Does your little one have the makings of the next Lady Gaga? Does he love to jam like Bon Jovi? If your kid loves to sing and dance, then we’ve got some plans for you this summer. The Juno Company, makers of kids’ educational DVDs, is hosting its Rising Stars Search for children ages 8 and younger across the country. Budding performers are invited to sing, dance and perform to Juno Baby music with a chance to win three days and two nights in San Francisco and an appearance in an upcoming Juno Baby production, among hundreds of other prizes.

Children can download Juno Baby songs to practice their performance and register for the event at http://risingstars.junobaby.com.

Here are the remaining audition dates. Good luck!

Saturday, July 10
Denver Film Society
900 Auraria Parkway, Denver, CO 80204
Event hours: 9 AM – 10 PM

Tuesday, July 13
Toddler Tuesdays / Mall of America /Best Buy Rotunda
Minneapolis, MN
Event Hours: 10AM – 12PM

Saturday, July 31st
Bebe Paluzza/ Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173
Event Hours: 11 AM – 4 PM

Thursday, August 5th
Brooklyn’s Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213-1900
Event Hours: 2PM – 6PM

Saturday, August 14th
Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Event Hours: 10AM to 2PM

Pamela Brill

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As I was scanning the web for cool posts, I came upon the website for Kidsongs and almost fell out of my chair. I had totally forgotten about the hours I spent watching Kidsongs; I’m sure I’d seen every episode by the time I outgrew it.

Kidsongs is/was a Saturday morning musical TV show where kids sing about whatever they happen to be doing. It’s set up like a news show entirely cast by the pre-teen set, with children playing anchors as well as the crew. They head over to some place like a farm or a gym and sing about everything that they encounter there.

Being a huge music fan, I was a bit obsessed with this show. Now after stumbling onto their website, I find I can relive my geeky glory days. They not only stream videos of the original broadcasts, but they also sell old Kidsongs gear and offer free downloads. Though Kidsongs was meant for an audience aged ten years and under, I still have some of the songs stuck in my head. What does that say about me?

Check out the community tab on the site featuring blogs about the show, trivia, contests, and a “Where are they now” feature, which tracks down some former stars of the show. It’s great to see that most of my old favorites are quite successful now, like Tiffany Burton, a choreographer who most recently worked on the hit reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance.

You want a taste? I know you do… Here are some classics:

Click here for my personal fav, I remember this one frame-by-frame!

Or what about Five Little Monkeys?

Here are some more fun ones:

My children will watch anything on television as long as it’s a cartoon or looks like it was made for kids. So when I came across the new Banana Splits I decided to put them to the ultimate test. The group is made up of four animal mascots named Snorky, Bingo, Fleegle and Drooper who make music videos and have an interactive website.

Turns out these guys were actually created by Sid and Marty Krofft back in 1968 for The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. Back then, the furry costumed rock band lived in a psychedelic funhouse and were on the cutting edge of whacked-out children’s television created to capitalize on the hippie counterculture. The original Banana Splits LPs are hot collectibles for people reared on the show.

The Splits returned in 2000 and again in 2008. But the new incarnation just isn’t as much fun. The production value is lacking and the songs seem uninspired. So I’m asking you, the public, with kids of your own, am I missing something here with the new Banana Splits? Then again, I never understood the appeal of a big purple dinosaur named Barney and he seemed to catch on.

Rob

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In what has to be one of the most exciting children’s albums of the year, L.A.’s own Los Lobos put on mouse ears to take on classic Disney songs in their inimitable, Latin-flavored, guitar-driven style. Check out this great video of Los Lobos rockin’ Epcot Center with the Seven Dwarves! Grumpy’s having so much fun, he’ll have to change his name.