Oh man, are we ever Laurie Berkner fans in this house! I first learned about her on the Noggin program Jack’s Big Music Show, but I have my sister in law to thank for really showing me the world of Laurie. She lent us the We are the Laurie Berkner Band dvd and we’ve been hooked ever since.

I would describe Laurie as a folk singer for kids. She writes her own songs and they are simple, creative, catchy and fun. Ella absolutely loves them! We knew that she loved music and loved to dance, but this dvd has opened up a whole new world for her. Through the repetitive watching, she has picked up some of the dance moves and parts of songs and can sense by the music where in the song to do them. We love to march to “We are the Dinosaurs” and spin around to “I’m Gonna Catch You.” Ella’s even gotten her grandma and great grandma involved in the Laurie watching, dancing and singing.

My favorite aspect of Laurie’s dvd (and the reason why this applied to us transracial families) is that the kids featured in the songs are all different races, different sizes and different ages. They look like normal kids, not like child actors. It appears that they were filmed wearing whatever clothes they showed up in that day (right down to the dirty, played in shoes,) and that is so relatable. I love seeing the different faces, and I think that is so good for Ella.

The songs teach lessons so subtly that the kids will never even know it. Since growing terribly weary of some other children’s singers (namely one certain group that drives a large red hued vehicle!) I really appreciate the fact that this is music that parents will enjoy as well. The dvd also comes with a bonus cd that is great for the car! I highly recommend it :)

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