After reading and thoroughly enjoying a well-written book, watching
the movie adaptation can be an interesting experience. The voices
and images from your imagination are contrasted by those created
by the actors, the director, and the cinematographer.
It's not that
the experience of watching a movie adaptation is necessarily bad
- it's simply different. It presents a wonderful opportunity to
demonstrate to your children the difference between words on a page
and images on a screen - and to have a great family experience in
the process.
Almost without fail, your children will agree that while they enjoyed
the movie, the experience created by their own imagination is better.
Demonstrating to your child that their imagination is more powerful
than a hollywood blockbuster is a very liberating and supportive
exercise. Believe it or not, going through this process of reading
a great book and then seeing the movie actually reinforces your
child's love of reading as well as the use of their imagination!
As a family, take the opportunity to read Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire before watching the movie. Discuss which scenes
you think will make it into the movie and which they may have
to cut. Have family members choose favorite characters, and act
out some scenes from the book.
These types of activities build
excitement and set the stage for seeing the movie together as a
family. If you want to go all out, dress in costume to see the
movie. Afterwards, discuss how the movie differed from the
book, and, more importantly, how it differed from the scenes
created in family members' imaginations.
You can follow the same process by reading The Chronicles of
Narnia prior to seeing the movie. Younger children may enjoy
hearing the classic tale of Chicken Little prior to seeing
the Disney movie of the same name. Discuss the moral of the story,
and, after watching the movie, talk about how the storyline in the
movie demonstrated the principles of the classic. |