Being Savvy: Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers and kids in Portland, OR

Find out more about:

Archives

Airplanes

Movies that are a Must for Summertime Travel

May 18, 2009



At least once a year, we fly to Texas to visit my husband's family. This means at least a 10 hour travel day, after changing planes, schlepping around the airport waiting for planes, and driving to/from the airport. We are an "everything in moderation" family, but my daughter knows that a plane trip=copious amounts of movie watching time + an unusually abundant amount of treats. When we travel, we bring an iPod video and a laptop for maximum viewing potential (those batteries won't survive 5 hours of flight time) instead of the portable DVD player, in order to minimize cargo. 

One great option is to bring movies from your local library, another option is to pack along Netflix movies. We also download movies/television shows from iTunes (you can often find weekly free offerings from iTunes to save money)

Here are four movies to bring along on your family's next adventure that you might even want to snuggle up and watch with your preschooler (not your typical blockbusters!)

Pancake Mountain  (Episodes 11/12) We stumbled across Pancake Mountain on YouTube several year ago and have been big fans of the indie musical guests and Rufus the crazy sheep. This DVD includes appearances by:
  • Tegan and Sara 
  • Daniel Johnston
  • Mike Relm
  • Kings of Leon
  • The White Stripes
  • 3MJ and Eddie Vedder
  • Katy Perry
  • My Robot Friend with special guest Jer Bear
  • Kate Pierson of the B-52's
  • Lilly Allen
  • Lewis Black
  • Wayne Coyne
  • Tim Fite
  • Wolf Mother
  • Franz Ferdinand

The Best of The Electric Company   We checked this 4-DVD set out from the library and never wanted to return it! Even though the new Electric Company is totally amusing (my daughter is trying to become an accomplished beat-boxer after watching it) it doesn't come close to the retro fabulous-ness of the original Electric Company. Hang out with Silent E, Letterman, and Rita Moreno and your child can learn pronunciation, spelling, and math while you relive moments from your childhood. 1-2-3-4-5, 6-7-8-9-10, 11, 12!!!!

Kiki's Delivery Service  My daughter first started watching some of the Miyazaki movies when she was only about 18 months old. Kiki's Delivery Service is one the sweetest and most endearing of his films (many of the others might be best enjoyed by an older preschooler/child) and features the voices of Kirsten Dunst, and Jeanane Garofolo (The late Phil Hartman is genius as the voice of Gigi, the grouchy black cat. We still quote 'More sleep, thank you' years after seeing the movie). Kiki is training (and struggling) to be a witch and works delivering goods, as well as having lots of adventures as she grows up and develops a sense of who she is. 

The Little Colonel (Shirley Temple) Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was so amazing and he shines in this musical! (the staircase sequence has been recreated about a thousand times in our household) While younger children may not be as into the plot of Shirley Temple movies, they will be mesmerized by the tap dance routines and brief bursts into song. 

See also:  Planet Earth series , Beatrix Potter DVD collection, and any of the Scholastic Video collection

What are some of your family's favorite must have travel movies? 

 Read more...

Look at me: Discovering the little kid in the mirror

by Sarah Gilbert

January 13, 2009

As a photographer of daily life, I am always on the lookout for my reflection: the better to photograph myself, my dear! And there's nothing better to enchant a child than his own reflection; even my six-year-old adores a good mirror. Here are some of the places I've found to look at me! : Downtown windows. So many of the ground-level windows are brilliantly-mirrored; I like the ones on Taylor  Read more...

More of Our Favorite Activities and Things to Do in portland

urbanjungle.jpg

Creatures & Critters:
Our Urban Jungle

doremi.jpg

Do, Re, Mi! Places to Hear, Sing & Play a Tune

artisticendeavors.jpg

Artistic Endeavors:
Our Favorite Art Venues

roomtorun2.jpg

Room to Run:
Run, Jump & Wiggle Outdoors

rain.jpg

Rainy & Quiet Days:
Cozy & Crazy Indoor Fun

localhistory2.jpg

A Sense of History:
Our City's Stories

naturalhistory2.jpg

Tot's Science Fair:
Science & Nature Sites

waterparks2.jpg

Splash, Spray, Play! Local Spots to Get Wet

holdinghands2.jpg

The Most Fun in Life Is Free!

bestofcity2.jpg

The Best of... Our Top Can't-Live-Without Spots

The Voice of Being Savvy portland:
Oona Baker, Sarah Gilbert

Read more Being Savvy for:

Recent Posts

Favorite portland Lists

Review Your Preschool

Join the hundreds of portland parents helping other parents find the right preschool for their child.

Review Your Preschool

View Preschools and Daycare Centers in Other Cities

View preschools in other cities