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Documentaries for younger children.....  

post #1 of 19
5/30/08 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
Got any suggestions for a 4 and 5 year old? We joined netflix again and I am having trouble locating these types of shows for little ones.

Thanks!
post #2 of 19
5/31/08 at 6:34am
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/weepingcamel/

This is a fantastic movie. I wish that I owned it. On second thought, maybe not for a 5 year old. Mama camel won't take her baby

Hmmm, I'll keep thinking...
post #3 of 19
6/1/08 at 1:16am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the idea. My boys are fairly sensitive to what they see. I am thinking predator vs prey etc. stuff is not a good idea.
post #4 of 19
6/1/08 at 3:14am
I have "Weeping Camel" in my movie collection, but a lot of kids (and adults) lose interest after first 20 min or so... I love it, and attempted to show it to my nieces, but it's too long for them. Life of little Mongolian kids was really beautifully shown (although main story is their love of animals - camels in this story).

I recently rented DVD from Netflix with 2 movies that are great for kids: "The Red Ballon/White Mane"

http://www.janusfilms.com/redandwhite/index.html

My nieces enjoyed both movies (they are not documentaries, but you can check out online reviews and decide if they work for you).

Enjoy!
post #5 of 19
6/1/08 at 3:40am
Also, would your kids enjoy nature documentaries?

On Netflix, you have a great collection of those (some are under Documentaries, then click on PBS, or here are some links:
"Nature:Pale Male" (famous red hawk of NYC):http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Nature_...5?trkid=122454
Or just "Science and Nature Documentaries":
http://www.netflix.com/Genre/Science...umentaries/858

And a lot of documentaries with David Attenborough
The Life of Birds:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Lif...5?trkid=204695
Wildlife Specials:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/David_A...59?trkid=95561

The Life of Mammals:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Lif...0?trkid=174833

(and The Blue Planet, etc.)
post #6 of 19
6/1/08 at 3:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KikaKika View Post
Also, would your kids enjoy nature documentaries?

On Netflix, you have a great collection of those (some are under Documentaries, then click on PBS, or here are some links:
"Nature:Pale Male" (famous red hawk of NYC):http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Nature_...5?trkid=122454
Or just "Science and Nature Documentaries":
http://www.netflix.com/Genre/Science...umentaries/858

And a lot of documentaries with David Attenborough
The Life of Birds:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Lif...5?trkid=204695
Wildlife Specials:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/David_A...59?trkid=95561

The Life of Mammals:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Lif...0?trkid=174833

(and The Blue Planet, etc.)
Yeah nature documentaries would be great! I am just attempting to avoid excessive predator type behavior or other types of violence or graphic scenes. My boys simply are too young and sensitive for that at this point.

Thanks for all the links. I will check them out

I called Netflix yesterday to see if they had any recommendations. They do not have a specific area for kids documentaries. It seems that would be a good idea. The customer rep did give me a few ideas. I will post them later.
post #7 of 19
6/1/08 at 3:12pm
My kiddos really loved "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"

It does have some sad parts, but nothing graphic IIRC.
post #8 of 19
6/1/08 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KikaKika View Post
I have "Weeping Camel" in my movie collection, but a lot of kids (and adults) lose interest after first 20 min or so... I love it, and attempted to show it to my nieces, but it's too long for them. Life of little Mongolian kids was really beautifully shown (although main story is their love of animals - camels in this story).

I recently rented DVD from Netflix with 2 movies that are great for kids: "The Red Ballon/White Mane"

http://www.janusfilms.com/redandwhite/index.html

My nieces enjoyed both movies (they are not documentaries, but you can check out online reviews and decide if they work for you).

Enjoy!
I added these to my queue. They look fabulous!
post #9 of 19
6/1/08 at 8:41pm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113104/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428803/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488508/ (I have not seen this one, so I'm not sure if there's anything disturbing, I think global warming and the animals struggles are a theme)
post #10 of 19
6/2/08 at 10:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AutumnMama View Post
My kiddos really loved "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"

It does have some sad parts, but nothing graphic IIRC.
That was a wonderful documentary.
post #11 of 19
6/3/08 at 6:10pm
Oh yes, Wild Parrots is GREAT. I wonder if kids would enjoy it, though? It's kind of talky -- we didn't try it on my daughter, but maybe we should have because of the parrots.

The Sister Wendy art series has no objectionable content for sensitive kids, but again I suppose it might be boring.
post #12 of 19
6/3/08 at 6:15pm
Yeah, I didn't think that the kids would enjoy it because it did seem more talkative.

I think maybe the fact that he had names for all of the Parrots may have helped.

: Who knows? I do know however that they watched it 3 or 4 times in the week that we had it from the library!
post #13 of 19
6/4/08 at 5:13am
Microcosmos
March of the Penguins
Winged Migration
Baby Tales (National Geographic)
The Blue Planet
post #14 of 19
6/4/08 at 5:55pm
My kids love Globe Trekker. They are travel documentaries (sometimes shown on PBS) where the traveler goes off the beaten path and experiences more of the countries they visit. We enjoy watching these as a family. My girls are 8 and 6 and have been watching for a couple of years.
post #15 of 19
11/13/08 at 2:44am
Thread Starter 
just bumping my thread to see if anyone had any new ideas. i ended up calling Netflix to try to get them to have a documentaries for children genre....no luck.

I cannot find documentaries for children under six. I wish they would have some milder nature documentaries. Does anyone know of any?
post #16 of 19
11/13/08 at 5:23pm
I ditto the recommendation for all things Attenborough. A big favorite in our family. We practically worship this man!
post #17 of 19
11/13/08 at 7:55pm
I don't know if you can get this on Netflix, but the Popular Mechanics For Kids DVD's are great. One is called Radical Rockets, and talks about the space shuttle, coastguard boats, submarines, and the like. Another one called Slither and Slime is good too. The narrators are pre teens, but the content is clean. The kids do experiments with an adult as well.
post #18 of 19
11/13/08 at 8:07pm
There are gentle nature shows aimed at very young kids -- Zooboomafoo and Going Wild with Jeff Corwin are two. Maybe producers figure a 20- or 30-minute episode is better for preschoolers than a full-length film.

I bet episodes of some of these are on Netflix.
post #19 of 19
11/13/08 at 10:13pm
i will 2nd microcosmos. it is so cool. the trailer is on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76R2EKEnoJQ
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