RECOMMENDATIONS FOR KIDS

 

 

 

Susie Suggests: Free Movies + Things for Kids

It has been a while and you are getting a bit exhausted. You are trying to remember the gratitude you felt when you realized these precious weeks offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time with your kids. Now you wish you had a little time, maybe, to just sit and stare in a quiet place. The soundtrack to Frozen is setting your teeth on edge. Go Fish is no longer an option. Sending the kids to play outside in the dark is beginning to seem reasonable.

Here are two suggestions of family films that you can view, for free. One requires a Bellingham Public Library card that you can apply for online, and you will need to set up your digital Bellingham Public Library account. Once you do that, enable your Kanopy account by going to the digital library tab and clicking on e-films.

 

Swallows and Amazons

Swallows and Amazons started as a book published in England in 1930 by Arthur Ransome and developed into a very popular series.  The plot involves a vacation on a lake, learning to sail, and (spoiler alert) trying to foil creepy Russian spys.  This film, directed by Philippa Lowthorpe and released in 2016, is a romp, well acted and beautifully shot. I was captivated by this kind of family adventure story when I was a young reader.  It seemed so ideal that siblings would work together to solve a mystery or overcome a difficult situation.  Shared adventure books and movies like this would are the catalyst for some inspired free-form role-playing, even for only children.

watch on Kanopy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okee Dokee Brothers Adventure Film Festival

Bellingham really should embrace the Okee Dokee Brothers. If you appreciate the stringband vibe, love to be out on the trail and want your kids to absorb some sensibility about the history of Old Time music, check this out. It is free!

watch Okee Dokee Brothers now for free

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Audio Book: Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons

Here is an Audible book that looks and sounds interesting, Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons, written By: Ashli St. Armant and it is free to listen. There are 12 chapters to divert your child and take them to New Orleans for an exciting mystery. I haven’t heard the whole book yet but it gets great ratings from kids and parents. If you were a dedicated player of clapping games when young, this might be a way to introduce them to your kids for some great sibling play.

listen for free now: Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun, good luck, stay well,

Susie Purves