “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (Stevie Wonder), “ABC” (Jackson 5), “Mickey’s Monkey” (The Miracles), “Dancing in the Streets” (Martha & The Vandellas), “Function at the Junction” (Shorty Long), “(I’m a) Road Runner” (Jr. Walker & the All Stars), “Please Mr. Postman” (The Marvelettes), “This Old Heart of Mine” (the Isley Brothers), “You Can’t Hurry Love” (The Supremes), “Do You Love Me” (The Contours), “Heaven Must Have Sent You” (The Elgins), “I Can’t Help Myself” (the Four Tops), “The Way You Do the Things You Do” (The Temptations), and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell). Approximately 38 minutes

* Songs For the Car (Hip-o/UMe) – Kids 2 and up can finally hit the road with songs that will keep them happy in the car, including “Our House” (Madness), “All Star” (Smash Mouth), “Three is a Magic Number” (Bob Dorough), “Teach Your Children” (Joseph Israel), “All Night Long” (Lionel Richie), “Route 66” (Chuck Berry), “I Got Ants in My Pants” (James Brown), “Stir It Up” (Patti LaBelle), “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (The Temptations), “Gonna Make You Sweat” (C&C Music Factory), “Mmmbop” (Hanson), and “Manana Iguana (Bobby McFerrin). Approximately 40 minutes. It also comes with 5 temporary tattoos.

* Totally ‘80s For Kids (Hip-o-Ume) – Kids ages 2 and up will rock out to some of the great songs from this distinctive era including “Celebration” (Kool & the Gang), “Our House” (Madness), “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” (Wang Chung), “Weird Science” (Oingo Boingo), “Axel F” (Harold Faltermeyer), “One Thing Leads to Another” (The Fixx), “Steppin’ Out (Joe Jackson), “Da Da Da (I Don’t Love You, You Don’t Love Me Ha Ha Ha), (Trio); “She Drives Me Crazy” (Fine Young Cannibals), “The Look of Love (Part 1)” (ABC), “Rhythm of the Night” (DeBarge), and “Jackie Wilson Said (Dexies Midnight Runners). Approximately 43 minutes.

The compilations include a wildflower insert offering three free digital downloads from a select number of UMe catalog tracks, perfect for any iPod or MP3 players. Look for the Buy Now link next to each CD to buy them on Amazon for $9.97 each, or scroll down the Amazon page for “Frequently Bought Together” deals on more than one CD. I think you’ll want more than one!

Music Ace DeluxeMusic Ace Deluxe by Harmonic Vision is a computer CD that teaches the basics of music. Designed by music education professionals, Music Ace Deluxe is a comprehensive series of music lessons and games that teach beginning music students of all ages the basics of music theory, rhythm, pitch, note reading, listening, and the keyboard. No previous musical experience or instrument is required.

Under the guidance of animated tutor Maestro Max, students are led through a carefully sequenced series of music lessons. Used alone or as a complement to traditional music lessons, this program will challenge, engage and motivate music students and help them succeed by mastering important music concepts and skills. The price for either the Mac or WIN version is $79.95, and the site suggests you visit your favorite music or educational products retailer to purchase. I think $79.95 is an incredible value.

Holiday Gift Guide- Board Games make Great Gifts

I’ve had a chance to review some terrific games and puzzles over the last month. In addition to be educational, all of the following are just plain fun! Any of these would make a wonderful gift.

