Music: Hitting the Gym

With a fresh CD just released, Justin Roberts is hitting the road with his indie family-music. Following several stops throughout the U.S., he’ll land at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 18. Tickets are $10 ($9 if you’re part of a family of five or more).

Check out this review of Roberts’ Jungle Gym album by L.A. Parent’s Calendar Editor, Michael Berick:

Justin Roberts
Jungle Gym
$15.98, www,justinrobertsmusic.com

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Justin Roberts ranks among the top songwriters in the kids music scene today. Along with the likes of Ralph Covert and Peter Himmelman, Roberts pens little pop gems that really relate to what it’s like to be a kid.

His latest CD is entitled Jungle Gym, and, naturally, there’s a very playful vibe to the tunes. There’s a dozen delightful ditties dealing with various childhood thrills: playing duck, duck goose, getting a new haircut, having a fire drill and being “obsessed by trucks.” In “Cardboard Box,” he inventively captures how a cardboard box can fire up a child’s imagination. Although this is a summer release, Roberts’ tunes here covers the whole calendar, as he includes a song about Halloween as well as one about a wintry snow day.

While there is plenty of fun and games in his music, he also is quite effective on songs that take a bit more serious look at childhood. “Sign My Cast” tells the story of an active boy who has to slow down after an injury, while “Never Getting Lost” is about a child apologizing to his mom for wandering off at a mall.
Roberts has fashioned another wonderful album that will entertain both adults and kids.

Check It Out: Animal Scouts

Kids love animals. That means that as parents, we’re often searching for ways to get kids and animals together. Rita Shuster, an L.A. mom of three animal-loving girls, has found a way to bring animal experiences to even more kids in the Southland: She started her own group called Animal Scouts.

The concept is pretty simple: She tracks downs a cool animal experience each month, and parents can sign up to take the “field trip” online. The cost is generally about $8 per person (and possibly a donation of some sort), and parents accompany their children on the experience. The activities range from treks to animal rehabilitation facilities (some of which are not open to the public) to Q&A sessions with animal experts and those who’ve made careers out of working with animals.

“Parents are interested, too,” Shuster says. “It’s about kids getting animal experiences, and it’s another way parents can support kids.”

Kate and Jack meet Shorty Rossi of Pit Boss and his pal, Hercules.

The first Animal Scouts activity was at an alpaca farm, and the next outing is to the California Wildlife Center on June 6. In April, Shorty Rossi, the star of Pit Boss on Animal Planet, paid a visit to the group to talk to the kids about pit bulls and their negative stereotype. Shorty runs a Hollywood talent agency for little people but one of his primary missions is pit bull rescue, which he does through his own organization, Shorty’s Charities. Kids got some one-on-one time with Shorty and Hercules, one of Shorty’s very relaxed co-stars.

Kids got lots of time with the diminuitive star to ask several questions about the breed, what it takes to work with animals and how they might be able to help.

But Shorty is just one of the many folks that Shuster hopes she can connect with children who love animals.

“I’ve had a lot of support from people in the animal community,” she says. “There’s a lot out there once you start looking.”

Check It Out: OCEANS, the Movie

Immerse yourself in OCEANS on Earth Day when the film premieres at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. You’ll be helping the Earth, too, since a portion of all tickets sold for the opening week shows (April 22-28) will be donated to Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, to help establish new marine protected areas in the Bahamas with The Nature Conservancy. The movie runs from April 22-May 23 and will include a presentation of the “Exotic Animals From Around the World,” where moviegoers will get to meet cool critters.

What’s Happening?

“Mom, what are we going to do today?” How often do you hear that question? Or wonder yourself? With a city – and a world, for that matter – ready to reveal its shiny, scenic and artsy corners, this blog will hopefully help guide you on your way.

Have a suggestion? A hot tip? A cool outing or destination to tell people about? Let me know!

– Carolyn Graham, Editor