Baby Songs videos are now available - SOUNDS FAMILIAR By Baby A. Gil

Just in case the kids at home have already had their fill of Barney and all those characters from Disney and Sesame Street, then you might want to consider giving them copies of the learn and play tapes called Baby Songs. Selling for less than P200 this series of eight videos are sure to become the biggest hits among the presents that lucky little ones will be getting come Christmas time.

A Baby Songs tape is also cheaper than most toys available these days. This will definitely not come apart within an hour or two of rough handling. This can also be played over and over for hours and hours of viewing and learning pleasure. And take note, harassed parents will also welcome the respite that this series of videos is sure to provide.

Created by children’s legend Hap Palmer, Baby Songs has already sold more than two million copies all over the world. The series makes use of music and movement to teach skills and encourage the use of imagination. Movement engages the whole child and enhances the development of basic motor and language acquisition skills. There are delightful new tunes to learn, old ones to sing along with and lively and colorful visuals created to capture the attention of infants and children up to six years of age.

Included in the series are the following: Baby Songs, with songs about security, sharing and toilet training like Piggy Toes, Rub A Dub and Today I Took My Diapers Off; More Baby Songs about more things for Baby to learn like Walking, Sitting in a High Chair and Ticky Toddle, ABC, 123, Colors and Shapes, a learning set of tunes like Alphabet in Motion, Colors in Motion and Numbers Can Tell About You, Baby’s Busy Day, which takes kids through their daily routine with songs like I Can Put My Clothes on by Myself, Peek-a-Boo and Goodnight Story Time.

Animals, an adventure ride to where animals reside with the cutest of visuals and songs like Old MacDonald’s Farm, Bingo and Itsy Bitsy Spider; Play Along Songs with songs for baby to sing along and dance with like The Mice Go Marching, Put Your Hands Up in the Air and Let’s Clap Our Hands Together, Goodnight, which is made up of sleepy time songs like Old Rocking Chair, Teddy Bear Ball and I Sleep Till Morning, and just right for the coming Christmas Holidays, the Baby Songs Christmas video with well-loved favorites like Deck the Halls and The Twelve Days of Christmas and new ones like We’re Cooking Supper for Santa.

Fondly referred to as the Bob Dylan for kids, Hap Palmer is an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter and educator. He has won numerous awards for his songs and videos. Among these are several Parents’ Choice Awards, the Parents’ Guide Children’s Media Award, Early Childhood News Directors’ Choice Award and the TV Guide Award for Best Kids Videos.

He was teaching music to pre-schoolers 30 years ago when he came up with the idea of writing songs that would integrate movements with the music. His students were not reacting positively to his performance of Where Have All the Flowers Gone with his guitar so out of his frustration, he came up with Baby Songs. He started composing new ones of his own and adding new stanzas to traditional favorites. The result was a totally stimulating experience for his young charges.

Some adults may find the words of the tunes nonsensical but kids love them and have fun acting out the lyrics. So while they are having fun, they are also learning something and keeping themselves occupied. And can there be anything more rewarding than that for any parent or teacher?

* * *

If Dracula were alive today what sort of tunes would he be listening to? This was the question asked by the people who were putting together the soundtrack for Wes Craven’s forthcoming film Dracula 2000. As of this writing the list they came up with looks like this:

Ultra Mega by Powerman; Heads Explode by Monster Magnet; Metro by System of a Down; Welcome Burden by Disturbed; Bloodline by Slayer; Ostego Undead by Static X; Break You Down by Godhead featuring Marilyn Manson; Avoid the Light by Pantera; Suffer by Endo; Blind World by Flybanger and Sober by Half Cocked.