Anyone familiar with BabySongs videos, and those
who have not had the pleasure, will enjoy this expanded CD, first released in
1996. Can a Cockatoo Count by Twos? is jam-packed with 18 fun and wholesome
teaching tunes.
Hap Palmer has a talent for marrying calming vocals with songs that invite
movement! If this doesn't make much sense, pick up a BabySongs video
or one of his recordings, and it will. His vocals wrap kids up like a blanket,
make them feel cozy and secure, yet still encourage them to move and sing right
along. The end result is active - and actively learning - children without the
atmosphere ever bordering on frenetic.
The chubby CD insert is filled with suggestions, lyrics, and follow-up activity
ideas. Truth is, this CD works just as well in a preschool setting as it does
at home. Teachers will love the sensible, well put-together extension activities,
and parents will appreciate suggestions for movement and the read-along, sing-along
lyrics.
Some early learning concepts that are incorporated into the songs include
counting by twos, of course, as well as colors (including color mixing), months
of the year, rhyming, and spatial relations, to name a few. Besides these, creative
expression and imagination are givens.
Always balanced, warm, and sensible, Hap Palmer's songs are the stuff wonderful
childhood memories are made of. With titles like Jumping to Add and Subtract
and Months on the Move, you know your kids will be learning a few things
along the way. Still, Palmer manages to weave just the right amount of imaginative
imagery into his work to capture young children's spirits.
It's no surprise that the recording ends with It's Time to Go, a
song that helps children make an important transition, whether it's simply the
end of music time at home, or it's signaling the end of preschool.
