Jeremy Plays Guitar just came out with his new album, Use Your Words, full of songs that teach kids lessons (like how you should use your words rather than whine). It made me think of other fun lesson songs that teach kids about manners, hygiene, or eating healthy in entertaining ways…

My favorite song on Use Your Words is House Rules, a song that tells us what “we should and should not do” because “we don’t live in a zoo.” Kids learn that “no biting” is a good rule, but they also learn that “yes sharing” is important, too. Check out Jeremy’s new video for Jump So High, too!

Speaking of sharing, I’ve always loved Lenny & Tamara’s Taking Turns on their album Sharing The Same Stars. With a classic rock-and-roll beat, the song presents situations to kids (like two kids wanting to use the same color crayon) and gives them solutions. Amazingly, the song really works as a song and a lesson. Leeny & Tamara are great at that!

Brian Vogan’s newest CD, Sing a Little Song, has a great hand washing song called Wash Your Hands. It can be hard to find a good song about hygiene—so often they’re just so preachy. But this song seriously rocks! And it’s fun to sing “wash your hands, wash your hands, stop the germs if you can” while showing your kids how to wash at the sink.

And since we’re talking about cleaning up at the sink, you’ve got to check out Wash Your Face from one of my favorite bands, the Okee Dokee Brothers, on their newest album, Take It Outside. I love this CD! These guys are so silly and have such a wonderfully bluegrass style. I love that their lyrics are so clever and witty—I’m still finding new sly jokes in their songs!

So we’ve got basic rules, sharing, and keeping clean down… what else do we need to teach our kids? How about eating healthy? There are lots of kids’ songs about food, but often they’re about ice cream, candy, or macaroni and cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course). But if you’re looking for a song about eating veggies, check out Lemonsquare’s Very Veggie on Music for Fun. They sing about tasty vegetables and encourage kids to eat anything that’s green so that they can call themselves “very veggie,” too!

Are you looking for songs to teach your kids other lessons or do you have special lesson songs that you want to tell us about? Let us know!

Photo by lori05871

Getting the kids back to school can be such a hectic time: trying to get everyone back on schedule, making sure they’ve all got their new lunch boxes and back packs, and soothing any new school jitters can take a lot out of a mom!

I don’t know how things work in your family, but for us music always helps to ease transitions, so of course I’ve compiled a list of school songs for Ivan to listen to as he gets ready to start his new year as a big five year old boy!

You can listen to this playlist on the Hilltown Family Variety Show! Listen to the podcast or catch it on your radio on Sunday from 7am to 8am on WXOJ 103.3FM Northampton.

1. Back to School by Steve Blunt
   A great way to start the new school year! Steve’s song starts out sad about the end of summer, but he learns that his new teacher is actually pretty cool. Steve Blunt is a local musician from New Hampshire and his two CDs, Hang on Henry and Outta School, are really fun. He has a way of telling a story through song that can sometimes catch you off guard—in a good way!
2. In the Back of the Bus by Bill Harley
   Bill Harley is the ultimate story teller. I love this rock and roll song about the kids who sit in the back of the bus—they just might steal your hat or eat your lunch! But as with all of Bill’s songs and stories, it’s all just part of the fun.
3. Take Me to Show-and-Tell by Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family
   When I was a kid, one of my favorite things in school was Show-and-Tell. I remember taking my pet mongoose in once. I think the teacher in Sarah Lee Guthrie’s song would have been angry at me! Sarah’s voice is so sweet and I love how her kids join her on the chorus. Her music is definitely a family affair!
4. Reading a Book by Ben Rudnick & Friends
   There are so many great songs about reading and this one by Ben Rudnick & Friends is one of my favorites. They say that “anything can happen when you’re reading a book” and let your imagination take wing. So true!
5. Once Upon a Time by Judy Pancoast
   Judy Pancoast’s song about reading focuses on knowledge rather than imagination. Her princess character reads books to learn about the world because her father won’t allow her to go to college. She says she doesn’t want to just sit around and wait to be a prince’s wife… and she’s only interested in a prince who reads just like her! What a smart girl!
6. Library by SteveSongs
   Where are you going to find all those wonderful books? In the library! SteveSongs gets so excited about all the cool books at the library that the librarians need to hush him!
7. Recess Time by Asheba
   We all need a break after all that reading. Asheba’s up-beat reggae song is about children running and playing on the playground at recess. Asheba’s songs are all so positive and full of life!
8. Sack Lunch by Recess Monkey
   I love this song by Recess Monkey! The song is sung in the voice of your sack lunch while you (the student) are on a field trip. The guys of Recess Monkey are able to give ordinary things such importance—and if you get the chance, check out the video for Sack Lunch, it’s hilarious!
9. Big Field Trip by Justin Roberts
   Justin Roberts is one of the kings of kids’ music. We got to see him live this summer at the Regattabar in Harvard Square. What a show! Like so many Justin Roberts songs, Big Field Trip is so much fun to sing along to. Give it a try!
10. Share by Renee & Jeremy
    What’s the most important life lesson you learn in kindergarten? Sharing, of course! Renee & Jeremy use their perfect harmonies to get the message across beautifully: If we all share love will surround us!
11. Taking Turns by Leeny & Tamara
    Leeny & Tamara’s Taking Turns has a similar message: we can all get along and play together happily if we just take turns. Another great school lesson!
12. Naptime by Charlie Hope
    You know what Ivan does when he gets home from school? He takes a nap. He has so much fun learning and playing all day that he comes home exhausted. Charlie Hope’s song about naptime is a great way to get in the mood—but her lullaby CD, World of Dreams, will seal the deal.

