I've Got a Dinosaur on My Head!

I just bought the CD, I've Got a Dinosaur on My Head, by Peter Apel, and we really like listening to it in the car.

"I Once Had a Balloon (But then it Popped)" is a work of genius, because it captures how psychotically attached little kids can be to their balloons, even though balloons aren't around forever. In the song, Peter tuns balloons into a poignant metaphor or mortality, while still being hilarious and also taking time to throw in an extended fart noise. Kudos!

The other songs are fun, and about simple subjects that kids relate too, often performed with silly voices and sounds. It's a great CD for kids!

Bossy Bear

Bossy Bear, by David Horvath, immediately got Calvin's attention. I read it to him once, and he immediately wanted to hear it again. Just like the David Shannon's books, Calvin loves characters who are being naughty. This book captures the kind of brattiness that toddlers can dish out, using language that's fun to say out loud. After hearing it once Calvin was already saying "Bossy Bear" and "gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!" and "faster!" (I know, it sounds like the books going to warp his personality and turn him into a brat. But, he was already being a total handful today, so at least he can have words for it). Bossy Bear learns that if he bosses everybody around nobody will want to play with him. In the end he learns to make friends with a little turtle.

David Horvath and his wife, Sun-Min Kim, are the creators of those Ugly Dolls that I've seen in so many stores and wondered about.

Albuquerque Children's Museum

Children's museums, in general, are a gift from God. Last week, when we were driving home from Carlsbad it was essential that we stop by the Children's Museum in Albuquerque to break up a long car ride.

Calvin's favorite phrases these days are "Touch it!" and "Want it!" and "Climbind" (which means I want to climb up on that). He's learning by running around and getting into stuff, and this museum was designed to accommodate him.

We started out just following him as he explored. He went into an area where kids could build things with pipes, and he took a pipe and used it as a walking stick for about twenty minutes. He tried to jump into the fountain, but we didn't let him. Then he went outside and climbed a set of stairs. There was a playground outside, and I think he has a real complex about slides. He thinks he's supposed to enjoy them, but he's usually to scared to go down them. So he says "slide! Weee!" and points to the slide, but won't go down.

Eventually we ended up in the tot room, which has a two foot ramp that he used as a slide. It also has a ton of books, boxes of blocks and puzzles, and clear pipes that go from one end of the room to the other. Kids can drop little whiffle balls into the pipes and watch them travel across the room.

It was fun.