Dr. Donna's Review

OLIVIA – WINTER WONDERLAND EPISODES (OLIVIA’S ICE SPECTACULAR / OLIVIA’S SNOW DAY)
THEMES & OTHER THINGS
Olivia shares two winter stories with the Kidtoons family.  In the first story, Olivia follows her dream andstars in her own special ice skating performance.   In the second, she finds her own brand of mystery and intrigue in an everyday snow day. The humorous stories will appeal to both boys and girls in the three to six year age group and to many of their older siblings. The storylines are simple enough for young children to follow but rich enough to engage both age groups.

The characters grapple with several important and age-appropriate themes across the course of the story:

• Empathy and Sympathy – Being empathetic is an important character trait. Olivia identifies with Sonja Spencer’s predicament when Sonja is forced to cancel her ice skating performance due to illness.  Olivia enjoys performing so she imagines that it must be difficult for Sonja to cancel the show.  Olivia also sympathizes with Sonja and this is evident when she brings Sonja balloons as a “get well soon” gift.

• Self-management  - Olivia models strategies for identifying and managing her emotions. When her mother tells her that the ice skating performance is cancelled, Olivia is disappointed.  Rather than become angry she decides to take matters into her own hands and plans her very own ice skating performance.

• Perseverance and Self-confidence – Olivia accepts the responsibility of putting on an ice skating show for her friends and family and goes to great lengths to plan the event. Eventually Olivia learns that she needs to share, delegate and compromise to make the event a success.

• Compassion – Being compassionate is an important character trait.  Olivia demonstrates compassion when she includes Francine in her plans for the ice skating performance.  Olivia dreams of being a star, but rather than hogging the spotlight, she decides to include her brother and friends in her very special performance.  Likewise, in “Snow Day,” Olivia shows compassion when she understands that her investigation of the abominable snowman might be frightening for her brother and friends.

• Personal Empowerment and Friendship – Olivia models respect for herself and other people. Her attitude and interactions with her peers and adults demonstrate that she values her friendships and positive relationships.  Olivia includes her peers in her quest for information and her investigation of the mysterious tracks in the snow.

These five themes deal with character traits and skills. Children benefit when they see desirable skills modeled by popular characters, and need these skills as they venture beyond the world of family into the worlds of school, friends and community. The five themes offer good opportunities for discussion with children.

TALKING POINTS

• Talk to children about experiencing disappointments. Olivia can’t wait to see skating star Sonja Spencer perform in “Cinderella on Ice.” When the show is canceled, Olivia decides the show must go on and she and her friends stage their own ice spectacular.  Olivia demonstrates perseverance, resilience and confidence.  Encourage the children to talk about any experiences they have had that were disappointing.  Discuss what they expected to happen and why they were disappointed.  Talk about what they did to make themselves feel better.

• Olivia dreams of replacing Sonja Spencer in the ice show spectacular.  Ask your kids about their own dreams or fantasies.  Encourage them to use examples of events, situations or scenarios. Do they dream of being an astronaut, a professional soccer player or perhaps an artist or world-famous chef?

• Olivia imagines taking balloons to Sonja Spencer when she is sick. Discuss with children how they might help care for a sick friend or family member.  Cold and flu season has arrived and with many activities and busy schedules, illness is sometimes unavoidable.  Discuss with children how to physically care for themselves and others.  Discuss good decision-making that will help them to be aware and conscious of personal health and well-being. Remember to talk about hand washing for at least 20 seconds (sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the alphabet song two times) to avoid spreading germs.

• When Olivia decides to follow the tracks to the abominable snowman, each character expresses some level of fear and anxiety. The “Snow Dad” tells the children that the abominable snowman is “imaginary” and that it “doesn’t exist.”  However, this isn’t enough to quiet the children’s imaginations.  Discuss with the children how they conquer their own fears. 

ACTIVITY IDEAS

• Have children draw pictures of their favorite character from the movie. Write the name of the character on the picture. Post it for everyone to see.

• Encourage children to make a list of fun activities for their next snow day, such as building snowmen (or the Olivia examples of a snow dog, snow bunny or snow kitty), sledding or toboggan riding, building indoor forts, skiing, etc.

