Animals are Beautiful People

Simply hilarious... our whole family loved it!

...and refreshingly not-politically-correct!

The Star of Bethlehem -- Christmas movie

We watched "The Star of Bethlehem" documentary DVD, which we borrowed from our parish priest. It was produced by the same man who did "Passion of the Christ" and it was a very educational 65 minutes. My 11 yo said, "It was remarkable how he figured out all those things!" A non-astronomer lawyer proposes the events in the night sky over Bethlehem from 1-3 B.C. using Hubble telescope images and computer calculations to go back in time. It went extremely well with our Astronomy unit study in homeschool studies. My teens want it to show it at their youth group as an apologetics theme, too. I am not a scientist, but I was impressed by the logic of his presentation and his Biblical scholarship. More about it at http://www.bethlehemstar.net/. Mark your calendars to watch this during Advent!!

The David Attenborough Nature films

These are the most loved series of nature films we have ever watched as a family. We started with Life of Mammals episodes and went on the Life in the Undergrowth. We get them from Netflix because our library still does not own them.

It is not only the amazing camera angles, superb photography and fascinating facts... it's Sir David Attenborough himself that is the secret to these films. He is charming, earnest, simply delightful.

Next in our queue is his newest series Planet Earth. We can't wait!

IMAX: Amazing Caves

This weekend we rented Journey into Amazing Caves (an IMAX film). It's a beautifully filmed documentary that traces a group of scientists' explorations into caves in the Grand Canyon, ice caves in Greenland and underwater caves on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The scientists are searching for "extremophiles" - bacteria and other small creatures that survive extreme conditions and may be useful for medicines.

Just the natural beauty of these remote places is absolutely breathtaking. But watching the "making of" gives you an even greater appreciation as you realize the challenges and dangers of "extreme photography". Wow.

My children saw this before I had a chance to. I heard them from the other room going ... Woah... Woooah.... Wooooooah... as the team kayaked down a beautiful river.

The movie references the website of one of the team members who also works as a teaching assistant and put this website together for her grade school class...Nancy's Expedition Diary (I especially liked the Q & A in the "Ask Nancy" part.)

We love these kinds of documentaries that "work" for a wide age range and help spark an interest in science while providing some real substance. I have to admit that it was quite delightful the next day to see my 8 year old daughter out in our cold, snowy backyard digging into our sandbox and pretending she was a scientist "out exploring."

(originally posted 3/6/06 on the Love2learn Blog)

Favorite Nature Videos

These are appropriate for all ages. David Attenborough narrates and costars (nature being the star...:)):

Life of Mammals (BBC) These are wonderful nature studies. David Attenborough has such a love for nature and the way creation works together, though he does not put it quite like that. He doesn't harp on the evils of man, either.

The Blue Planet (BBC)

Planet Earth (BBC) The photography is spectacular, but the unique aspect of this set of 5 DVD's is the aerial shots. You get a much better sense of how pack animals hunt, for one thing. Be very careful to avoid the version with Sigourney Weaver as narrator. She can act, but she cannot narrate.

The Living Desert (Walt Disney) This is an older documentary which personifies the animals one views. It's both entertaining and informative.

Amazing Animals series (DK Vision) There are 13 (that I know of) in the series: Animal Appetites, Poisonous Animals, Mini-beasts, Nighttime Animals, Animal Babies, Animal Builders, Animal Journeys, Animal Senses, Animal Survivors, Tropical Birds, Animal Weapons, Animal Disguises, Armored Animals. These are geared to ages 3-7, provide lots of interesting details in an entertaining if somewhat silly format. Our 5 year old son, Will, especially likes the silly aspect. Henry the Lizard is often wrong about something and Will likes the way he's very gracious about corrections. It's also fun for a 5 year old to knooooow someone else is wrong even if he's not sure about the complete truth.

Enjoy!
Maria