I've said it before and I'll say it again. WE LOVE BOOKS! We have book shelves lining our hallway, in our bedrooms, in my office over at the mission, in baskets, in stacks, in crates...there are books everywhere in our house. Probably too many of them, but that's a discussion for another post. We have even chosen specific curriculums because of the literature content. I don't want my kids just reading good novels, I want them understanding them as well. One such curriculum is a history curriculum that basis all of their lessons on good historical books - some fiction and some non-fiction, but all are excellent reads.
The other day, however, I remembered my school days. Every once in a while, the teacher would show a film based on whatever we were learning in class. Some were documentaries based on what we were studying, and some were just plain, old, good movies based on what were studying. That sounds like it would be fun for our kids as well. There are a lot of good movies that my kids would like to watch. Take, for example, "The Great Escape" or "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". Those are a couple of movies that you could really learn from. Oh, I know that the kids could always read the books and I could purchase a good study guide from one company or another, but, although I encourage reading, sometimes watching historical movies can be educational and fun as well. Where, however can I find a study guide for them? Is there such a thing? Am I just doomed to watching the movie with my kids and trying to explain it?
Nope! Enter Zeezok Publishing's "Z-Guide to the Movies"! I found out about Z-Guide to the Movies when I was selected to review one of the on the TOS Homeschool Crew. We were given a choice of what movies we wanted a Z-Guide for and, when I saw that the hilarious but also historical movie "Father Goose" was on it, I put that down as my first choice. When I downloaded this High-School level movie guide, I was amazed at all of the material that it contained. It was 41 pages packed full of 10 regular activities plus two bonus activities that your high school student can complete. These activities not only teach your child about the historical period, but also, at least with my guide, taught about interpersonal relationships and honesty. And, the activities are fun! What highschool student would want to pretend that he is a coast watcher and prepare for his stay on the island where he is stationed? Or, do a word search finding words that have to do with coast watching and World War II. Not all of the activities are puzzles, however. Some are really thought provoking. Like the activity that asks the student to watch the movie again and analyze the conversations that Mr. Eckland and Miss Freneau have and how some of there words can be hurtful. The student is then to write an honest essay about the things he says, how they have spoken hurtful words, and how they can "make their tongue an instrument of blessing rather than evil".
John Allen has had a grand time with this study. The movie is not only a plain old good movie, but gives a real example of what it was like to be a coast watcher during the second world war. We are still working through the Z-Guide and I can't wait until he gets to develop a code system to confuse the enemy or think deeply about his world view by writing about some of the decisions that the different characters made in the movie.
I am really impressed with the Z-Guide to the Movies that I received from Zeezok publishing. It really makes me want to look at the list of other guides that they have available and fit them in to our homeschool occasionally. The Z-Guides are priced at $12.99 each and for many of them you can purchase the movie as well if you don't already own it. Zeezok has many other great homeschool items that you can buy as well. Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to find out what they have to offer. There are Z-Guides for all age students and many of the TOS Homeschool Crew members reviewed other levels of Z-Guides You can find out what they thought by clicking here. Happy Homeschooling!
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free download of Zeezok Publishing's Z-Guide for the movie "Father Goose" in order to try out and give my honest review on my blog.
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