March Of The Wooden Soldiers (Babes In Toyland) 1934

March of the wooden soldiers is truly a holiday tradition in our home. It was made in 1934 and starred Laurel and Hardy. (For those who do not know Laurel and Hardy, they were a comedy duo that successfully made a transition from silent films to talkies which was rare back in the day. They made short comedies and films that entertained a generation.)

March of the Wooden Soldiers has a comedic take on the Babes In Toyland story. How could you not with Laurel and Hardy. The story focuses on the Silus Barnaby and his devious quest to marry little boo peep. He evicts her mom from the show as leverage to marry her. It is up to Laurel and Hardy (also tenants) to save the day.

The highlight of the fairy tale is Laurel and Hardy  as the bumbling toy makers. You will see a mix of fairy tale stories along with Santa and his workshop.

For a film made in 1934, it stands the test of time. Part fairy tale, part holiday classic, and a bit of Mother Goose, this film is a great film for kids. They will laugh and partake in the antics without realize the film is almost 90 years old. It also is a soft spoken film with a kind story kids will surely rally around.

Some interesting facts about the movie:

Walt Disney loaned out a live Mickey Mouse for this film as a live version character. This would be the only time Walt Disney would ever allow this to happen.

The film has historical references to themes of the Great Depression and social justice. Rarely seen today in children's films.

The film was never a success until the 1960s. A local television station in New York City, WPIX resurrected the film for syndication as a holiday tradition each year. It would have surely stayed in the vault and obscurity if not for the television station's efforts.

The film was originally in black and white. If you can find a copy, it is a great introduction for kids to enjoy black and white films.

You can livestream the movie on Hulu Plus in HD or watch it on Youtube. The link will be provided:

Did Charlie Brown Get It Right?

I went to see the Peanuts movie with my kids. I found the movie enjoyable. However, there was a part of the movie that really bothered me. I could not figure out the intent of the Standardized Testing theme of the story.

This bizarre part of the story is as follows: Charlie Brown achieves notoriety finally but earning the highest score on a standardized test in his class. For this reason, he is given an awards ceremony for his accomplishment. It is actually a large part of the Peanuts story.

The critics felt like this would be Charles Schultz's view on standardized testing. However, I am not sure he would have put this as a part of the storyline. I think many kids, who are burden with test taking anxiety would see the scenario in the movie as quiet normal. In fact, they might not have seen it through an adult's eyes as irony. They might have seen it as an ordinary part of their life.

For this reason, I think the movie validates the culture of testing. Whether it was the intent to do no harm, millions of children went to see a children's movie only to have their test taking environments validated as normal. For this reason, I think Charles Schultz would have never agreed to make this part of the story line without carefully considering how to correlate to a young child's life. Context is very important, and the movie lacked any context as to why a standardized test would make you the most popular kid in your school.

Green Acres - Lessons In History Abound And Oh So Funny

My kids and I found Green Acres on Hulu this weekend. On the surface, a great comedy. However, watch with your kids and history abounds. Green Acres is based on a couple from NYC that decides to move to the country. Oliver Wendell, the main character longs for his farming roots and a simpler life. His wife Lisa has only known city life, and begrudgingly tags along because she loves her husband. The comedy is based on the changes that are coming to rural life in the 1960s.

Green Acres captures life in the 1960s from a rural perspective. Each episode has historical lessons. In season one, my kids and I discussed the dust bowl and conservation, party lines for rural communities due to poor phone service, and how farming was highly regulated due to the farm bureau. All historically accurate interpretations by the show and very funny takes on life back then.

Green Acres lacks diversity as many shows in the 60s did. However it has so many historical accounts of life on the farm. The humor is fast paced. Your kids will love the show. It has a conversation to be shared in each episode. All you have to do is start one with your children about how life back then was simpler. They will love the stories of this time in American History.  And, maybe there is a moral to the story regarding slowing life down and living simply. Farm to table was not so easy. But they made it a fun on Green Acres.

*You can watch Green Acres on Hulu Plus.

What Would You Do? - Great Video For Kids To Learn About Tolerance

Want a great clip to show kids about tolerance? ABC has a TV show that has a powerful clip about tolerance and race. The TV episode for "What Would You Do"  set up the following scenario: A Harlem Barbershop would have an interracial couple come in and disrupt the normal culture of the shop. They planted an actress that was uncomfortable with interracial dating. What happens next is telling. It goes beyond the episode's original intent. We learn that love can win over intolerance. Not just with interracial relationships, but across the spectrum of tolerance and respect for one another. A really great clip for kids to watch.

Stan Lee's Superhumans

I love Stan Lee. I grew up with his Marvel Universe. He asked us to believe that we all have the possibility to be Super Humans. His story lines took an average human, and gave them super human abilities. Sometimes through super natural happenings, and other times through genetic mutations.

Kind of a far stretch? Probably on the super natural happenings. However, genetic mutations were not such a stretch. There is a science to super human abilities. It is very real.

Well into his 90s, Stan was given a show that explored super human abilities. Stan Lee's Superhumans travels around the world to find examples of super human feats. Such feats not only include physical achievements, they also focus on mental abnormalities.

Each episode sends a super human, Daniel Browning(who is an amazing contortionist) to find other super humans. I just love the fact he uses a super human to find other super humans. Its like Stan Lee is Professor X sending out the Wolverine (Browning) to find the super human. Exactly from his comic books.