• Olivia pretended to be a news reporter who interviewed people for a show. Encourage children to conduct their own interviews.  Help them to identify someone to interview, such as a parent, sibling, neighbor, friend or teacher.  Work with them to write a list of questions that will help to create a profile of the person they are interviewing.  Remember to include questions such as where were you born, what was the name of your favorite pet, what is your favorite color, what did you want to be when you grew up.  For some children you might encourage more complex and through provoking questions such as - if you could do anything to change the world – what would you do?

• Help the children to document either their snow day activities or the interview process (a favorite and interesting person). Create a hand drawn book of pictures and consider including photos (perhaps using a digital camera).  Take a more multi-media approach and use a video camera to create a digital scrapbook or short movie. 

• Help the children to conduct their own investigation.  Encourage them to identify something that interests or intrigues them.  Point out steps in the investigate process such as research and information gathering, hypothesizing, and forming conclusions.

BOOK SUGGESTIONS

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

“The (Family Fun) Kids Winter Handbook” by Jane Drake (about winter activities)

“The Snowy Day” by Jack Ezra Keats (about the wonders of winter)

“Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney (about compassion)

“A Chair for My Mother” by Vera B. Williams (about empathy and sympathy)

“Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes (about self-management)

“Olivia” by Ian Falconer (about Olivia and personal empowerment)

CURIOUS GEORGE: A VERY MONKEY CHRISTMAS

THEMES & OTHER THINGS
Everyone’s favorite monkey is in his first holiday movie.  When George and the Man in the Yellow Hat trade Christmas wish lists, they must both work hard to find the perfect holiday gift for each other.  Of course, friendship, silliness and that very special Curious George kind of adventure abound.

Audiences that have come to know and love this very special monkey and his treasured friendship with the Man in the Yellow Hat will not be disappointed. The story appeals to both boys and girls in the three to six year age groups and to many of their older siblings. The storyline is simple enough for young children to follow but rich enough to engage both age groups.

The characters grapple with several important and age-appropriate themes across the course of the story:

• Personal Empowerment - Knowing yourself and knowing about others is an important character trait.  George models confidence in making his own decisions, and has clear intentions about his actions and behaviors. 

• Empathy – Being empathetic is an important character trait. George and the Man in the Yellow Hat demonstrate empathetic behaviors by sharing and listening when they exchange Christmas wish lists.   George puts his own needs aside when he begins his shopping adventure in search of the perfect gift for the Man in the Yellow Hat.  In this way, George is also modeling the importance of nurturing and valuing friendships. 

• Socialization – As George embarks on his holiday adventure he encounters many unique individuals.  George interacts with each individual with respect and curiosity, about the person, the information and the perspective they offer.  He is demonstrating that individuals have something unique to offer the world. Moreover, George is highlighting that love, caring and concern can be expressed in many different ways, especially when he puts the search for the perfect gift as a high priority on his own holiday list.

• Community Sense – Understanding and appreciating membership in a community is an important character trait. George highlights that everyone should be concerned about the well being of the community.  We see George donate to a volunteer (dressed as Santa) who is collecting money for people in need.  George demonstrates the importance and value of people helping others who are less fortunate, and the importance of assisting in times of need.

• Diversity – While this is a story primarily focused on Christmas, through George’s perspective and his city adventure, the audience learns about diversity. For example, George encounters Christmas with a Hawaiian flare, and a dinner of seven fishes, an Italian tradition. In this way, the lesson that diversity fosters a variety of viewpoints, new ideas and fresh ways of looking at things (and solving problems) is readily presented. George sees different examples of holiday decorations, themes and traditions.  Recognizing diversity allows George to learn about other’s customs, beliefs, history and much more.  Being cognizant of similarities and differences encourages openness to different points of view.

These five themes deal with character traits and skills. Children benefit when they see desirable skills modeled by popular characters. Children need these skills as they venture beyond the world of family into the worlds of school, friends and community. The five themes offer good opportunities for discussion with children.  Here are some things to discuss with your kids:

TALKING POINTS

• The Man in the Yellow Hat imagines what George would be like if, instead of living with him,  George lived with the Doorman, Professor Wiseman, or Chef Pisghetti. This situation provides an opportunity to talk about how the environment in which you live impacts the experiences you have.  Talk with children about their home environment and how it may be different from someone else they know.

