Dr. Donna's Review

“Care Bears to the Rescue Movie”
Themes and Other Things
In this story, the Care Bears attend a very special award ceremony called the Rescue Awards to honor individuals who have performed the most outstanding rescues of the year earning them recognition and a special trophy. The story highlights the Care Bears performing acts of kindness, selflessness, hard work and heroism.  There are excellent age-appropriates lessons in this story that will help children in the viewing audience who are taking their first steps out of the home environment and into the role of citizens in their communities.  The story will appeal to 3 to 6 year olds.  Younger children will identify with the more simple character building messages and older children will recognize and appreciate the more complex themes that are played out through the various scenarios. All in all, a broad viewing audience will enjoy the film and take away some important life lessons.  Children will benefit from viewing the movie and discussing with adults the story’s themes.

“Care Bears to the Rescue” introduces children to three important concepts:
Valuing Codes of Behavior – The story helps young children to understand why rules and codes of behavior are important, most importantly keeping a promise.

Empathy – The story models strategies for recognizing and acknowledging the feelings of others and the development of empathic behaviors such as listening, sharing, comforting, particularly to peers and pets.

Self-motivation and Optimism – The story helps young children develop strategies for responding to setbacks and failures.  The characters model steps to problem solving and demonstrates strategies for setting goals and moving toward them.

Talking Points

• When the story begins, Grumpy Bear is managing the backstage activity and controlling the video presentations for the Rescue Awards show.  Grumpy Bear tells Oopsy Bear that he may stay back stage if he promises to be careful.  Grumpy Bear puts a lot of emphasis on Oopsy Bear’s promise (not to touch anything). It is clear from Grumpy Bear’s tone that he is very serious. Discuss the meaning of “promise” and why it is important to keep a promise if you make one.
• The Rescue Awards criteria talks about “heroes of the world.” Discuss what it means to be a hero. What makes someone a hero?  Has the child ever met a hero? Give examples of everyday heroes such as firemen, policeman, and teachers. 
• When Funshine Bear wins the first award, he seems genuinely surprised.  Discuss what it means to win and what it means to lose. Talk about feelings that are associated with winning something such as an award or perhaps a race. Include positive feelings such as surprise, pride, happiness, and excitement. Conversely, discuss feelings that might go along with losing such as disappointment, sadness, and embarrassment.  How do the children think Funshine Bear feels after winning the award? Ask if the children have ever won an award. If they have received an award, how did they feel when they received it?
• In the video presentation of Funshine’s act of heroism, one of the scenarios that the audience sees is what appears to be Cheer Bear and Share in a disagreement – not sharing (a rainbow) and in a tug-of-war.  Funshine bear attempts to settle the disagreement between Share Bear and Cheer Bear.  Using this scenario as an example, discuss the different ways to settle a disagreement, an argument or two friends unwilling to share a special toy.  (Taking turns is always one good solution.) Ask the children if they thought that Cheer Bear made a good decision to get involved with what was happening between Share Bear and Cheer Bear.  Why or why not?
• Grumpy Bear invents a machine called the “Cleaner Upper.”  Discuss this unique invention and what chores it might be used to help with around the house.  Also, discuss some other original, unique and creative inventions that might be fun to invent. What special things will it do? What would it look like?
• Funshine Bear is in search of ways to help other people.  Discuss ways to help people at home and away from home. Use at home examples such as cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and making dinner. Use examples of helping others when away from home such as offering to carry bags or belongings, opening or closing doors or letting someone go ahead in a long line at the library, bathroom or when ordering food.  Ask the children if they understand why Funshine Bear was trying to help other people. Did he do a good job?  Why or why not?
• When Funshine Bear tries to help others he sometimes makes mistakes. Use Funshine Bear’s behavior and apology as an opportunity to talk about making mistakes. He says, “I’m sorry. I guess I just got carried away trying to help others today and the Nimbits got carried away trying to help me.” Later, Funshine Bear helps Grumpy Bear repair his broken “Cleaner Upper” machine. Talk about what actions might be done to correct a mistake or what someone might say if a mistake is made. Ask the children what mistakes they have made.  What happened? How did it turn out? Did they learn anything from making the mistake?
• The Nimbits talk about “when you help others, you cannot but help yourself.”  Discuss what the Nimbits mean by this statement.  Talk about the feelings that go along with helping others. Talk about what it feels like when someone helps you.
• Grumpy Bear tells Funshine Bear that he has a “good attitude.”  Discuss what Grumpy Bear means when he compliments Funshine Bear. Do they know what it means to have a good attitude? Do the children think he had a good attitude? Can they remember any circumstances when they have had a good attitude? Ask them to explain and give any details that they might remember.
• The Care Bears talk about “stop and think about before you do something from now on.”  Discuss why this is an important statement.  Talk with the children about how this statement involves both thinking and acting. Discuss how it requires thinking about how a decision and behavior might play out.  Discuss situations when this motto might be good to remember in the children’s everyday lives. Ask the children if they can think of a situation when “stopping and thinking before they do something” might be a good thing to remember. When?
• When the Care Bears take the Cloud Cars up into the air to rescue their friends from the “windy weather,” (a tornado) they must be very brave to face such extraordinary circumstances. Discuss what it means to be brave.  The story also uses the word “daring.”  Talk about experiences or examples of when it is necessary to be brave or daring. Ask the children to talk about examples when the children have been brave and perhaps how it made them feel.
• Cheer Bear rescues Nibbly.  She is excited to have a new pet. Pet care is a very big responsibility especially for young children not used to caring for others.  Discuss what responsibilities go along with caring for pets including feeding, playing, exercising, teaching manners, and cleaning up after their messes. Do the children recall how Cheer Bear cared for Nibbly? What did she do?
• Cheer Bear is faced with a very big challenge when Nibbly’s very big appetite begins to take over.   This causes a big problem for Cheer Bear. When the Care Bears come up with the idea to grow a garden to help feed Nibbly this is a good example of problem solving (self-motivation and optimism).  Using Nibbly’s large appetite as the example and the group’s decision to grow a garden, discuss with the (older children) children some examples of problems they have faced in their own lives and how they solved them. For the younger children, focus on the more simple part of this scenario and ask them if the children have any favorite fruits or vegetables? What would they grow in a garden if they had one?
• There is an award given out for “Best Teamwork.”  Bedtime Bear and Grumpy Bear win this award. They work together to combine comfortable pillows and a lullaby to put asleep the “Cleaner Upper” machine when it begins to go out of control.  Discuss with the children other examples of teamwork.  Talk to them about experiences they have when they were a part of a team. Ask them how this helped achieve a goal or accomplish a task. Ask them what it means to be a good team member.  What does it mean to be a part of a team?
• Help the children summarize the major learning themes of the story.  Review the different concepts and ideas from the movie such as awards, heroes, rescue, helpfulness, promises (valuing codes of behavior), kindness (empathy) pet-care responsibility, friendship, winning/losing (success and failure) and problem solving (self-motivation and optimism).

