In case you didn't know, I'm a former zookeeper.
And I spent part of my time in the zoo field working great apes. It was a remarkable experience. They captured my heart in a way that no other animals ever have. It is impossible to gaze into their eyes and watch their daily lives and not feel the connection. They demand you give everything you've got to make their lives as good as can be in captivity.
So naturally, I'm pretty excited about the upcoming Disney film, Chimpanzee. It is the fourth film released by Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in more than 60 years. My family and I have seen the first three films, all of which have been released in the last few years on Earth Day. You may remember me gushing about African Cats, which came out last year. (The other two films, Earth and Oceans, were equally phenomenal.)
So I am beyond delighted to be able to offer you, once again, some high-quality education downloads to supplement the movie.
Teachers and parents who homeschool, this Educator's Guide is for you. Written for students in 2nd through 6th grade, it is 135 pages of lesson plans and activities that correlate to National Science, Social Studies, Music, and Arts Standards, as well as Common Core English/Language Arts and Math Standards.
I plan to use this Educator's Guide like I did last year: As a summer unit study. I so appreciate how the guide is arranged with support lessons that are geared for specific grades. The guide covers things like chimp biology, habitat, behaviors, food chains & webs, adaptations & tool use, communication, social hierarchy, and much more.
I hope that each of you gets an opportunity to celebrate Earth Day by seeing what promises to be a fabulous movie. And if you see it during the opening week, Disney will donate a portion to the Jane Goodall Institute.
NOTE: I have not seen this movie. Knowing chimps as I do, I might recommend that you preview the movie first and not take very young children to see it. Chimps can be a little...intense. Loud. And you don't want to scare your kids!
Don't forget that you can still download the activity guides from last year's film African Cats.
Disclosure: Disney has given me permission to share these educational materials and movie trailer with you. I have not been compensated for sharing this information. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
