The scent of sunscreen is fading. Summer road trips and lazy days at the pool are giving way to back-to-school shopping. And it won’t be long before your kids will start complaining about their math homework or their “boring” history teachers. (Perhaps even if they’re homeschooled.)
But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. Perhaps you could get your kids excited about school and all the cool, neat, nifty-keano things that they’ll have the opportunity to learn.
At least it’s worth a try, right?
Because learning can be fun! It can lead to some incredible opportunities! Why, if the movies are any indication, cramming knowledge into your cranium can even lead to adventure!
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at a few movies that, one way or another, focus on some popular educational subjects. They remind us that not only are these subjects important but they can be entertaining as well.
As always, though, just because a movie lands on this—or any other—Plugged In list, that doesn’t mean that it’s right for you or your family. Be sure to check out our full reviews before watching.
Movie About Math:
Hidden Figures (PG, 2017)
Based on a true story, Hidden Figures focuses on three critical players in the United States space program—pioneers that just happened to be Black women. Katherine Goble, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson were “computers” before machines took over the name. Using calculus, trigonometry and plain ol’ arithmetic, they helped design rocket ships and plot safe trajectories through space (all while battling racism and sexism). If your kids wonder what trigonometry has ever done for the world, this film tells them—and hints at more.
Movie About Science and Technology:
Big Hero 6 (PG, 2014)
Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old robotics prodigy, sinks into a grief-filled funk when his brother is killed in a tragic explosion. But when he accidentally activates a puffy, medically minded robot named Baymax and joins with his gifted-and-geeky friends, Hiro slowly becomes a hero. Sure, the science and technology we see in Big Hero 6 might be a bit out of reach—for now. But this delightful Disney movie reminds us that it can make the world a better place if used wisely. Oh, and it can be very, very cool.
Movie About Reading:
Winnie the Pooh (G, 2011)
Silly old bear? Hardly. Oh, to be sure, Winnie the Pooh can be quite silly. And funny. And sweet. But what lands it on this list is the film’s obvious love of the printed word. Characters spill through the pages of the book, hopping on letters and literally wandering through paragraphs. (Indeed, the film even teaches young readers what, exactly, a “paragraph” is.) And while the film deviates from a word-for-word rendition of the Winnie-the-Pooh books at times, it often takes whole chunks from A.A. Milne’s classic children’s stories—preserving its lyrical whimsy and introducing young viewers into the delightful ways that language can be used.
Movie About English:
Little Women (PG, 2019)
For teens well past elementary reading, Little Women might be a fine choice. While Hollywood does not lack for screen adaptations of classic books (as Little Women is), few boast this story’s love of family and respect for creativity. The March sisters we meet here make their own fun, including their own plays. And Jo—the movie’s principal protagonist—wants to be a writer. And while Little Women has made its way to the screen no less than five times, the most recent adaptation—Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film—just might be the best, having been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Movie About History:
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (PG, 2014)
The entertainment industry is packed with historically based movies. And yes, some of them are pretty great. But very few deal with the concept of history. And that’s a very different thing indeed. Enter Mr. Peabody and Sherman. The former is a brilliant dog who invented a time machine. Sherman is his adopted son. Together, they’ve been traversing the annals of time since the 1960s (a pretty big stretch of time itself). And in this film, they’re bringing along another guest—Sherman’s 7-year-old frenemy, Penny. Mr. Peabody & Sherman plays pretty fast and loose with real history, of course: This is not a film to take notes on to prep for an AP History exam. But it comes with some nice messages. It reminds us that history is far from a bunch of dry names and dates, and that the people who shaped our history are anything but boring.
That’s it for this semester’s core cinematic classes, though we could name plenty more. What about engineering? Music? P.E.? Those’ll have to wait for another list.
But for many, school doesn’t end when classes do. They have the opportunity to engage in a slew of extracurricular activities, from soccer to drama. So here’s one more movie for you.
Extra Credit:
Queen of Katwe (PG, 2017)
Phiona Mutesi lives in one of the most notorious slums in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. School? Phiona’s family can’t even afford one school uniform. The young teen spends her days just trying to help feed the family. Then one day, she and her brother come across a chess club—one that serves as an after-school activity for most of its members. But its leader, Robert Katende, welcomes her in. And while many members of the club mock Phiona for her slum-borne odor, Robert soon realizes that he has a rare chess talent on his hands. Based on a true story, Queen of Katwe is filled with inspiration and hope. And it just might encourage young viewers to explore new hobbies, work hard to succeed—and to never, ever, take the gifts they’ve been given for granted.
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