Dr. Donna's Review


Themes & Other Things

This month, come to Kidtoons for National Geographic Kids’ Big Screen Safari.  This fabulous feature combines animation and documentary segments with extraordinary animal footage from the cinematographers of the National Geographic Society.  The result is an exceptional variety show that will delight children from three to eight years of age and appeal to both boys and girls. 

In two segments, Mama Mirabelle helps her baby elephant son, Max, and friends Carla the zebra and Bo the cheetah learn about the rainforest.  They also spend time finding ways to spot the subtle differences between different kinds of animals.  In two other segments, we travel to exotic locations with brother/sister teams and learn about the world, its creatures and its customs.  With Molly and Sam, we travel to Thailand to learn about the Temple of the Tiger.  With Julian and Rosie, we travel to Kenya to learn about saving the endangered black rhino.  The final segment features an animated story about Iggy Arbuckle, the intrepid forest ranger of MooseKnuckle Falls, and his efforts to save a baby condor.  The longer segments are interspersed with puzzles to solve, songs to sing, stories to hear, and lots of animal trivia.

All of these pieces will help introduce your kids to the wide world of animals, fascinating and vast.

Things to Talk About

  • Help your kids recall the names of some of the interesting animals they’ve seen in the movie, like the sloth, the tapir, the toucan, the condor and the black rhino.
  • Discuss how Mama Mirabelle helps the animal children “spot the differences” between animals such as camels and zebras.
  • Talk about the adventures of the two sets of children, Julian and Rosie and Molly and Sam.  Where did they go? What did they learn about?  Why do these sets of brothers and sisters get to go on such exciting adventures?  Would you like to go on an adventure to see animals in a new and different country?

Activity Ideas
Have the kids draw pictures of their favorite animals.  Write the name of the animal on the picture and post it for everyone to see.

Take a trip to your local zoo together.  Plan the trip with children in advance.  Make a list of animals that you want to see.  When you arrive at the zoo, help build map reading skills by checking out the map of the zoo together. Highlight the path to reach the animals you’ve decided to see.  Let children take the lead in finding the animals.

After the visit to the zoo, help children create a book about the experience. Help them organize their drawings in sequential order.  Help them create a cover and staple or tie the pages together. 

Ask children to design a new animal – one that combines the features of several.  For instance, it may have an elephant’s trunk and a monkey’s body. Have them draw a picture and make up a brand new name for their animal.

Learn New Words
Help build your child’s vocabulary by reviewing and discussing these, and other, words from the movie:

  • Camouflage     
  • Canopy
  • Savannah
  • Endangered species
  • Poaching
  • Imprinting

Book Suggestions
Here are some books that you and your family might enjoy reading together:

“An Alphabet of Animals.” Written and illustrated by Christopher Wormell

“Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing.” Written by Judi Barrett. Illustrated by Ron Barrett.

“Ape in a Cape: An alphabet of odd animals.” Written and illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg.

“Inside the Whale: and other animals.” Written by Steve Parker. Illustrated by Ted Dewan.

“Just So Stories.”  Written by Rudyard Kipling.  Illustrated by Michael Foreman.

The National Geographic Society has an extensive collection of books for children about animals.  Go to www.nationalgeographic.com