Randy Kaplan is such a talented kids' rocker; the kind of performer who really engages his audience. He doesn't just sing, he tells stories. And we listen. We are all huge fans of Kaplan's incredibly cool, listenable (even for adults) CD…
Molly Ledford and her band of merry Lunch Money mates are just such supreme goodness. We are big fans of theirs here at Cool Mom Picks, but this new CD, Spicy Kid, just might take the cake. Er, peanut butter sandwich. This CD is a combin…
If I had to pick a CD to take with my family onto a desert island this summer, it'd be the Sugar Free Allstars' latest release. The ten tracks pack a whole lot of funky deliciousness into 36 minutes, with lyrics that always perk us up an…
My oldest daughter is about to enter sixth grade and if statistics are correct, her current love of science will likely wane as society subtly spreads the message that science and engineering studies are "not for girls." But, I'm going t…
Last year for the first time, I discovered the genius that is Circus Smirkus, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that my kids have been counting the days for an entire year until we could return. Well, we did. And you can too, now that …
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I take my Disneyland fix quite seriously and I love Mickey Mouse. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I was invited to check out the grand opening of the new Cars Land area of Disney's Califo…
Once my kids had outgrown toddler-pop songs and quiet lullabies, they were ready for music that was a bit more grown up, though not of the he did me wrong/I partied all night long genre. Fortunately, elementary-school kids like mine have…
This week, I was so excited to be able to attend the annual Baby Buggy Bedtime Bash for the first time. This infamous NYC faily carnival and fundraiser supports one of my favorite local charities, Baby Buggy (which Cool Mom Picks readers…
We had the best time writing this post on behalf of our sponsor, Bing . Read on and you'll know why. Also, you may get Celine Dion stuck in your head after this and for that we apologize. I hardly know a parent in my circle who doesn't c…
Want to know why we're in love with The Secret World of Arrietty ? Family Movie Night in our house usually means the kids pick an animated-to-the-gills cartoon that tries to make itself relevant to "all ages" with lots of double-entendre…
Dan Zanes is happiness squared. His music puts me in a great mood each and every time I give it a spin--even without the kids, when I'm alone in the minivan. So I'm excited to see his new project that didn't come out of a sound studio, b…
When I wrote about the first Okee Dokee Brothers CD back in '08, I called them "equal parts hillbilly, seven-year-old boy and your favorite teacher"...heavy on the 7 year old boy. Now on their third release, it's as if the two jokers wit…
We are not generally fans of albums of popular music covered by band that dumb down the music for kids--or worse, have kids sing the music. I'll take my Beatles sung by the Beatles, thanks very much. That said, I was nervous when I heard…
Since returning home from this year's Kindiefest, I've been listening to loads of great kids' music I can't wait to share, like this brand-new release from one of our kindie favorites, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band. Their latest col…
As a music therapist working with kids in the hospital, I saw that one of the biggest challenges parents faced (among the many) was providing their kids with as much of a typical every day experience as they could. From keeping up with s…
When Caspar Babypants burst onto the kindie music scene, I remember thinking it was cool that this Presidents of the United States of America lead singer had dipped his toe into the kindie pool with this little side project. Now, four ye…
For the past few years, I've traveled to Brooklyn, grabbed my editor Liz, and headed to the most fun conference filled with some of the best and smartest people making and promoting kids' music. We do it for love of the genre. And to fin…
Long before I had children, I fell in love with the clay stop-motion characters of nerdy inventor Wallace and his lovable dog Gromit. And now that I've succeeded in bringing three more over to Wallace & Gromit fandom, I've found a fun li…
Last summer, our editor Liz gushed about the wonders of Circus Smirkus, the amazing single-ring circus whose performers are all kids. And for those of us in the New England or upstate New York areas, every summer brings us another chance…
The minds behind Yo Gabba Gabba! are not content to settle with one successful kids show. In fact, they have just hooked themselves a certain daughter I know with a brand-new show--and some truly awesome rock music. And I'm betting a lot…
Film fans in the New York area are preparing for the New York International Children's Film Festival and we are too! Over the past 15 years, the NYICFF has become a huge family event, and a great chance to expose our kids to more than 10…
I am absolutely smitten with The Lorax , one of Dr. Seuss' most powerful characters. The book has such a strong environmental message that continues to resonate within me and so many of Dr. Seuss' fans, so I must admit that I had very hi…
We have always loved the versatility of Dan Zanes' music and the multicultural sound of so many of his songs, whether they're in his collaborations with the children of South Africa's Agape Orphanage in singing Zulu folk songs , or in a …
My seven-year-old can tell you whose lightsaber is purple (Mace Windu) and what sound a Droideka makes ( em! em! ), but he's never been able to sit in a movie theater and see one of his beloved Star Wars movies on the big screen. Until n…