Suzanne's Soundtrack Sunday

The Soundtrack of Learning

As a kid, Saturday mornings meant watching cartoons. Starting when I was 7, ABC started airing some shorts that ensured that many of us watching those cartoons would tune to their channel: Schoolhouse Rock.

They were created by a father (who worked in advertising) who noticed his sons would have difficulty learning their lessons, but had no trouble at all learning all the words to the latest rock songs. He then wrote the first one "Three Is a Magic Number."

Elementary school kids the nation over rejoiced. When there was a test on the Preamble, we all replayed that soundtrack back in our heads. Learning parts of speech? There were a whole host of songs to tell us about nouns, adverbs, conjunctions, predicates and verbs. History? Covered. Science? That, too. (A coworker told of making an Interplanet Janet costume one year-how cool!)

A few years ago, in honor of the 30th anniversary of Schoolhouse Rock, Disney released all but one of the spots on DVD. Unlike the 200+ Disney DVDs in our library, we didn't have to lie and say we were getting this one for the kids. It was ours, all ours. It was just a bonus to find a 3 year old Chef jumping up on and down on the couch, singing "Yolly, Yolly, Yolly get your yadverbs here" and finding Gameboy choosing to watch these DVDs on his own.

Ed and I know a couple that are expecting. They found out they're having a girl and have come up with some names that will subject the poor girl to some serious teasing. (their other children have multiple names each) and what pops into my head? That this girl is going to be named Rafaela Gabriela Sarsparilla.

As embedding videos does weird things lately, I'm going to try it, but I'm also adding the links. In addition, my Soundtrack Sunday YouTube channel now features playlists, so you can just click on the Saturday Morning Lessons playlist and find the my top ten:

Nouns

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly
Conjunction Junction
The Preamble
Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla
Three is a Magic Number
Figure Eight
Interjection!
I'm Just A Bill
Elementary, My Dear

Number 10 is one that I didn't get to view until the DVD came out, since it was one of the last ones. It's just so gosh darn cute that I found it endearing the first time I saw it. It's a bonus that it teaches a great lesson-but that's the beauty of all 51 of the Schoolhouse Rock episodes.

Mr. Morton

If you missed these the first time around, trust me, taking a look will put a smile on your face. And if you've got kids? These are a great way to get those lessons to stick in their heads-thirty plus years later!

Comments

Joyce-Anne said…
You were right on with this one. Tim and I bought 2 of the DVDs earlier this summer. He and I regaling tunes and the kids looking at us as if we both had two heads each. Oh well. Maybe my littlest peanut will enjoy them.

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