Family Friday: Family Movie Night Suggestions

Greening Families is excited to announce that Lucas Miller, of Singing Zoologist fame, will be contributing a monthly guest post. These posts will concentrate on suggestions for families to enjoy and appreciate nature together. We hope that these ideas will deepen your appreciation of the world around us while also strengthening your family’s connections.

We had a chance to meet Lucas away from his concerts and were impressed with how thoughtful he and his wife are in parenting their two children. Between that and his clear love of nature, we can’t think of a better author for this series. His first post is below – enjoy!

In 1994, as a twenty-something, I started a business sharing my love of animals and science with children.  Armed with a guitar, a head full of science facts and a heart full of love for wildlife and children, I enlisted in the battle to protect the planet.  I became the “singing zoologist” and declared the importance of all things wild through my songs, stories and generally goofy antics (see www.lucasmiller.net if you want to know more).

Flash forward a few years and I had a family of my own to raise as well as a business that was thriving.  Life became busier than I ever thought possible and I gained a whole new perspective on what it takes to create “green” kids.

While I don’t claim to be a national authority on the subject, I’ve thought about the matter a lot and I’m happy to be starting a series of posts for greeningfamilies.com about opportunities for families to connect with nature and each other.

Yes, I’ll be suggesting some long-term projects and day trips but I want to start with something ultra simple and fun—rent a good movie!  Being a believer in the power of stories and music to shape people, I think this is a worthwhile endeavor and I hope some or all of my recommendations may be new to you.

Now, I don’t like apocalyptic views of the future in children’s movies (I’m thinking of Wall-E).  I like movies that inspire rather than scare, especially when it comes to family fare.  So here, in no particular order, are some recommendations:

Fly Away Home: Director Carroll Ballard delivers a compelling story with an environmental edge.  It culminates in a beautiful ending sequence that moves me to tears without fail.

Visit www.OperationMigration.org to learn more about the real stories about leading migratory birds with ultralights; it amazing stuff!

Duma is another one from Carroll Ballard.  This is the story of a boy’s relationship with a cheetah and his effort to set it free.  It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen this one but my whole family loved it and that’s hard to do with a boy who loves reptiles and predators and a squeamish, sensitive daughter who doesn’t like scary stuff. (I’m not sure she’ll ever get over the peeping baby duck being carried away by a fox in Planet Earth….)

This, like so-o-o many movies (Fly Away Home does too), starts with the death of a parent and I, for one, am getting really weary of that motif.  Once we got through that, however, we found the story engaging and inspiring.

Hoot is another one that gets four thumbs up from my posse.  Humor, environmental ethics and, of course, those adorable owls keep everyone engaged.

Genesis: Where Are We Coming From? The cinematography in this is amazing and worth watching in its own right.  There’s some jaw-dropping footage here without a lot of the predator-and-prey stuff that makes my daughter leave the room.

If you’re wanting to introduce the concepts of evolution and adaptation to your children, this is an excellent resource.

Microcosmos: More amazing cinematography here (same folks that did the aforementioned Genesis film).

This is a fascinating look at insects and other itty-bitty creatures.  My daughter was grossed out but our son loved it.

The Blue Butterfly: I was talking about this list and my wife insisted that I include it.  We just watched it and it is indeed a beautiful story that would make a good follow-up or lead in to Microcosmos.  It reminded me a bit of my wife’s other favorite, Medicine Man, which is certainly worth a watch and a bit more environmental although not “inspiring” enough to make the grade for this list

Never Cry Wolf:  Yet another Carroll Ballard eco-films (love this guy).  This one is probably the most overtly environmental and also the harshest.  The ending is thought provoking and not without hope but you get a real sense of the balance between greed and wildlife conservation.  Better save some time for a discussion afterwards….

I know that nothing substitutes for getting kids outside and, fear not, I’ll get there.  But most of us spend at least a little time in front of screens and a well-done movie can introduce ideas effectively and powerfully.  They can also lead to family discussions that spark change.

That’s all for now but I’m sure I’ve left off some good ones.  I’ve posted this list at Amazon and I’ll be adding to it as others occur to me.  I’d love to hear more so let me know if you have other suggestions!  And best of luck in 2009 from my family to yours.

Lucas is a professional children’s author and songwriter from Austin, Texas.  Check him out at www.lucasmiller.net.

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