  • pirates gold board gamePirate’s Gold from Carson-Dellosa Publishing combines practicing math skills with swashbuckling fun! Players move Pirate Ship shaped pieces across a game board made up of six puzzle-shaped pieces that fit together to make the board.   Players start on the Port Island, then roll dice to move their ships to islands, drawing map cards and treasure cards that either show gold coins or junk. For grades 2-6, 2-4 players, suggested price $14.99. Check the Carson-Dellosa Local store locator to see where the game is sold near you.
  • Another fun game from Carson-Dellosa is Chicken Count. For younger players (suggested age is 4 and up), this game uses just cards. Players take turn drawing cards and trying to have the most chicken cards in their hand when the chicken coop cards are all drawn. I like this one because there are no dice or other small pieces to lose, so it could be taken and played anywhere. Check the Carson-Dellosa Publishing Local Store locator for stores near you that sell Chicken Count, suggested price is $14.99.
  • CrossWise from MindWare is easy to learn and fun to play! It requires quick thinking and strategy as you place your tiles on the board, because your opponent is creating vertical columns while you create CrossWisehorizontal rows. Earn the most points with different combinations of shapes while blocking your opponent, but watch out—action tiles let players move tiles unexpectedly. Simple and fun to play for all ages; games last less than 20 minutes. Includes 18″-square game board and 60 tiles.  CrossWise also had the unexpected benefit of being a fun matching game for my 3 year old- I had her find me all the yellow shapes, then all the green ones, then I tried having her turn them over to find matches, but that was too hard. This is a terrific game to give for one person or as a family gift. Suggested retail price-$24.95. You can purchase MindWare games on their website or from some educational toy retailers.
  • qwirkleQwirkle is MindWare’s most awarded game of all time! The game play is similar to Dominos, but while Qwirkle is as simple as matching colors and shapes, it is a game that also requires tactical maneuvers and well-planned strategy. The game consists of 108 wooden blocks with six different shapes in six colors. Using the blocks, players attempt to score the most points by building lines that share a common attribute – either color or shape. Enter code JOLLY at checkout on MindWare to get $4.99 shipping on orders over $50.00.Qwirkle is a quick game to learn, but you’ll soon discover that you’ll need to think strategically in order to score the most points. For ages 6 and up, suggested price is also $24.95.
  • Ilium GameIlium, from PlayRoom Entertainment, is a more complicated strategy game. Both my 12 year old and I spent several minutes reading the 4 page instruction guide, trying to figure out exactly what the game was about. It says ages 8 and up, but I say no, at LEAST 12 and possibly Adult for this one. It involves moving little wooden archeologist figures around a board to “dig sites”, using assignment cards, supply cube cards, and artifact tokens. To be honest, we still haven’t figured out how to play this. But if you need a board game for someone who enjoys really complicated game play (think “Magic: The Gathering” or even Dungeons & Dragons), this could be a good choice.
  • Tiki ToppleTiki Topple from Gamewright has won an amazing NINE awards, including the iParenting Media Award and Today’s Parent Magazine Top Toy of the Year. This game comes with a board, cards, and little wooden “tiki” pieces. In this fast-paced strategy game, try to maneuver your secret tikis to the top of the line by playing the right combination of action cards. Use a Tiki Up card to move a tiki ahead in line. Tiki Topple sends opponents’ tikis tumbling to the back of the pack. But watch out for the sneaky Tiki Toast cards, which knock your tikis off the board! Score the most points and call yourself the Tiki Master. Ages 10 and up, you’ll need to buy this one online from Gamewright for $15.99. And watch for tiki-stealing three year olds who just want to make the tikis play with the wooden farm animals ;)
  • Double Shutter from Blue Orange games is completely and totally addictive! It’s so simple, just a wooden box with numbered shutters on top. You roll two dice, then you close shutters to equal the number on the dice. The goal is to get all the shutters closed in as few rolls as possible. Sounds easy, but you’d be surprised at how long even a 12 year old boy will sit there rolling the dice and closing the shutters, trying to get all the shutters closed. It suggests ages 6 and up, but I think it could be a fun way to teach basic addition to younger kids as well. You can purchase Double Shutter using Blue Orange Games’ secure shopping site, price is $19.99 for the tin.
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PBN Review- Hot Wheels Still Awesome Toys for Boys

I look at my boys, 12 and 10 and taller than me, and I wish for those days when they were tow-headed LITTLE boys, instead of these giants sporting the beginnings of facial hair and wanting me to buy them Axe Deodorant. Thanks to Parent Bloggers Network, I once again got a brief glimpse of the little inside my boys, as they put together and played with two new Hot Wheels sets. We had just sold a whole tub of Hot Wheels tracks and cars at our summer garage sale-doesn’t it always work that way, you sell or give something away, then your kids want to play with it again?- but Nathan found some Hot Wheels cars in the playroom. We got the Hot Wheels Trick Tracks Triple Stunt Starter Set (try saying THAT 3 times fast!), and the Hot Wheels Trick Tracks Power Loop Stunt Set (whew!) for this review.

trick tracks triple stunt starter setOf the two sets, we actually had the hardest time putting together the Triple Stunt Starter Set. The idea behind these sets is that when it’s put together, there are three places where the cars will do something-go around a loop, jump off an incline, jump over a “fire”. It comes with rubber bands that loop around and pull back the launchers, which are activated by pushing a button. But with this set, no matter what we all tried to do, we couldn’t get the launchers to pull back and stay back. We’ll continue to work on it though, because the boys want to see the whole thing in action. There’s a crane that drops a car, that launches another car, that makes another car go around a loop. One thing though, the track takes up a lot of space, and works best on a flat surface. We set ours up in the hallway where there’s a wood laminate floor. You can connect Hot Wheels sets together and take up as much room as you have; if the boys decide to do that, I’ll have to pull up the rugs in the hallway too.

Ryan had even more fun assembling the Hot Wheels Trick Tracks Power Loop Stunt Set. And interestingly, he had no problem setting up the launchers on this one. He got the idea to clamp the top track to a kitchen chair and stretch it across the kitchen floor, too. Oh, and although I had to promise never EVER to tell his friends, Ryan says he “likes the Power Loop Stunt Set A LOT”. High praise from a 12 year old! This set takes 2 “D” batteries, which fortunately we had on hand. When it’s all set up, dropping a car down the track from the top bumps that car into the middle car which goes around one loop, and then bumps into the third car which goes through TWO loops. It’s kind of loud though, the motor. But fun!

The Triple Loop Starter Set is $21.59 on Amazon.com, and the Power Loop Stunt Set is $19.99 on Amazon. Add a pack of Hot Wheels cars to your order to bring it over $25.00, and you get Free Shipping. Order by Wednesday, Dec. 17th with Free Shipping and you’ll have it by Dec. 24th. Either of these sets, or both, will make a wonderful holiday gift!