I’m a huge advocate of using music as a way to signal everyday events. This works especially well for special needs kids who may need a little extra help moving through transitions.

We have certain songs that we listen to when it’s time to eat or time to go to school, special Wake Up Songs, and, of course, special going-to-sleep songs.

We have so many sleep songs that we’ve actually separated them into three categories: relaxing songs when it’s time to just wind down a bit; nap songs; and bed time songs. I’m starting to feel like a lullaby expert!

So I wanted to share some of our favorite lullaby songs with you. Some are full albums and others are just one song off an otherwise excitable CD (and these days it’s so easy to just download one song), but all are magnificent.

Charlie Hope’s World of Dreams is a beautiful CD. She really thought through the entire concept from beginning to end and recorded an album fully with the intent of lulling your child to sleep.

I know it sounds obvious, but many lullaby CDs will include spoken words or jarring sounds that can wake you up! On World of Dreams, however, you’ll find that each song runs smoothly to the next, that the imagery is peaceful, the songs are ethereal, and the last song, If I Lie Here, sort of drifts off and fades away at the end, perfect for falling asleep to.

The beats on Under the Stars may move a bit faster than World of Dreams, but works beautifully for an afternoon nap time. What I love most about this album is that singers Nancy Falkow & Fran King take turns as lead vocalist, so get this very nice back and forth between a male voice and female.

Both singers are now based in Ireland (though Nancy is originally from the US), and you’ll hear lots of nature references in the songs that make me think of the Irish countryside. Very soothing and very sweet, my favorite song has to be I Wish You Love. It’s such a tender song about a parent’s love for their child.

This CD by Renee & Jeremy is a must-have in our car. It’s a Big World is the CD we pop in when Ivan is fussy and tired while we’re driving around town and just needs to settle down. It always works!

Renee & Jeremy are probably one of the best duo bands ever, their voices just blend perfectly, and this CD is home to my absolute favorite lullaby ever: Powder Blue. This is the song I hum to Ivan when it’s just me and him and he needs a little extra love. So simple yet so effective!

And can we talk for a minute about artwork? I’m just mesmerized by this CD cover. Brilliant and beautiful, but also soothing at the same time. Very nice.

A lot of artists will also record one lullaby song with the rest of the upbeat songs on their album. Here are some of our favorites:

• Alastair Moock’s Yllabul
• The Flannery Brothers’ Tuck Me In
• Hot Peas ‘n Butter’s Nabiya (Butterfly)
• Justin Roberts’ Song for You
• Laurie Berkner’s Winter Lullaby
• Maria Sangiolo’s Baby’s Lullabye
• Mariana Iranzi’s Buenas Noches (Good Night)
• Recess Monkey’s Firefly Lullaby
• Vanessa Trien’s Bedtime Waltz
• Ben Rudnick & Friends’ Sons & Daughters

We’ve been collaborating with Hilltown Families lately to bring local music info over to the families in Western Mass. Hilltown Families covers lots of kids events over on the other side of the state, while Boston Children’s Music focuses mainly on the Boston area. As they say on their site, “Between the two we’re bridging the state to let families all throughout MA know about great concerts for families!”

On Sunday (June 27th), Hilltown Families will be airing a radio program featuring our favorite new songs from local artists (and one artist who maybe isn’t quite local, but plays in the area a lot). The show will air tomorrow morning from 7-8am on 103.3FM WXOJ. You can listen via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org. The playlist and podcast are available on their site, too.

Here’s the playlist…

1. Two Mommies by Alastair Moock

2. A Frog Named Sam by Ben Rudnick & Friends

3. So, So Happy by Debbie & Friends

4. Shake! by the Flannery Brothers

5. Panther Stamps Pants by Gustafer Yellowgold

6. Owl Hootenany by Vanessa Trien

7. Finger Puppets by Little Groove

8. Friends are on their Way by Joe’s Backyard Band

9. Yucky! by Judy Pancoast

10. I Came Out Backwards by Leeny And Tamara

11. Pajaro Carpintero (Woodpecker) by Mariana Iranzi

12. Elephant Hide and Seek by SteveSongs

Halloween may not be ’till next month, but I’m already getting excited. Ivan is going to be a Fireman!

I was looking through our CD collection for some fun Halloween songs to get us in the spirit and found two great ones: Laura Freeman’s Frankenstein and Steve Blunt’s Pumpkins, Beware.

So, I asked around for more suggestions and found that Steve had a wonderfully spooky collection of assorted Kid-Friendly Halloween Songs on his iTunes. I added a couple more and voilà! We’ve got a spine-tingling holiday playlist fit for tots and fun for mom and dad, too!