Six Sizzling Kid-Friendly CDs Make for One Hot Summer Road Trip

A Frog Named Sam makes you feel like you're already on vacation and sipping Shirley Temples

You know it’s vital to stock the car with good eats, lots of toys and some great music during those long summer road trips.

My advice, skip the annoying children’s music CDs altogether and step into these fresh, fun musical finds that are sure to please the palates of kids and parents.

To get things going, slip in Name Your Tune, a personalized CD that incorporates your child’s name into the lyrics. The first song, “Hello, How Are You?” is a favorite, along with “Boom Boom, Ain’t It Great to be YOU!” This CD is sure to put your kids in a fun and silly mood (and bring out lots of smiles) as they hear their name in every song. $20 at Name Your Tune.

Next, keep the excitement going by putting in the CD player anything by Laurie Berkner. We love the DVD/CD combo called, “We are the Laurie Berkner Band” because it’s chocked full of classic Berkner songs such as “We are the Dinosaurs” and “Victor Vito.” Also check out Berkner’s latest CD called “Rocketship Run.” The album’s cover song, “Rocketship Run,” is a favorite and so are “Mouse in My Toolbox” and “All Around My Room.”  $15 at Two Tomatoes.

After the excitement wanes and you’re looking for a little quieter sound, give a listen to “Baby Einstein’s World Music.” Most of the tunes are instrumental and they incorporate calming and fresh sounds from Africa, Australia, Brazil, Japan, France and other countries too. If you’re lucky enough to have a DVD player in your mini-van, like us, you might enjoy the accompanying DVD too. $6.98 ($22.97 with the DVD) at Amazon.com.

After a little rest time, slip in any CD from the Music Together collection. We’ve taken five Music Together classes over the years and have accumulated quite a collection of CDs! Music Together, in my opinion, is one of the best music learning classes for children 0-5 because the music is fun to listen to – there’s no kiddy stuff here! $17.50 per CD at the Music Together Store.

Then, bring up the kid’s energy with some folksy, bluegrass tunes with “Banjo To Beatbox” by Cathy & Marcy. The duo is joined by progressive hip-hop artist, Christylez Bacon, who beatboxes (mouth drums) and sings about kid-friendly things. It’s like the Indigo Girls meets Bobby McFerrin – but for kids of course! $7.99 at CD Baby.

And as you approach your destination, build the anticipation with “A Frog Named Sam” by Ben Rudnick & Friends. The music made me feel like I was already on an island vacation and we couldn’t stop saying “Ribbit, Ribbit, Croak,” the primary lyrics from the title song. Rudnick brings a whole lot of roots rockin’ to the kiddie music world. See for yourself on YouTube. $13.99 at Amazon.com.

Happy road travels everyone!