What parenting author Ann Douglas recommends watching with your kids
FRIENDS is sharing recommendations for great Canadian content to lighten the load of our shared experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Sign up here to get these recommendations by email.
Today's guest curator is Ann Douglas, author of numerous books about parenting, including most recently Happy Parents, Happy Kids and Parenting Through the Storm. She is also the weekend parenting columnist for CBC Radio, and a long-time supporter of FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting. Her choice for a Canadian gem to enjoy in self-isolation is short, sweet, and recommended for the whole family.
A little girl wakes up one morning to find her head swimming with emotion. She decides to respond to the waves of anxiety, frustration, and sadness by taking a deep dive into the world of her imagination. And, of course, we’re invited to travel with her — to allow ourselves to be transported to a world of undersea tea parties and eight-armed octopus hugs. Ellen Besen's 1979 NFB short Sea Dream is based on a poem by Debora Bojman. From the soothing sounds of waves on the beach to the powerful underlying message that permeates the entire film (“You have what it takes to get through this”), there’s just so much to love about this warm and reassuring animated film. — Ann Douglas
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If you enjoyed Ann Douglas's recommendation above, you may also like these animated short films, either by yourself or with your little ones.
Jonathan Ng's uplifting short animated film centres on Winston, a kid struggling to fit in due to his chronic asthma. He can't go out to play at recess, and his constant use of his inhaler further isolates Winston from his friends. Until, that is, he discovers his superpower: his imagination, which can transport Winston and his friends to fantastic places beyond their classrooms walls.
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Meena's parents love to read. She doesn't. Even worse, they keep buying her books, until every corner in her house is covered in piles and piles of books. One day, Meena accidentally knocks over an especially tall pile, and all the characters from her unread books come tumbling out. What happens next is something even her parents couldn't have predicted. Whether your child loves to read or not, Jo Meuris's playful story is sure to make them want to crack open a book and pretend to be Meena for a day.