It's Hip Hop, Baby! CDs and DVDs for kids!

[Farmer's Wife/Glass_Half_Full]

I love children’s music CDs and DVDs. My children are entering the age where they are outgrowing some of the Baby Mozart and similar type media but they still have a fond love for music and movement.

I was allowed the opportunity to review a DVD and a CD from It’s Hip Hop, Baby!. I received the Rockin’ Dance Party! DVD and the Fruit! CD.

The DVD says it for children ages two to six. I can see this when I watch the video. Some of the song and dance lines are obviously entertaining for toddler aged children. But, I wasn’t so sure about my two as they are six and seven years old. When the DVD had finished playing I asked them what they thought about it. They both agreed they liked it, even my seven-year-old son. I was surprised as I thought he might be disinterested as it is identified for younger children. His exact words were, “It’s good, Mom. I like it.”

Okay, then. That’s a thumbs-up from my children. We took the CD in the vehicle for a listen on the way to gymnastics and karate. There were a few musical Hip Hop tunes that I had to skip because, personally, they didn’t mesh well with my sense of sound. This is probably because I am more of a Country Western gal. The kids weren’t thrilled that I skipped them though. They wanted to hear the entire CD.

I also played the DVD while running errands with a Mom-friend and four children in the vehicle. I say we got 3 ½ thumbs up from the four of them. The youngest was 22 months old and he seemed to pay attention and enjoy the video and music. His Mom also liked it and commented that it didn’t sound ‘too Hip-Hoppy’ like she thought it might.

I liked the catchy tunes with movements from the DVD. I liked that my children wanted to get up and dance and move around with the music, either to mimic the children on the video or by making up their own movements. Where we live in South Texas, the heat in typically in the triple indices so the kids have to spend a good part of the day indoors. A video that gets them up and moving is wonderful fun for them and a way to exercise and expend energy as well.

The songs are catchy and remind me of the episode/s of “Two and a Half Men” where Charlie Harper lands a job writing and singing jingles under the pseudonym of “Charlie Waffles.” Only the songs are more child-directed, rather than the adult directed humor of the sitcom. The songs include a school bus, bath time, ABCs, counting, exercising, vegetables and how they are healthy and yummy, and tons more. All are set to a rhythm that is easy to keep up with and somewhat addicting to follow along with.

The CD that I received to review has a whopping, 26 songs plus 3 bonus tracks. This, I found very pleasing as there are enough songs to last the entire trip through errands and activities without having to repeat the same ol’, same ol’ four times in a day.

When I walked into the computer room with DVD and CD in hand to write this review, my daughter quickly grabbed the DVD from me and put it in the player. She’s replayed several of the chapters over at least twice, sometimes three times, and continues to sing and dance along as I write this. My children were slightly dismayed to find out that we don’t actually get to keep the DVD and CD, as it will be offered as a giveaway at Root & Sprout.

Considering that I’ve been instructed to enter to win, I’d say the It’s Hip Hop, Baby! DVD and CD series is a big hit and I rate it 4 stars