Friday, October 10, 2008

documentaries...

I've thought about writing this post for a while but didn't take the time to do all the linking and fact finding necessary. Now after reading Libby's comment about liking documentaries better I figured it's about time to do so.

I always though this list of fabulous, interesting, and very educational films would make a great addition to any Home School day of learning. I know after watching these films I have learn much more than I ever would staying in my little corner of the world. These movies/documentaries take you to another place...or far away country where you can learn a bit about how others live and what they see as tradition. It's such a great peek into others lives.

So let the list begin...

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill... is fabulous. Set in San Francisco, it follows a man who takes care of a large flock of wild parrots. It can be very sad at the end, so if your kids are not prepared for the natural evolution of "survival of the fittest" in the animal kingdom...you might want to view this one first alone.

The Natural History of the Chicken... it's title is misleading. Somewhat educational, but really interesting. I never knew so much about chickens and how LOUD cock hens are. It has several stories in there about chickens and the people who raise them and love them.

The Story of the Weeping Camel...this has to be my all time favorite! I had no idea what Mongolia was like, or the culture and it's people. This is such an educational experience. How these farmers live and survive, very nicely, in Urts in the vast wilderness is amazing. This is another that will transfix you in the end and make you in awe of the wonder of the world. If you watch none of the others you simply must watch this one.

Kestrel's Eye... follows the daily life and struggles of two European Falcons. This one has barely any sound and no narration, but is so beautiful and follows the mother bird through laying eggs, hatching, and getting her babies off the nest. it really tells the life cycle of these wonderful birds. How they hunt and live in this old church steeple in Sweden I believe. Where they put the tiny camera's I don;t know, but you get the birds eye view of everything. Really educational for kids.

That's the list for now. Hubby had a knack for hunting the weirdest things on Netflix. If you know of any to share, please do. I'm sure he'd love to watch them. If you don't have Netflix it's usually available in a one month trial run. That's how I originally joined and we loved it so much we signed right up. I get my movies in one day and they have certainly lost money on us to date. We hate almost all normal tv, so every night the dvd player springs to action and the latest little red envelope to arrive is slipped inside.

If you do nothing else, get it for free for a month and check these documentaries out. You will not be sorry!

5 comments:

Marisa said...

I love parrots of telegraph hill, so I'll be putting the rest in my netflix queue...thanks a million!!

Colleen formerly of South Africa said...

Loved the EXPOSE on the netflix documentaries. May have to try some of them, DH loves those things.

Wendy said...

Your list makes me want to go out and get these great shows. I don't know if that service is available in Canada, I'll have to do some investigating.

Thanks for sharing.

Libby said...

*hmmmmm* I've never even ventured into the wildlife arena of documentaries (yep - never seen March of the Penguins *s*) I am more drawn to things like Dogtown and Z-Boys, Standing in the Shadow of Motown, etc. I'll have to look into the animal kingdom side to fill up my queue *s*

Ginger Patches said...

O.k. I'm putting these on my list at BB.com (hopefully they have them too) and we will spend a homeschool day watching them :) Thanks for the recommendations!!