Activity Ideas

• Have the children draw pictures of their favorite scene from the story.  Help them write a caption under the picture. Post the picture for all to see.
• Create an award show of your own. What would the children honor?  Who would they honor? Who would they thank in helping achieve or earn this award?  Would the children remember to thank the other nominees?  Help the children to understand about the meaning of honor and what it means to be a nominee. Make a list of awards (or categories). Make a list of nominees.  Pick the winners!
• Create your own trophies.  Use paper towel cardboard rolls, toilet paper cardboard rolls or an empty tissue box as the centerpiece or base. Use paint, markers, crayons, glitter, buttons, leaves or other objects found around your house to make special trophies for each member of the family.  Find something unique or special about each family member and makes this the award or honor.  Present the trophies at a special family award ceremony or family meeting.
• Helping others is a big learning theme of the story.  Help the children make a list of how they might be more helpful in their own lives. Create an incentive chart (a square with rows and columns of empty boxes to fill in later) so they can work toward goals of helping others more each day based on the list they come up with.  Mark and ‘x” or use stickers to check off each time the children help others.  Brainstorm and decide on something together for the children to earn once the whole chart is filled such as a special time with mom or dad, getting to choose a special dinner or make a favorite dessert.
• Take a trip to the local animal shelter.  Discuss with children how and why animals end up at the animal shelter. Talk to the children about the joys, work and responsibility of adopting a pet.  Discuss the responsibility of pet-care and also the fun and enjoyment from adding a new member to the family. Consider adopting a new dog or cat.
• Plant a garden with favorite vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, or tomatoes.  Work with the children to find a good spot where the garden will grow undisturbed but with access to water and sunshine. Once the vegetables are ripe, harvest the crop and enjoy the bounty from the hard work and effort.

Book Suggestions: These books are recommended to encourage you to read to and with children about the themes from the movie.

“A Promise is a Promise” by Robert N. Munsch (promises)

“I’ve Won, No I’ve Won, No I’ve Won (Charlie and Lola)” by Lauren Childs (winning and losing)

“Winning Isn’t Everything! (Live and Learn Series)” by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos (about winning and losing)

“David Gets in Trouble” by David Shannon (making mistakes)

“The Berenstain Bears Lend a Helping Hand” by Jan Berenstain (helping others)

“The Perfect Pet” by Margie Palatini (pet care)