Movie Geeks: Toddlers at the Movies

Since the birth of our son, my husband and I have longed for the day when we could take him to see his first movie at the theater.  Sure he went with us when he was very young, but the period between when he began to crawl and the time he was able to sit interested in a TV program seemed like years for a couple who consider themselves movie geeks.  I was one of those pregnant moms crazy enough to go see avatar in the imax when I was 8 months pregnant!  We naturally positioned ourselves in the center in order to get the best view, making frequent bathroom breaks a major no no.  Not only did I make it through the movie with only one bathroom break, but I also had a large drink with me that I finished by about half way through, talk about will power!  Anyways, now that Logan is turning 2, we decided it was time to try the movies again with toddler in tow.  The new adaptation of The Lorax provided the perfect opportunity for this.

The Lorax has been one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories since I was a child and one that I watched over and over as a kid.  I was very interested to see what this new version added or detracted from my fond childhood memories of the original story.





 Luckily I was please with the result as was my son who made it through the movie with flying colors, laughing at jokes and point things out that he recognized throughout the film.  How was his first movie such a success?  Here are the steps my husband and I took to ensure that we left the theater happy rather than embarrassed and ashamed at our attempt.

 First things first, make sure you choose the right time of the day.  For Logan, the time between 3 PM and 7 PM is his most relaxed.  He has had his nap and he is energized for the rest of the afternoon, expecting dinner around 5:30 to 6:00 PM.  This brings me to my second piece of advice; choose a non traditional movie theater.  Chunky's is a convenient little chain here in New Hampshire where the theater meets the drive-in meets a restaurant.  This is perfect for Logan because he can eat while watching the film which helps to keep him occupied and avoid boredom.  It is also packed with families making it a little more forgiving when your child decides to talk or gets upset in the middle of a show.  Most of the people understand and will not glare at you for the rest of the evening.
You could also look for theaters that host “Mommy-and-me” movies just for parents and their young children, (Chunky's also does this) so the rest of the audience will be extra understanding of your movie-goer trainee.
Another good choice would be the drive-in.  This set up works particularly well because parents can usually find a children's film and an adult film bundled together.  Do make sure the movie you are taking them to see is one that they will be interested in.  This allows your toddler to watch the first one and with any luck fall asleep while mommy and daddy watch the second.  This worked great the first time we went.  Logan sat and watched The Smurfs contently in his car seat, ate some snacks from the concession stand and fell asleep at the beginning of the second movie.  This cannot be guaranteed through, as my husband I will attest.  Because of the success on our first outing, we decided to go again one night and no matter what we did, Logan refused to fall asleep and was not happy playing with any of the toys we brought to distract him.  I remember finally giving up and letting my husband watch Captain America alone, while I strolled around with Logan trying to get him to sleep.  You win some you loose some, right!  On a positive note, because you are outside, your toddler can be louder and have toys to occupy himself during the show when they actually occupy him.  Even better, the one near us has a playground and food concession stand which makes it even more convenient for a restless toddler who needs an energy release.  I think the next time we go we will use the personal DvD player or even my phone as a distraction now that he is so fluent with technology.  Two years old and he can already work my Android without much trouble and he loves his Alphabet App!
This leads me to my 3rd and final piece of advice for taking your toddler along to a movie.  Be sure to arrive at a time that will ensure decent seats but not leave your toddler sitting and waiting for a long stretch.  If you know that there will be some down time, make sure you have items that will keep him engaged packed away in your purse.  My purse is always equipped with a sucker, his mini magnadoodle, some other small snack (usually goldfish or cheerios), and of course my phone complete with toddler apps and you tube!  (This is also a great secret weapon for waiting in restaurants)
And finally...If you do opt for the traditional movie theater, be sure to pick a week day afternoon, when your chances of disturbing other movie goers will be at a minimum and choose aisle seats so you can scoot to the bathroom or make a quick exit if necessary.  And if at first you don't succeed, wait a couple months and try it again :0)

I Am The Lorax!

Just in case you missed this, The Lorax is coming to a theatre near you!




"I am the Lorax.  I speak for the trees!  I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues...."  Ever since I was a young girl, I have adored this tale of the glorious Truffula trees.

The Once-ler, enamored by these gorgeous trees, decides to use their beautiful foliage to knit a "Thneed."  You see, a thneed is a thing that all people need!  The thneed is such a success that the Once-ler calls upon his relatives to come help manufacture more thneeds.  The Lorax pleads for him to stop, but he is ignored.

Unfortunately, the Once-ler learns too late what his greed has done to the land, and as the last Truffula tree gets chopped down, the Thneed factories close down and the Once-ler's family departs, leaving the Once-ler alone with the Lorax.

