It’s hard to know which children’s music CDs are any good, much less which ones will actually capture a child’s attention and imagination without annoying the parents. Rocketship Run [Two Tomatoes Records, LLC, 2008] is perfect for preschool-aged children and younger, though older kids may find they enjoy the sweet, whimsical tunes as well. The CD has songs of varying tempos that a parent can use to facilitate playtime, indoor exercise time on rainy days or for relaxing and slowing down the pace at quiet time.
Playtime with Rocketship Run
The songs on Rocketship Run are fun stepping off points to imaginative games. Berkner is skilled at crafting lyrics that will capture a child’s imagination and give them ideas to explore further on their own. Each of the charming songs has the potential to catch a child’s fancy.
The title song, Rocketship Run, is especially captivating. It lets children imagine they are rocketing to the sun, moon and stars. This song could easily lead to children rocketing around the house, pretending to visit various points in the solar system.
Laurie Berkner and her bandmates, Susie Lampert and Adam Bernstein, talk and sing through five versions of Going on a Hunt. Each version is done in a different musical style and each will have children searching high and low for treasure. Parents could craft a party game around these songs or use them to lead a march through the house for a group of energetic children.
Indoor Exercise and the Songs of Rocketship Run
On cold, wintry days or rainy days when the children can’t get outside to play, indoor exercise is crucial. Rocketship Run has songs to get their little bodies moving. Fortunately, parents will enjoy dancing and jumping to the songs as much as the children do.
Gallop through the house to Candy Cane Jane and dance and twirl to All Around My Room. Pick up the pace a bit and jump along with Jump and Fly.
Sing Along with the Laurie Berkner Band
The lyrics in Rocketship Run are catchy and easy to pick up after hearing the songs a few times. Singing along as you play and dance with your children is a good way to get in some quality connection time.
Some of the slower-paced songs make lovely quiet-time, background music. The Winter Lullaby and Nona are gentle songs that lend themselves easily to becoming modern lullabies that parents can use to sing their children to sleep.
The Laurie Berkner Band’s Rocketship Run is a perfectly delightful CD of children’s music that both kids and parents can enjoy. Parents can use the songs on Rocketship Run to put a creative spark into playtime, to encourage indoor exercise and to settle the children into quiet time.
Source:
Berkner, Laurie. Rocketship Run. New York, NY: Two Tomatoes Records, August 2008.
