Yo Gabba Gabba, Yoooooo!

-by Erica

If you have toddlers or preschoolers who watch even a moderate amount of television, chances are you've seen or heard of the Nick Jr./Noggin show "Yo Gabba Gabba". At first sight, you wonder what psychedelic haze breathed life into this creation. But after catching just a few episodes, my toddler had already absorbed these lessons: 1)Play nice, 2)be polite, 3)get up and be active, and 4)don't bite your friends. Frankly, I love having the "reinformcement" this show provides. Here's a clip showing kids that fruit and vegetables want to go to "The Party In My Tummy."



The show, which is now in its second season, is hosted by DJ Lance Rock. Yes, he may look like the high school drum major who never grew up or a forgotten member of Dee Lite, but he does a great job of infusing the show with hip-hop positivity. He's the steward of the five, uh... dolls? muppets? monsters? who sing, dance and teach each other lessons about things like avoiding danger, making friends, and saying you're sorry.

Here are two things that will hook the 30-something adults right off the bat. The 80's style music and the animation. Some songs created by the cast are so catchy that (and trust us on this) you WILL end up singing them when your kids aren't around. Others are like soothing lullabies cut with indie rock, indie pop, kindie rock, or whatever. Geesh. The more you learn about music, the more labels fail.

One highly anticipated segment from this season was a performance by The Shins. You can see that HERE.


"Train Ride": directed by PandaPanther/music performed by Tahiti 80



The wacky segments also help to make the show highly addictive. Adults and kids alike find themselves looking forward to "Super Martian Robot Girl" and "Biz' Beat of the Day" (led by Biz Markie). "Dancey-Dance Time" and the already legendary "Super Music Friend Show" have featured some very well-known musicians and celebrities. Among the stars who have dropped by are The Roots, the Ting Tings, The Shins, Laila Ali, Elijah Wood, Mya, The Aquabats, Supernova, Smoosh and the Aggrolites.

Here's the NBA's Amare Stoudemire on Yo Gabba Gabba.



Here are The Roots, performing "Lovely Love My Family"


Check NickJr.com to find out when Yo Gabba Gabba is broadcast in your area.

Related links:
NickJr.com
Lippy
Paper Rad
Aquabats

Teaching children about the democratic process

With all the excitement of the last week, it's easy to let one important thing get lost in the shuffle: The decisions we make now will greatly impact, not only our futures, but the future of our children.
Many voters made their children a part of last Tuesday's election, by taking them to the polls and teaching them about the importance of voting. So tell us, what do you do to teach your children about the process and the importance of civic responsibility? All tips and views are entirely welcome!

One of the things we do in our home is to play music and videos about topics we've been talking about. Of course, being a child of the seventies, I couldn't help but pull out the old School House Rock VHS tapes. (Those still work? Yes, they do!) Although we were playing those catchy vignettes for my son, I was the one who belted out every word to "I'm Just a Bill" and "Suffering 'Til Suffrage".

America's First Family-Elect