As the Lorax sadly departs through a hole in the smog, he leaves behind a small pile of rocks with the word "UNLESS" inscribed into them.  Unless someone lilke you cares a whole awful lot...

This message has stuck with me throughout the years, making me more conscious of the environment and my impact on it.  It's a message that I hope to pass along to my own son, and I can't think of a better tale than The Lorax.  Thanks you Theo Geisel for such a wonderful story.

The movie is aiming for a March 2, 2012 release to coincide with what would have been the 108th birthday of Seuss.  I hope you join me in celebrating this fantastically fun story written by an amazing storyteller.

Role-play: Through the eyes of the child

Why do educators love games?

Games provide authentic experiences that reinforce learning. 

Oh, and they are a heck of a lot of FUN!

Meet Holly Booth, a Girl Guide from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and a gamer. I first met Holly at the Lesson Plans and Ideas seminar during Gen Con's Trade Day. Trade Day is a day set aside for retailers and educators to get together to share their experiences with games and to learn new and exciting ways of using them. After the first few minutes talking with Holly it became crystal clear that she had a passion for teaching kids to play games. Her most recent experience was with her brownie troop running, of all things, a D&D campaign. While the others played hide-and-seek, they were playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Camp is all about getting creative and learning new skills. Heroes of Hesoid, a D&D adventure for kids 6 years and older, was a new form of creativity. From the start, the kids were hooked and she found herself amazed at the results. “The quiet ones always picked the rogues.” she explained with a wide smile. She was astonished at how the girls seemed to blossom and take charge of their roles. “I was thinking to myself, you haven't said a word all week, but you just fried that entire hoard of pixies!” In fact, Ella, a very shy 7 year old in the group, got so into her role that she proclaimed “Can I do my sneak attack now?” 

It is plain to see that games allow us to break out of our shells and experience the world in new and wonderful ways. Role-playing, in particular, give us the opportunity to step into someone else's shoes and try things we might not normally attempt. Cooperation, leadership skills, creative thinking, and problem-solving are just a few of the wonderful skills kids can gain through role-play. Make believe is a natural part of childhood, and dungeons and dragons as well as other role-playing experiences are the perfect vehicle to foster that type of play.

Innovative Parenting: Comics for Toddlers

When I became a parent I didn't realize I was also signing up to be a professional wrestler.  Dressing and diapering my son in the morning can sometimes feel like a grappling match.  For instance...

I move in to grab hold of my target. He is a small target, so I suffer a -4 penalty.  I strike with an attack of opportunity, which catches him off guard.  He is mine!

The battle is on.  As quickly as I can, I get him undressed.  Next comes the diaper.  I distract him with a tube of diaper cream, which gives me enough time to get him clean before he wiggles away.  It is not uncommon to see Logan running naked through the living room squealing with delight before I can grab him again and complete the task.  It's not that he wants to be naked (well maybe a little), but that he wants to do it himself.  In many cases he takes his pants along with him and tries desperately to put them on his head!  He's seen me dress him thousands of times. Now he wants to give it a go.

You may think that because children are a part of the process of getting dressed every morning that you can hand them a pair of pants and they'll pull them right without much thought. That is not necessarily the case.  Most of the time a few lessons are needed to get them on the right path.  It dawned on me that I had the perfect solution for this challenge packed away upstairs.

Not long before Logan was born, I was given a cute little book called Little Mouse Gets Ready.  I had only recently been introduced to the Bone comic book series, and did not know much about Jeff Smith's work.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn about this little gem.  I mean, It's a comic book that is engaging to a toddler!  Talk about starting him early.

Truth be told, comics are a great way to get children interested in reading.  Jeff Smith chose wisely when he decided to use a landscape format.  Several pages are divided up into two panels, which makes it an easy read for youngsters.  Because the story has equal parts pictures and text, it has the ability to hold a child's attention longer than blocks of print.  An added benefit is that comics have been proven to be a great way to expand a child's vocabulary because they provide context to words the child wouldn't normally be exposed to.  Logan's not quite ready to read yet, but I know this will be great when he is.  Until then, he can follow along with me.  The story makes a serious effort of showing how one gets dressed every day.  From buttons and Velcro to snaps and where the tag on underwear goes, this story is an  accessible guide for my son to practice and learn.   And the best part...It's fun to read!

Do you have children who are learning to dress themselves?  What sort of crazy outfits have they put together on their journey to independence? 

The following are some other young reader comics you may want to check out -  
Jack and the Box by Art Spiegelman
Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons by Agnes Rosenstiehl
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend by Geoffrey Hayes
Owly by Andy Runton