Yellow Car – FUN driving game with counting and wishes!

 Did you see that Yellow Beetle Bug?

I wrote a song when Delilah was 2 and it was all because as we drove across town in my blue minivan, she kept whispering “yellow car” (tho it sounded more like “yeyo cah yeyo cah”). I would think, “oh that’s cute, she likes saying that” but then in about 30 seconds, a yellow car would approach, or I’d see one parked way down the road. She was seeing them before I was! And I had no idea that there were SO many yellow cars on the road.

Not only did we continue to search for the yellow cars on the way to baby group or the beach, but we started pretending that you get a wish when you see one. Pretty soon, the song was written on the road and when it came to recording the CD of course we had to put it on “Everyday Adventures”.

And it’s so funny when ever kids come over, like when Eric Herman’s girls came over to do some recording…they knocked on the door and asked “Do you have a yellow car?”. And the answer is “no”. I have a blue minivan, great for spotting yellow cars.

Download Yellow Car here on itunes!

Here is a little excerpt from Sharla’s kidfun blog.

Beep Beep!

3 Nov  by Sharla http://kidfunandmore.com/?p=349

I’ve been meeting so many interesting people throughout the country who are sharing their ideas with us. How about the Yellow Car Counting Game? It’s a simple little driving game (perfect for KIDFUN). It came from Deborah Poppink, a Los Angeles-based mom, creative parenting advocate, and musician who records and performs as DidiPop.

Here’s how to play … every time you see a yellow car, you get a wish. She said, “I never realized how many yellow cars are on the road!” They started playing when her daughter Delilah was two years old and she began saying the word “yellow” and recognizing the color. She would whisper “yellow car”. I remember when Ryan started saying yellow – it sounded more like “lellow”. I loved it!

So the rules their family created were: Call it out every time you see a yellow car. You get one wish when you see a regular yellow car, two wishes for yellow Beetle Bugs and motorcycles and 1/2 wish for taxi cabs. What a good way to introduce fractions! And, you know, it’s fun to talk about wishes. Be clear they aren’t promises just lovely thoughts to dream about.

Learn more about Deborah by visiting www.didipop.com and www.YouTube.com/didipopmusic.

She has a new recording called DidiPop Goes to Hawaii, being released in December.

 

Musical Parenting Tip: Make up new words to songs you know

I like to accompany most activities in life with music. I sing A LOT. It’s just my nature. It’s also my nature to teach and I love teaching music to children. They are so excited about playing piano and learning songs. It is like I am giving them the tools to fly a 747. I sometimes feel that a piano looks like a wonderful spaceship to kids (and maybe to everyone). All those buttons and pedals – Come ON! Fly me To The Moon!

Back to today’s tip: Make up new words to songs you know. This is so easy and fun to do. Do it while driving, in the bathtub, on a picnic and in the grocery line! One really fun and funny one is to start with is The Alphabet Song (the traditional one). When you get to the last letter (or word) or each section, instead of singing the letter/word, make a raspberry sound (you know, the sound that comes from putting your tongue between your lips and gently blowing out on a “P” sound, letting your lips flutter in the wind). Let’s try it!

1, 2, ready, go:

a…b…c…d…e..f… PLLTHLTHTHLT!
h….i…j…k…l.m.n.o.. PLLTHLTHTHLT!
q…r…s……t….u…PLLTHLTHTHLT!
w….x….y…and PLLTHLTHTHLT!
Now I know my A… B… PLLTHLTHTHLT!
Next time won’t you sing with PLLTHLTHTHLT!

Isn’t that fun and funny? I sing it with my kids and I did it at a Didi Pop Show last night…kids love it! I mean they LAUGH HARD!

You may be thinking, “OK Didi Pop, this sounds fun, but what exactly does that teach?”

Firstly, it teaches the alphabet in a more cognitive way. Kids are not simply singing what they have memorized (a series of sounds accompanied by melody), they are thinking and processing about what comes next. They are also learning breathing technique (it takes a different kind of air flow to create the raspberries) and therefore, musical phrasing. It teaches creativity (they learn that words and sounds can be  substituted for other words/sounds) and empowers children around music and language (Yes! There are no rules! Music and language are tools that can be altered according to one’s mood!). It also inspires general silliness and family FUN. I mean, who doesn’t want to see their grandma singing:

h….i…j…k…l….m…n.o…… PLLTHLTHTHLT!

And here is my ABC song for you to enjoy!