Last November, my kids and I had the pleasure of watching a live performance by the marvelous and talented Bobs and Lolo. It was their first time touring Ontario so when the lovely ladies at Mom Central Canada offered us the chance to go, I couldn't say no. We caught them on their last stop in Brampton after they delighted crowds in both Guelph and London. Truth be told, I didn't know many of their songs, aside from the few I recognized from Treehouse. And neither of my children were terribly familiar with them either. It was also the first time that my son, who is 2 years old, had ever attended a live performance of any kind. So I wasn't quite sure how they would react. But after the first song and watching my daughter hopping and a-bopping, I knew that Bobs and Lolo were a hit. My son warmed up to the notion of dancing amidst a crowd of fans by the end of the show, after his initial reaction of wonder and awe wore off. He sat there frozen for the first few songs, not quite certain what to make of it all. But he did come out of his trance a few times to shoot a smile over at me, as if to say, "Wow, mommy! This is pretty cool!"

One of the things that I love about Bobs and Lolo's music is that they teach kids something, whether it be how many legs bugs can have or determining what sea lions eat by looking at their poo. My all-time favourite is a song that teaches about the Canadian Provincial Birds, called "Honk for Canada." I learned that our newest province Nunavut calls the Rock Ptarmigan their provincial bird, but who knew that the Northwest Territories claimed the Gyrfalcon as theirs? Heck, who even knows what a Gyrfalcon looks like? (Don't fret. I'm a teacher of French, not geography, nor zoology.) Plus, the song is just oh, so catchy and fun to sing. I'm wondering if they could do a French rendition. I always love throwing in cross-curricular instruction in my programming and what better way than through song. Right?


By the end of their performance, the kids were all dancing at the edge of the stage and I even caught myself singing along and dancing in the shadows. The songs were so enjoyable and had enough repetition which made it easy to learn the chorus. Shortly after their final song, the audience was able to line up just outside the theatre entrance and have their picture taken with Bobs and Lolo. They were so friendly and happy to spend a few minutes to talk to the kids and give them each a sticker. I couldn't resist leaving with a copy of each of their albums. It was cheaper to buy all three and who can resist a deal? And of course, it's all we listened to on the ride home. And the next day. And the day after that...


Bobs and Lolo have some events confirmed this year taking place in their province of British Columbia and have a new CD release as well as other events in the coming months. They just shared a blog post "Great Expectations" in which they also announce the exciting news that Lolo is expecting her first baby. You can even see the image from her ultrasound where the baby is waving hello!

For more information on Robyn (Bobs) and Lorraine (Lolo), visit BobsandLolo.com. You can print out song lyrics, watch videos, or learn how can you book them for a school performance. If you would like to keep up to date on other Bobs and Lolo news, you can follow them on their Bobs and Lolo Facebook fan page and on Twitter as well @BobsandLolo.

I'd also like to thank Mom Central Canada for providing us with complimentary tickets to the show.