Please join us in welcoming our good friend Kathy from The Many Adventures of a Disney-lovin’ Spectrum Mom! Kathy and her husband live in the Garden State, where they, along with their sixteen year-old daughter and fourteen year-old son who has classic Autism, are devoted fans of Walt Disney World and are never happier than when planning their next Disney adventure! You’ll find Kathy aboard Magical Blogorail Teal and at WDW FanZone.
The Disney-Pixar film Finding Nemo re-opened in theaters on September 14, 2012, in a stunning new 3D format, nearly ten years after the thrilling underwater adventure first captured the hearts of theater-goers in May of 2003. On the surface, it is easy to see why this film has enjoyed such popularity – it tells a great story!
Marlin, an overly protective clownfish becomes separated from his son, Nemo, when the young fish with one tiny fin is scooped up by a scuba diver and taken far from his ocean home. Nemo ends up in a fish tank in a dentist’s office in Sydney, Australia. With the help of Dory, a friendly-but-forgetful Pacific regal blue tang, Marlin learns to overcome his fears as he undertakes an exciting and dangerous trek across the “Big Blue” to rescue his son.
Beyond the obvious lesson about facing one’s fears and trusting in others, the diverse and colorful characters of Finding Nemo teach us that physical differences are to be embraced and are not viewed as a source of embarrassment or the object of teasing.
In the beginning of the film Nemo meets his new classmates and casually explains that he has a “lucky” fin. In turn, they are open about their own physical quirks: a squid admits to having a lazy tentacle and a seahorse shares that he is “H2O intolerant.” Nemo’s classmates accept him because in this school of fish, everyone is different!
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| Mr. Ray has a fully-inclusive classroom in the ocean! |
Today’s Takeaway:
Nemo’s classmates accepted his tiny fin, and he accepted their differences, too. Teasing someone about a physical difference (such as wearing glasses or being overweight) is a form of bullying.
Discuss with your children the following questions from goodcharacter.com and remind them how hurtful bullying is. Remind them not to be afraid to seek help from a trusted adult (like you!) if they experience bullying themselves. And, of course, encourage them to remember “the golden rule” to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated. If something would hurt their own feelings, they shouldn’t do/say it to someone else.
1. What is a bully?
2. Can someone be a bully without meaning to be?
3. What’s the difference between bullying and just fooling around?
4. Which of these is bullying (and why)?
- Making fun of somebody’s looks.
- Chasing away younger kids when they want to play on the swings.
- Accidentally bumping into someone in the hall.
- Calling people names because of the color of their skin.
- Making the other kids play the game your way.
- Teasing someone about the clothes he/she wears.
- Telling someone that the hat he’s wearing doesn’t look good on him.
- A group of kids won’t let you sit with them at lunch even though there’s room.
- Telling someone that he or she is not being nice.
- Joking with people by “putting them down.”
5. When does something become bullying?
6. What can be done to stop bullying?
Copyright: goodcharacter.com
SCHOOL SUBJECT: Good Citizenship
SKILL LEVEL: All
Thanks so much for being our Guest today, Kathy!
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