Putumayo Picnic Playground


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Putumayo Picnic Playground rocks the house, or the playground, or wherever you choose to pump up the volume to this delicious, delightful collection of songs about everything food!

In classic Putumayo style, the compilation contains a buffet of head bopping world beats – great for introducing fabulous rhythm patterns to those budding musical geniuses in your life and equally great for dancing around the house with your favorite fancy feet.

Lyrics are educational, too, and celebrates the joy of eating, cooking, delighting in food. Track 1 (“Eat Like A Rainbow”) sings of eating naturally colored foods because it builds the body and helps the brain grow :) Although many songs are in English, some are not (French, Spanish, German) but lyrics and translations can be downloaded off the Putumayo website.

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Frances England


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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  CONGRATS MEGAN, YOU ARE THE WINNER!

Most children’s music that I have been exposed to tends to give me headaches and make me slightly nauseas.  The combination of over-stimulation, cheesiness, and all around “zaniness”, makes me avoid much of the music for my child.  That is why it was so wonderful to hear the music of Frances England.  Her albums are a breath of fresh air to children’s music.  Her ‘Family Tree’ album is beautiful, soothing and the lyrics are something that children and their parents will appreciate.  The heartwarming “You and me” deals with a young one growing up.  The song’s lyrics are so moving; they actually brought tears to me eyes. Another favorite is the much more lighthearted “Tea Party” with instruments used being a guitar, fiddle, and shaker.  The lyrics include:

“One little bird sitting high in a tree

Turning his head, he was looking at me

I said, “Birdie, oh, birdie just

what do you see?”

He said, “A sweet little boy having a tea party.”

The blankets spread wide for your guests

The saucers and cups are laid out to impress.”

In addition to the two albums she has released, she recently wrote an ABC song for web magazine, LMNOP.  This was how I first discovered her music.  I kept the song on repeat as my little one danced happily around the living room!  I am in love with the music of Francis England for its simplistic, beautiful arrangements and my son and I look very forward to her next release.  If the ‘Family Tree’ album is not in your music collection yet, go out and pick it up!

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Frances England has offered one of our readers a Family Tree CD! To enter, simply visit Frances England and leave a comment on this post with your thoughts and favorite song!  For additional entries:

1) Subscribe to Does Mommy Love It? then leave a comment stating you did so.

2) Twitter about the contest and leave us a hyperlink to the tweet!

3) If you haven’t, please join our FACEBOOK GROUP!

4) Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway and comment with the permalink to this post.

5) Grab our button and put it on your sidebar and comment with a link to your blog.

6) Email 5 of your friends and tell them why they should check out DoesMommyLoveIt?. Be sure to COPY us on the email (doesmommyloveit@gmail.com)! Then comment stating you did so.

This contest ends October 12, 2009 Midnight EST.

Click here for contest rules at DoesMommyLoveIt.com



Whistlefritz’s Adentro y Afuera


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51YG0LgehiL._SL500_AA240_As a language learning addict, I’ve tried it all…. Berlitz, Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone.  But for my kids, there aren’t a ton of choices out there, let alone good ones.

With a bit of skepticism, I watched Whistlefritz’s Adentro y Afuera with my 3-year old.  He seemed to really enjoy the songs and interactive nature of the video.  In no time, he was able to count to 10 en español and starting singing the songs himself.

The entire video is conducted in Spanish, and while I appreciate the complete language immersion method they clearly espouse, I as a parent would appreciate an option on the DVD where you can display English subtitles.  It would also be helpful for the audience to see how a word is spelled when first introduced, and to reinforce word recognition by sight.  [I should note that the DVD comes with a small translation guide which include key words and song lyrics, but again I would have liked to see this on-screen.]

Nevertheless, my son’s enthusiasm has made Whistlefritz a staple in our DVD collection.  Other DVD’s by Whistlefritz include Los Animales and Vamos a Jugar, which was reviewed previously on Doesmommyloveit.com, see here.

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Whistlefritz


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This contest is now closed.  Congrats, Timothy, you are the winner!

Whistlefritz, a Spanish program for kids, was created by a mom of preschoolers whom she is trying to raise bi-lingually. The program emphasizes learning a second language in early childhood because it offers a lifetime of benefits. Whistlefritz‘s success is based on these key elements:

1) Expose children to a second language early when the brain is most receptive to language developement.

2) Skip the translation!

3) Teach children a second language using “immersion.”

4) Expose children to a second language as spoken by native speakers.

5) Repetition is key to language learning.

6) Offer an immersion program that is compelling and kid-friendly!

The Whistlefritz‘s DVDs and CD are filled with entertaining songs, stories and characters. My son enjoyed the music and seemed “immersed” into the theme of the Spanish language. They have won a variety of awards… the 2008 iParenting Media award, The National Parenting Center’s 2008 Seal of Approval, 2008 Parents’ Choice Approved Award, and KIDS FIRST!

“¡A Bailar! Let’s Dance! is a collection of dance-able, sing-able, toe-tapping Spanish melodies for kids of all ages. Upbeat Latin rhythms help children learn the Spanish words for letters, numbers, colors, parts of the body, directions, activities, and more! ¡A Bailar! Let’s Dance! includes popular traditional children’s songs as well as original compositions by award-winning Latin American musical artist, Jorge Anaya. Songs introduce children to both Spanish vocabulary and a variety of Latin music as they sing and dance along to a playful mix of salsa, merengue, corrido, cumbia, ranchera, rumba, and more!

This collection of memorable music will appeal to kids and grown-ups alike and, best of all, it makes learning Spanish simple and fun!”

“In the award-winning DVD, Los Animales, children explore the world of animals and sounds, and get treated to a few surprises along the way. Young children will giggle with glee at this motley group of animals, including a timid elephant who gets chased out of town by a little gray mouse, a witty dog who can mimic the sounds of his farm friends, and a mischievous donkey who stirs up a hullabaloo in the barnyard! These playful puppets will have your kids up on their feet dancing and singing along to beloved Spanish-language folksongs, Los Pollitos and Vengan a Ver Mi Granja.

This Spanish DVD gives children an ideal introduction to Spanish, through skits, dance, song, and play. Children learn the names and sounds of animals in Spanish.

The Translation Guide provides an easy reference for parents who are first-time learners of Spanish. The guide lists words as they appear for the first time in the program.”

Whistlefritz is giving one lucky Does Mommy Love It? reader the chance to win a a set of DVDs and a CD! To enter, simply visit Whistlefritz. For additional entries:

1) Email 5 of your friends and tell them why they should check out DoesMommyLoveIt?. Be sure to COPY us on the email (doesmommyloveit@gmail.com)! Then comment stating you did so.

2) Subscribe to Does Mommy Love It? and then leave a comment stating you did so.

3) Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment stating you did so along with your twitter name.

4) Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway and comment back with the permalink to this post.

5) Grab our button and put it on your sidebar and comment with a link to your blog.

Contest ends March 10th, 2009 Midnight.