Advice: Boomerang - Audio Fun and Trip Distractions for Roadtrips, Plane Trips, or Downtime.
Basically if you don’t have
Boomerang! – the audio magazine - in your life, you need to get it.
Boomerang! is one of the fun parts of parenting. Tune in to great dialog about relevant topics presented in a pure kid style with quirky anecdotes, humor, plain facts that matter.
The
Boomerang! folks create a monthly 70-minute audio program that you can download as an MP3 file or receive in the mail on CD. Targeting ages 6 through 12, the innovative series introduces kids to the world of big ideas and makes useful connections to science, current events, economics, history, poetry and geography, jokes, mysteries, music and interviews.
I love these guys because they provide fun for the road whether it’s a roadtrip, plane trip ,or a daily carpool jaunt. More than 15 years ago I discovered this “five-star” audio series and they remain awesome and excellent. With the first tape we became hooked as a family and have continued to share throughout the years.
Then as now the 70-minute audio segments are well-researched, educational, and entertaining for both children and adults as well. The characters and topics are timely; tapes are no-nonsense and inspirational. For our family the result of listening together has given way to hours of philosophical discussions. Many times it caused more than one of us to do additional research or write a letter to a member of congress. We still have seven years of tapes in holding cases and I find some of our first are still the best. We even have a collection of Dave Shmave Stories which reflect sound values while making us laugh to the point of tears.
More than once we had to beg the kids to get out of the car because we were at our destination and they'd point out "The Boomerang tape isn't over yet!"
Kid’s note: Dave Shmave "The Elevator Man" is the best. When I was little he seemed like the smartest person in the world, almost like my Uncle Bob. One summer we drove through Dave’s home town Woodstock, Illinois. It was much bigger and more normal than I imagined. I am going to keep my old ideas about Dave Shmave and his sister Cheryl but I don’t think they came from the Woodstock we saw.
Another kid’s note: Just in case you are a parent reading this (who else would have the time); Boomerang tapes are worth listening to even if you hate what your kids like. I am older now and in middle school. There have been plenty of times when I used information that I remembered from a tape. It has probably made a difference in how my teachers think about me. The tapes are awesome and we still listen to some from five years ago. We never take a family vacation without them.
Monthly issues contain popular components including: Widget and Whack -a comical brother act which leads to explanations about how things work; Money – concepts which our government could use; Weird Words – a game show format with big words; Turning Points – time travel and first person dialog with Rosa Parks, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein and Emily Dickinson.
Great news! Boomerang now has new podcast - get a free segment from Boomerang - delivered to your computer every week. It's easy
www.boomkids.com/listen.html is the location. But you need to know that the podcast is really just an appetizer on a smorgasbord of more than 400 topics each worth sharing with your kids or grandkids.
Boomerang PO Box 261 La Honda, CA 94020 Call them toll-free 1-800-333-7858 (maybe Dave will answer the phone) or go to
www.boomkids.com Content and images by Nancy Nelson-Duac, founder and editor FamilyTravelFiles.com. Copyright 2010.