• The brief exploration of the lives of the Doorman, Professor Wiseman and Chef Pisghetti provides an opportunity to discuss their different occupations. Talk about the differences between being a hotel doorman, a museum scientist and a chef.  What other jobs do they know about?  What kind of job can they imagine doing when they grow up?

• The holidays are always a busy time of year, with many parties, celebrations and gatherings. Discuss with children some of the things on their list of preparations for the holidays.  In turn, share with them things on your “to do” list. In this way, include them in the fun, anticipation and tasks needed to make these special events go smoothly and successfully!

• At this time of year, there are many different holiday celebrations and traditions ranging from Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and more. Discuss similarities and differences between the different winter holidays, such as dates, themes, meaning, significance, traditions and customs.

• Friends and families have different traditions for gift giving.  Talk with children about getting gifts for the holidays.  Ask them what is the best gift to give or the best to receive.  Discuss with them the value of making gifts versus buying gifts.  Talk to them about how they might feel or how the recipient might feel with a gift of a picture, a song, letter or story, just at Betsy performed a song as a gift for her Aunt. Can they think of more gifts that don’t involve buying something?

• George and the dog in the lobby are very different personalities.  Discuss with the children how their personalities are similar or different.  Ask the children about positive and negative character traits. Ask them if they are like George or the dog, and in what way are they similar or different. Use the way that George and the dog treat the Christmas tree as a specific example to illustrate individual likes and dislikes.

• There is a scene that shows George donating money to someone collecting for charity. Use this example to discuss with the children the meaning of charity and donation.  Encourage them to think about what else they might do as acts of charity and community service, citing such examples as visiting children’s hospitals, visiting senior citizens in rest homes, or gathering food for local food banks and homeless shelters.

• The Man with the Yellow Hat feels he doesn't really understand George and isn't a good parent to him.  Maybe George would be better off with someone else.  Sometimes children are frustrated and disappointed with parent’s rules and expectations and sometimes parents are frustrated and disappointed by their children’s decision-making and behavior.  Sensitively, and with age-appropriate vocabulary, and using examples from a patient, loving, caring perspective discuss parenting.  Explain the broad concepts of responsibility, concern, expectation, joy, success and failure.  Take this very delicate talking point one step further into developing empathy.  Now that they’ve been given some information, ask the child to talk about what it means to be a child.  Use this as an opportunity to do a little role playing and role reversal.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

• Have children draw pictures of their favorite character from the movie. Write the name of the character on the picture. Post it for everyone to see.

• Make a variety of holiday presents with your children. Gather paint, ribbon, boxes, plastic and glass containers, buttons, pictures, tape and glue and other craft supplies. Suggest ideas such as pencil cases, business card holders, flower or decorative vases, jewelry boxes, etc.

• Listen to familiar/traditional holiday songs.  Work with the children to replace words or lyrics to reflect friends and family members…or for even more of a challenge, rewrite all the words and sing it to the melody of the original.

• Try a fun arts and crafts project designed for adult and children’s participation.  Create home made snow globes.  Use an old baby food or jam/jelly jar.  Fill it with glitter and water and attach a fun object to the lid using a non-water-soluble glue.  Seal the lid to the jar with rubber cement. Once it’s dry, flip it over, using the lid as the base, and enjoy your fabulous new, homemade snow globe.

• A month or so before Christmas, start your Christmas list. Steve and Betsy from the movie talked about their Christmas list: Steve would like a bike; Betsy would like a xylophone. Help the children decide what they would like to put on their list.   Gently remind children just as Steve says, “only put on your list what you really, really want.”

BOOK SUGGESTIONS

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

 “A Christmas Carol: A Young Reader's Edition of the Classic Holiday Tale” by Charles Dickens (about Christmas)

“Night Tree” by Eve Bunting (about family and Christmas traditions)

“How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them (Dino Life Guides for Families)” by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (about friendship)

“Chester’s Way” by Kevin Henkes (about personal empowerment)

“Lyle Lyle Crocodile” by Bernard Waber (about civility/community)

“Mommy, Why?” by Lin Fong-ONeill (about diversity)