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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

sharing classic films with children

i have to admit it, as a kid, and even as a teenager, i really did not like classic movies. i dreaded the annual december viewing of 'it's a wonderful life' and 'white christmas'. color was my friend, black and white- not so much. funny how being a parent beckons you to see things from different lenses. we are now drawn to classic movies with their simple themes and slower pace.

if you are interested in sharing classic movies with your children, but not sure where to start, here is a list of our favorite classic films. save them for family movie night and enjoy them with your children!



1. the circus
this charlie chaplin film is the best! yes, it is silent, but the slap-stick keeps the kids cracking up through the whole thing. and it's lots of fun to create dialogue as you go! definitely one worth seeing. sidenote: you also feel pretty cool when your kids are talking about that 'charlie chaplin film' to strangers at the store. reason enough! : )



2. rebecca of sunnybrook farm
is there anything cuter than shirley temple? i mean really, this girl was a marvel! this is our favorite shirley temple film of late. we have seen others that have fallen flat, but the kids really enjoy this one. and you can choose color or black and white. last week we watched it in color, this week they want it in black and white. the music is great and the dancing is so fun! i can just see the wheels in moonpie's head turning...wondering when it will be her turn to be a star!



3. the absent minded professor
i think, overall, this is my kid's all time favorite movie. we kept this thing from netflix for 2 months, watching it every week for movie night! that is some fred mcmurray love! it inspired my daughter to try to attach springs from pens to her shoes and try to jump to the ceiling. see this film. it is hilarious!



4. son of flubber
yes- this is the sequel to the absent minded professor. and i must say, it is not nearly as good as the first, but my kids would disagree. they love this movie!



5. singin' in the rain
this is our 'sick' movie of choice. the dancing is fantastic and the music is catchy. there are some scenes some may find 'racey', but very easy to skip onto the next scene. warning: this may inspire your preschooler to hunt down a pair of tap shoes at the nearest thrift store and scuff up your wooden floors. but by all means, let them...

and for some classic television, we have been loving the andy griffith show here lately. it is so funny to hear the kids ask to watch 'barney' and realize they are talking about this show and not the big purple dinosaur. yeah, we um, bought the whole series. geesh.

4 comments:

johannapule said...

The Shirley Temple movie Heidi is a good one to check out sometime.

mandi said...

yes! that is a good one too. that is my favorite book from childhood.

Steph said...

I agree! I LOVE me a classic movie, but haven't watched them with Braelyn too much. You've inspired me to start!

Let me see...what are some of my favorites?...Mary Poppins, Swiss Family Robinson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and of course...Pippy. :)

It's been a super long time since I've seen any of those, so I don't know how well they'd do with our little ones, but I just remember loving these movies. I'm excited to get reacquainted with them.:)

Amanda said...

Oh, I love this! I was actually a huge fan of old movies as a teenager. The Absent-Minded Professor was definitely a favorite. And I bet my kids would love Charlie Chaplin! I picked up Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (the book) off my shelf just the other day... it probably won't be my boys' favorite, but I sure loved it as a girl. :)

And I'm sorry your first comment got deleted! Thanks for writing another one. :) I'd love to hear more about how you came to CM and how you're doing things.

It's so funny to me how so often the question is, "but what about math?" For me, the question is "but what about history?" Fortunately, hubby's a math wiz AND a history buff, because most of my history knowledge came from historical romance novels!