Music for the Ride
September 18, 2013
By Sarah Vander Schaaff I am not sure if a song can inoculate a child from the bad feelings and dangers of being bullied, but if one could provide fortification, or resistance, then it might be “Bully, Bully” by Shine and the Moonbeams. The tune was recorded a few years ago, but it was just last week when it came on a kids’ radio station that my five and eight-year-old sat silent for a moment in the backseat. “Wow. What is this song?” we asked each other. A quick Google search at home gave us the answer. It’s the creation of New York singer and songwriter Shawana Kemp and guitarist John Heagle. “Bully, Bully” appears on their first album, released… Read More
I Was Looking for a Dinosaur; I Found Help with Math Homework
September 11, 2013
By Sarah Vander Schaaff The school schedule is back in full swing and I image one of the most annoying things a person can say to you with the best intentions is, “Wow, do I have a book you should read!” I get it. I wasn’t looking for another book to read. I was wandering through the Natural History Museum gift shop in desperate search of a coloring book about dinosaurs for my five-year-old. Instead, I found Old Dogs, New Math: Homework Help for Puzzled Parents. The jacket displays a Bulldog, and although I’d consider myself more of an Irish Setter, the rest of the cover spoke to my situation. The book’s authors, Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew, don’t waste… Read More