This post has been a long time coming. Then when the First Look Twitter-master asked if I wanted to sponsor a giveaway of two cd’s on OrangeDad, I knew the time was perfect. I love this cd. I bought it at the Orange Conference; and, for where Evie is right now (7 months old), the gentleness of the singers is ideal for her. She giggles a lot when this cd is playing, and it’s a lot more meaningful than “Party in My Tummy” or “Five Little Ducks.”
So…I’m going to listen through the cd and comment as I go, stream of consciousness style…
1. Wonderful Clubhouse Theme
Evie looooves the gentleness of the singer. She giggles when she hears this music. Personally, I like that it has kind of a Owl City feel to it (and that I can harmonize with his key)…
2. Ollie’s First Clue
Ollie is an owl, and he presents clues throughout the cd. Each clue centers around the three truths that we want to instill on our little ones to INCITE WONDER in their hearts. This one says, “I made you.” And the kids are supposed to guess who that is…
3. God Made It All
Kind of folksy children’s song. But I LIKE it. It’s sweet, and it’s all about how God made everything. This is a key truth for capturing the heart of a preschooler. I love the line, “From the shortest short to the tallest tall, God made it; and He made it all.” Cute. It goes from creation (like nature) to humans. This is a fundamental truth in a cool form. There’s a call and response time too where the guy asks the kids “Who made the _____?” and kids actually answer back. This is one of my favs.
4. God Made Me– WONDERFUL!
This one is kind of like a funky Southern rock song. Not my style, but I can see where this one will be fun with Evie as she gets older pointing out all the body parts that they mention in the song (and how God made them). I would love to hear her singing that chorus– “God made me so wonderful.” Such an important truth!
5. Ollie’s Second Clue
Ollie explains that God made us (which is hard to miss if you paid attention to the previous two songs!) Next clue, “I love you.” Who could that be?
6. No Matter What
This is another sweet worship song with a female lead with a great, clear point. ”No matter what God loves me. No matter what He cares for me. No matter what God loves me. He wants the best for me.” What a great bridge to explaining not only how loved your little one is but also that the reason why we obey the Bible is because He wants the best for us. I love this one. It’s upbeat and kind of has a K-Love feel.
7. God Said So
A male lead. Another folksy, worshipy sounding song. ”Oh, oh, oh, God said so, oh oh. God said so, oh oh. He said that He loves me.” Catchy and really great for us adults to remember too! I love it because we talk about authentic faith in high school ministry, and that’s really, “God is who He says He is, and He will do all He has promised to do.” This song hammers that home from an early age. I like the breakdown at the end. Another call and answer. ”What do you believe?” ”God loves me.” ”How do you know?” ”God said so.” Very cool.
8. Ollie Wants You to Guess Who
Again, I don’t think it’s hard to get these things. Then Ollie tells us about how we can trust God…
9. How Do I Know?
Piano driven. Silly. Almost like a Veggie Tales song (or the fun part of Bohemian Rhapsody… “I see a little silhoutte, oh, of a man…”). This is EVIE’S FAVORITE. She loves when I sing this one to her. ”Listen listen listen. Look look look. Open up my eyes and read Your Book.” It goes from piano driven to polka. It’s hilarious, and gets increasingly chaotic. But it’s all about the importance of the Bible. How cool is that?
10. Who Knows Best?
This one has a sweet 80′s punkish girl sound. I almost imagine Debbie Gibson or the Go-Go’s singing this one– in a good way. It’s fun because it has clear body motions that kids get to do: jumping, wiggling, freezing, etc. It’s all about how whatever God says, we should do it because “He knows what’s best for me.” This is a fun one. Love the musical variety.
11. I Can Do All Things
This is what us old guys call a “slow jam.” A sweet male lead singing to a slow beat about all the things that we can do with God’s help. Very practical: “obeying my dad,” “hugging my friends,” “saying thank-you,” “sharing my toys.” I love the line, “I may be small, but God is so powerful.” This one is really a beautiful song. I think I’ll cry whenever Evie can sing this one. I can imagine her struggling to do something one day (whether it’s falling asleep when she’s scared or having a hard time picking up her toys), and we can talk about this song.
12. I Can Do (What)?
This one is a rockin’, rhythmic song that’s another call and response. ”I can do. I can do.” ”What?” And the answerers are cute sounding little kids. It’s fun. And it’s all about how we can do THE RIGHT THING. A cool song about being obedient. I love the “I can do. I can do.” ”Oh yeah!” And the little kids are saying “Oh yeah!” They’re little, and it’s pretty cute.
13. Ollie’s Final Clue
Ollie asks us if we figured out that God knows what is best for us. He reviews the answers and talks about God sending Jesus. Cool stuff…
14. Look, Look Everyone
This one is sweet. It’s all about Jesus coming to earth. It really sounds like 98 Degrees. Sweet beat, beautiful harmony. The lyrics are so great, though, “He is a present from heaven. God gave us His Son. Baby Jesus. He is so precious. Look look everyone. God gave us His Son.” I know that a preschooler may struggle with understanding the fullness of the Gospel, but this is an amazing first step into that conversation. Jesus truly is a “present from heaven.” I tear up thinking about the day that Evie would accept that present. OK…I may electrocute myself on my keyboard… Beautiful song.
15. Ollie Calls for a Party
He gives the kids a chance to shout out that Jesus is the one who wants to be our friend forever. Then he calls for a celebration!
16. This Is How
This one’s very Owl City (ironically)–sweet and heavily based on electronic beats. It’s another body part song of how we can love God with all that we are. Cute and fun.
17. I’m So Glad He Loves Me
This one’s a soft rock song. It’s just all about how Jesus loves everyone. ”I’m so glad He loves me. I’m so glad He cares.” It goes into how much Jesus loves and cares for us.
18. Oh So Happy Day
This one’s got a fun celebratory beat, like a Caribbean carnival. It calls for us to celebrate because Jesus is alive. A great Easter song. It calls for us to clap our hands and beat a drum (hmm…I’m going to have to buy some instruments…).
19. My Friend Forever
Another soulful Southern rock style. Not my style, but it’s repetitive about the right things, “Jesus wants to be my friend forever.” That’s literally word-for-word what we want our little ones to understand in preschool. Solid. I wouldn’t mind hearing Evie humming this one around the house!
20. Ollie’s Farewell
Ollie reviews and peaces out. Apparently, Ollie has business in Seattle.
So…you interested in this one? I’m going to hold a contest for the two free cd’s. I’m going to give people a week or so to follow me on Twitter, subscribe via email on the right, or follow the Facebook page. Then I’ll let you know what you’ve got to do to get your hands on this wonderful cd.
So, in my best Ollie voice, I say, “Stay toooooooooooooooned…”
[Until then, share my blog with your friends!]
