Bananaphone - Raffi Rocks - Wacky Wednesday

Bananaphone
By Raffi
(Troubadour Records Ltd., 1994)

Today's feature is a musical Raffi CD for children. If ever you wanted a source of good music for kids, Raffi is one of the best.

My favorite tune on this CD is the title song, "Bananaphone."

We sing it on the way to school, the three of us, belting out the words. Rhyming, fun melodies, great music, and a certain amount of silliness attracted these listeners to enjoy the song. "Nana, there is rhyming!" said a very excited kindergarten boy who is learning of such things.

Bananaphone. And who hasn't used a banana for a phone?

I was somewhat worried as I remembered all of the time spent with play phones. The plastic ones with circle number dials that have to go all-the-way-around-and-back at least 8 times before someone can be called. The long skinny ones with the dial in the headset. The winding, corkscrew cords connecting both pieces. The tin can and string phones we used to make.

The loss of this historical phone type and subsequent play times became apparent when my grandson, Hayden, decided to make a phone. From cardboard. A rectangle with a screen and boxed numbers. On and off button. Battery charger requested.

Cell phones?!

Quick! Save the phones. Not the iPhones or androids, but the old-timey-whimey stick your finger in the dial and spin it around phones. This Nana is hurrying to the nearest thrift store to buy one, just for fun.

Bananas, anyone?

KID KANDY:

Make a Tin Can Phone

1. Use two empty, clean, and dry vegetable or soup cans for phones. Wrap the top open edges with duct tape to keep sharp edges covered.

2. Use a nail and hammer to make a hole in the bottom of each can.

3. Attach a very long piece of kitchen string (your choice of how long) to each can by threading it through the hole and tying knots to keep it in place.

4. Now you have a two-person phone!

5. Stand as far apart as the string allows (your choice, remember?) and chat away to the child on the opposite side. Cheers!

CAUTION: Do not let younger children use the phone unsupervised. Watch that the string does not get tangled around body parts, especially necks.

Baby Beluga - Books You Can Sing

Baby Beluga
Song by Raffi
Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
(Crown Publishers, Inc., 1980)

We can listen to the song "Baby Beluga" approximately 5 times from my front door to the school where I pick up my grandson.

The boss (aka, Khloe, three-year-old backseat driver and order-er of music) sits in her carseat, happily singing along and chattering about Baby Beluga as we listen. Again. For the 900th time.

Seriously. I woke up two times last night with the lyrics and melody running through my head.

If you do not like to repeat songs, do not listen to and/or read Baby Beluga. But if you don't mind a little repeating, go ahead! It's a great song. Fabulous in fact.

After doing a little research, I found out that the beluga whale who inspired Raffi to pen this favorite children's song just recently passed away in Vancouver, B.C. Too sad! But this song and board book will keep Baby Beluga alive in the hearts and minds of preschoolers for years to come.

And in the subconscious of their parents, teachers, and grandparents.

What's next?

A few ideas for fun extension activities after reading and singing Baby Beluga:

~ Dig out the plastic dishtub. Fill it with water and give your child plastic fish. Hopefully, whales will be in your fish collection. I've seen ocean animal sets at Michaels and toy stores. Beware. The song may have to be playing in the background.

~ Help your child use crayons to outline a whale on construction paper. Color the whale white with crayons. Add seaweed, other fish, and so on. Paint over the whole picture with blue watercolor paints to make a crayon resist picture of Baby Beluga. Put on the fridge.

~ Visit an aquarium. Look for beluga whales. If your aquarium does not have a beluga whale (they do need a very cold climate, after all) look for other types of ocean life. Take lots of pictures and explore educational aquarium programs. The bookstore may have a book on whales. Get it. Read. Sing. Repeat.


Maybe, just maybe, your child will let you introduce a new song and book. Perhaps one about going to the Zoo or a few naughty monkeys jumping on a bed.

But until then, enjoy the read-sing-repeat ride. Your child will only be in this stage for a short time. Before you know it, you will be reading and singing to your grandchildren!

Like me.



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