Tag Archives: activities

Interactive Movie: Finding Nemo

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Looking for some family fun that doesn’t break the budget?  Bored of plain-old movie watching?  Kick it up a notch with an interactive movie watching experience!

Interactive movies are a great way to experience classic films that the whole family loves in a creative new way – all you need are a few items and a script of prompts that we’ve included below.  As a scene, action, or song plays in the movie, follow the action provided on the script.  It’s that easy!  Don’t have one of the items on the list?  Get creative and make your own fun!

 

ITEMS

We’ve included a list of items you might need along with some alternative supplies (in italics) in case you don’t have all of the items on hand. Feel free to add to or substitute items on the list for your own personal interactive movie watching experience.

Bubbles (DIY bubbles rb.gy/arwfzp )

Toothbrush (Any kind of brush will do!)

Party poppers (Popping bubble wrap is a fun option!)

Glow stick (DIY glow sticks rb.gy/ecfcsn )

Leaf hat (Any kind of paper and crayons will work!)

Goldfish snacks (A tasty snack of your choice!)

Fish Squirter (A water gun will work!)

Cotton ball (Rolled up socks are an easy option!)

Balloon w/ goldfish (Just grab a ball to roll!)

Flying fish (A rubber band could work too!)

Swedish fish snacks (A tasty snack of your choice!)

 

THE SCRIPT

There are two types of actions in the script : RECURRING are actions that you’ll do every time they occur in the movie, while ONE-TIME actions occur only once.  To make things easy, ONE-TIME actions are prompted in order by scene.  Words in BOLD are from the supply list so get them ready!

 

RECURRING

Marlin talks about Nemo’s “little” or “lucky” fin, say “AAAAhhhh, Dad!”

Marlin tries to tell a joke and it isn’t funny, yell “Boooo!”

Bubbles yells, “Bubbles!” blow bubbles with him!

Nemo’s friends in the tank call him Shark Bait, yell “Shark Bait – oooo hahaha!”

You see Crush the sea turtle, say “Dude!”

You see Squirt the sea turtle, use your fish squirter to squirt some water!

You see Darla…SCREAM!!!

 

ONE-TIME

Get excited about school with Nemo!  Yell “Time for school!”

Brush your teeth with Nemo as he gets ready for school!

Bruce invites Marlin and Dory to the meeting – repeat with the group “Fish are friends, not food”

Pop your party poppers when the mines explode after Marlin and Dory escape from the sharks!

Sing “just keep swimming” with Dory to encourage Marlin!

Get out your glow stick and light it up like the anglerfish!

Make a leaf hat to wear to Nemo’s fish tank volcano ceremony

Enjoy your goldfish snack as Marlin and Dory get directions from the school of fish!

Throw your “cotton ball” pebbles at the screen to help Nemo clog the filter!

Can you speak “whale” like Dory?

Yell “Mine!” with the seagulls

Roll your balloon and goldfish as Nemo tries to roll out of the dentist office!

Help the fish caught in the net by shooting your flying fish toward the front of the room!

Celebrate Nemo’s return home with your Swedish Fish snacks!

 

You can absolutely add or subtract from the script list – whatever suits your family!  Keep an eye out this fall for more interactive movie experiences with GPL.

Avoid the Summer Slide

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It is time for summer break again! Hurrah! Everyone can agree that the teachers and students in Greenwood have earned a well-deserved rest. In the age of standardized testing, studying can be stressful and grueling work. Everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries. However, studies have shown that many kids lose the progress that they have gained over the school year during summer vacation. So how do you give kids a break while keeping them from falling behind?

These studies show that the students that fall behind typically were not engaged in any learning activities during the summer. They need to work their brains just like athletes need to work their bodies to stay in shape. Summer is a great time for kids to spend studying their personal interests and hobbies. It is important that they get a break from their routine at school, but they should still be reading and exploring.

I come from a family of six kids, and we learned to be creative about finding fun things to do in the summer. Finding enrichment activities does not have to be expensive, and you do not need to rely on workbooks or computer programs. You do need to be on the lookout for fun, low-cost, or free programs for your kids that are offered throughout the community. Here are some of my favorite ideas for Greenwood residents:

  1. Sign up for summer reading! Talk to your children about their reading goals for the summer, and help them set a goal for a realistic number of hours to reach this summer. We will reward them for their progress. I would encourage you to let your children read whatever they want for the summer, but you can help encourage them to choose books that aren’t at a reading level so low that it will bore them or so high that it with discourage them. Talk to us librarians if you need some ideas.
  2. Go to library programs. They are free, and in addition to being a great time, they will help your child develop their fine motor skills.
  3. Visit the area parks. You can borrow an Indiana State Parks pass for free for a week. Or you can explore some of the Greenwood city parks.
  4. Vacation not in the cards this year? Spend each week “exploring” a different country. Check out library books and DVDs focused around that one country for the week. Create meals and crafts together as a family to learn more about this country’s culture. You can also do this with different time periods in history.
  5. Play a board game. Even if a board game doesn’t appear to be “educational,” it can teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others. The library has some board games that can be checked out.
  6. Look for museum free and discount days. The library has an Eiteljorg Museum and an Indiana State Museum pass that can be checked out. The Children’s Museum  of Indianapolis offers $5 nights from 4-8pm the first Thursday every month. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is free the first Thursday of every month from 4-9pm. Kids Commons in Columbus offers Free Family Time on June 4, July 2, and August 6 from 1-5pm. If your family qualifies for the Access Pass, you can receive $2 admission at most area museums.
  7. Look up craft project ideas in library books or online.
  8. Visit the hardware store. Home Depot will occasionally offer free workshops for kids.
  9. Check out one of GPL’s science kits to play with at home.
  10. Visit Appleworks, the Johnson County Fair, or go to the Greenwood Farmers Market. Talk to the farmers about how they grow their food.

Have a great summer! I hope to see you at the library!