Educational Resources for Parents

Continuing our series of monthly programming for parents and educators pursuing at-home learning, here is our latest offering of films and resources to help you celebrate Earth Day and National Poetry Month.

Meltdown

Meltdown, Carrie Mombourquette, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

In less than 90 seconds, this animated short film breaks down the consequences of global warming in a way a five-year-old can understand. It’s about a polar bear desperately seeking employment when the last of his Arctic environment disappears. While the film itself is engaging and amusing, its point is not lost—if we don’t do something soon, we’ll all be in trouble. Watch this film with your kids for Earth Day.

Big Mouth

Big Mouth, Andrea Dorfman, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Is honesty always the best policy? While it might seem like a loaded question, Andrea Dorfman tackles it brilliantly with her animated short about a young girl who speaks her mind. Trudy’s propensity for bluntness causes her some problems in her younger years, but it’s really just a symptom of her curious and unfiltered way of looking at the world. Told in poetic verse set to music, it’s the perfect film to mark National Poetry Month.

Consult the mini-lesson for educational resources.

The Big Reset – Worldviews

The Big Reset – Worldviews, Malcolm Sutherland, offert par l'Office national du film du Canada

What is our place in this world? It’s an excellent question to ask ourselves as we approach Earth Day, and in this short film, geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki tries to help us find the answers. We are just one part of this vast universe, and understanding our role in it is more crucial now than ever before. From the overall environment to how we’re all interconnected, this is a film that will really shed light on the big stuff.

Consult the mini-lesson for educational resources.

Agence

Why do we make the decisions we do? And what factors impact that decision-making? These are just a couple of the questions tackled in this project that merges storytelling, AI, and user interaction. It puts you in the driver seat, giving you control over an AI creature set in its own universe. You get to decide whether things remain the same or get thrown into chaos. It’s the perfect project to teach children about the complexity of life, and how we change and respond to our environments.

Consult the mini-lesson for educational resources.

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