Science, Geography, History and Math come alive. What makes the show very clever is Stan sets the bar high. He wants to prove they are super humans. He tests their abilities using research and medical science to explain the abilities. Often times, a Marvel Universe character is compared to the super human, which brings the comics alive.

My kids love the show. I am confident yours will love Stan Lee's Superhumans. The show will expand their minds to explore the possibilities within their own universe. (Just make sure they do not try any of the examples they watch.)

What Movie Is On Top Of The New York Times Children's Movie List?

I was doing some research and found the Top 100 movie recommendations for children from the New York Times.(2004) As I opened the link, much to my surprise, Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein topped their list.

The New York Times rated this movie higher than all of the Disney and Pixar movies along with classics such as the Wizard Of Oz. And I think they were right.

Unfortunately, kids today have never heard of the movie. The only children exposed to Abbott and Costello most likely come from families in which their mothers or most likely fathers grew up on their comedy movies. The movie is black and white, and some children strongly dislike black and white film. Tragically, we are losing a treasure.

Luckily, I live in Rome New York. Home of the Capital Theater. The Capital serves up classic 35mm films throughout the year. My children love this movie. They show it every year and we never tire of seeing it on the big screen.

Historically, the movie was a huge box office hit. The idea of bringing all the Universal Monsters together was part of the reason. A formula the big studios would use time and time again. The idea of crossovers was new to the big screen. Contracts were strict, and the use of crossovers was restricted by binding agreements. Yet Abbott and Costello paved the way.

The movie is intense at times for younger children. However for the most part, it is a great story surrounded by great characters. Children young and old love this movie.

The Sandlot - When Kids Ask, "What Was Life Like For You When You Were A Kid?"

My kids ask me all the time, "What was life like for you at my age dad?" We share countless stories of life during the 70s. Generationally, it would seem we like to know what our parent's lives were like. I remember asking my dad what his life was like as a child.

For me, the Sandlot represents a simpler time that I grew up in. In the movie, kids went to the sandlot and played baseball. Baseball was a backdrop for life. We learned about each other in the process. Similar to the Sandlot, I grew up with friends from different backgrounds. We learned at an early age all things were not equal.

The Sandlot was a reflection of changing times. Kids from diverse backgrounds learned to get along on the ball field. It represented what was great about our country. While set in the 60s, we begin to see the role of a "stepfather" regarding parent child relationships. Sometimes, when things get rocky, we rely on our friends for support. In some ways, baseball as a metaphor for life's challenging relationships.

Another part of the story is the large English Mastiff. I remember fondly as a youth that dogs were a part of danger. I encountered many dogs in my youth that made my heart race. Not knowing whether they are friendly or nice was a part of how we learned trust back in the day.

The movie is packaged neatly. At the end of the movie, we learn how things turn out for the boys. One redeeming quality I liked about he ending is that we do hold in our hearts and minds, a special bond for our first friends developed at an early age. This is what my youth was all about. Hopefully my children will have the same experiences.

Revisit The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is a full length film that came out in the 90s. The film captures the time period of the late 1950s and the mistrust between the Soviet Union and the United States. The film allows our children to experience what it felt like to be in this time period from a child's perspective.

Quickly, we are immersed into the drama by having the launching of Sputnik as a reason to fear the Soviet Union. The main character is a child. Hogarth (One of my favorite screen names) is living in era of paranoia. Duck and cover was the norm for students at the time. The desks of the 1950s could actually protect you from nuclear attack! How about that.

Then, out of nowhere, Hogarth actually meets a large mysterious robot from parts unknown. The robot suffers from amnesia. Hogarth adopts the robot as we learn there is more to the story. (The robot has experiences regarding moral reason and killing that he is trying to deal with) The writers seamlessly interweave the struggle of the robot in kids terms. As adults, we may worry a bit about the heaviness of the topic of violence. However, the movie keeps a good balance not to overwhelm kids with adult themes.

Another theme is anti-communism. While we never meet a communist in the movie, we sure do mistrust them. Pretty neat concept for kids to learn.
There is a scene in the movie in which Hogarth's class watches a film how to survive a Soviet Attack. It is hard to imagine schools actively engaging in this kind of behavior until we are reminded in the movie how things were back in the 50s.  Our schools were anti-communist teaching environments to ensure kids knew our way was superior.

The Iron Giant is probably one of the first movies I have seen for children that has an anti-gun message. When a deer is killed by hunters in the film. The Giant notices the rifles and say, "Guns Kill." It is repeated throughout the movie. Even at it's climax, when something triggers the Giant to become aggressive, Hogarth reminds the Giant, "Guns Kill People." to save the day.

What I enjoy about the movie is that it does not indoctrinate children. It simply asks them to question reality. Even with guns, our military is not portrayed in a negative manner. Instead, kids see what can happen when guns get into the wrong hands as in the protagonist Mansley.

Overall, this movie helps kids understand Moral Reasoning as they begin to understand the world they live in. When a movie can encourage children to think, it is worth the view.

Great Short Clip Explaining The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy

How many times have kids confused empathy and sympathy. When you think about it, understanding the difference can be very important. If a child is a bully, they lack empathy. Then again, we never have sympathy for a bully either. What makes a bully? Should I have sympathy for a bully while having empathy for victim of bullying....Ohhh my, this gets confusing very quickly. It is important for parents to talk to kids about empathy and sympathy. The video below is a great guide for explaining the difference between the two. It may also help you as an adult understand the proper times to practice empathy and sympathy. (Note this is a guide for parents to teach, not kids to learn.)