Instead of hyping up the kids with Disney before bedtime, how about trying this low-key, gentle, but oddly fascinating DVD? I just watched Paddle to the Sea, a 28-minute, Academy-Award nominated movie that was based on the Caldecott-winning book of the same name by Holling. This movie was created in 1966 and has gentle narration and music. It was recently remastered and released on DVD.
The story follows the progress of the toy boat through the Great Lakes and out to the sea. This would be a terrific lead in to quality children’s books about the water cycle or the Great Lakes. This is the Rain, by Lola Schaefer, comes to mind. Of course, you’ll want to read the original book, Paddle to the Sea, as well.
Of course, I spent a lot of time thinking about the fun and mishaps the filmmakers must have encountered as they recreated the journey while dealing with logistics of Niagara Falls, commercial shipping, locks, and so on. Viewing the DVD again, and discussing with kids how the shots were created might yield a lot of good creative thinking. Then perhaps they could write their own story, using this as a model.