WINNERS! Susan's debut CD, SHOES, and her musical tribute to math facts, SKIPPING ROUND THE MOON, are the proud winners of 2005 National Parenting Publications Awards. NAPPA judges evaluated more than 600 entries and selected these CDs for their balance of entertainment and learning — plus kid appeal, uniqueness, educational value, age-appropriateness and longevity as kids grow. Susan is delighted to have been selected.

Skipping Round the Moon

“Skipping Round the Moon” was born out of teaching my own children their multiplication facts. I wrote the title song to help kids hear the “families of numbers” in skip counting and number relationships in basic multiplication. As we began to think about the times tables, I wrote “Multiplication Hand Jive,” a set of fun, quirky and engaging rhymes, each telling a story to accompany the math facts. Hand jives inspire play in learning — for a pair of kids or a whole classroom. By crossing the meridian of the body with their hands while clapping, kids integrate both halves of the brain for more effective learning. (Shhh. They'll never know!)  The tunes are simple, repetitious and to the point. Just what kids thrive on.
We play this CD as background as we travel around in our car each day. It's amazing to hear how that small amount of listening translates into absorption. My children bop around the house singing out those numbers!