So I was really excited about our Halloween Movie this year. I'm going to be a Ghostbuster and found out, when telling my students about it, that they don't know who Slimer is and really know nothing about the Ghostbusters.
I was really good! I checked with my school's movie policy. I ran it past my administrators and I even came up with a way that I could link it to my curriculum (we're actually studying fantasy vs reality). I even checked the rating on the movie! It's PG so I sent home a permission slip today.
I'm now re-watching the movie because I wanted to really make sure that it was school appropriate AND that I could link it to my curriculum the way I thought I could. um... there's partial nudity (which is easily skip-able because it's not a crucial part of the movie), sexual innuendos, and 3 plain out cuss words.
I'm betting parents aren't going to remember exactly what's in Ghostbusters because I didn't. I tried to find a back-up G rated movie for them to watch and nothing is G rated anymore (seriously, look it up, there is nothing more recent than 2005 that has a G rating). I need a permission slip for anything over G ratings and I was late getting my permission slip out for this movie.
So do I show the movie knowing there are some things I may have to cover my butt over later? Most of my kids watch PG 13 movies with their parents now anyway. Do I run to the video store and spend hours finding a new movie? Do I spend hours finding games and things for them to do before Friday? WHAT DO I DO!?!?!
I have a lot of hate for Hollywood lately, for this very reason. It just makes me mad that EVERYTHING seems to have some sort of cuss word here or there. One day last year, I was really sick, had no sub, and absolutely couldn't go on. I talked to my P, and he told me to get by however I could, so I ran down to the store and rented a movie for the afternoon (not something I would usually do, it was an extreme circumstance). I grabbed Speed Racer, rated PG, thinking it was a decent action movie for 6th graders. WRONG. The action was good, the kids liked it, but there was cussing CONSTANTLY. After the first bomb, I told the kids...oops, sorry, just ignore...then it happened again, and again, and again. And not just a little "darn it"...these were full blown s*** and G-D its and a$$holes.
But, I don't think it's only a recent problem. I really wanted to show my kids the movie Spacecamp, since I went this summer, as a reward for doing a great job on our space unit. So I bought the movie, and THANKFULLY watched it again-I swear, I watched that movie about 200 times when I was a kid, but I DID NOT remember all of the cussing in that! Argh. There goes that plan. I also bought October Sky, but I've never seen it, and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, so that's on the shelf for now.
Why must good movies be ruined with trashy, unnecessary language?
I know there is a website out there that will tell you every single questionable word or action in every kids' movie...I just don't remember what it is.
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This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space, and we have no choice but to follow it.
--John F. Kennedy, 1963
I would not show Ghostbusters. You might check out Wallace and Gromit. When I taught fifth grade I showed it and the kids loved it. It is also good because most kids haven't seen it. You can also do one like Monsters Inc, the kids have probably seen it but they probably will still like it. Another good one is Chicken Run.
For holiday celbrations I usually spend at least half the day doing regular stuff and then the last hour or so is focused on celebration. You might have them write ghost stories, do art about Halloween, art about pumpkins, do a skeleton art piece using noodles or beans, have them get to do choice time after eating the snack, make masks using paper plates and construction paper, read them some spookey stories, draw a picture of their costume and write about it, do math problems involving spookey things, count the slippery seeds in a pumpkin to list a few things I can remember doing on various Halloweens.
When I taught fifth grade, I had my kids write scary stories during the week leading up to Halloween. Then, on the day of Halloween, for you it would be Friday, we turned the classroom into a camp with an awesome "camp fire" that I made out of construction paper and red and yellow tissue paper. THe kids brought in popcorn and blankets/pillows, and stuff animals and for about an hour we just sat/laid around the campfire reading our ghost stories. And that was our party.
Could you find some episodes of the animated Ghostbusters series? Then also have them make slime or do other games? One year we showed the Chipmunks "Monster Mash" episode and then made little "graveyard" cookies and turned it into a writing activity using adjectives.
I'm a Ghostbusters freak, just watched it a few days ago. Is there an "edited for TV" version you could get? (Like if someone had it taped from TV the way my parents did when I was little?) I know they edit out the "ghost b.j." dream sequence in that but I don't know about curse words...plus the part where Dana is possessed is quite sexual, though it may be over their heads.
Without the "b.j." scene I'd be okay showing it to middle or high but I guess I wouldn't show it to 5th grade. That does really stink! "Ghostbusters" is awesome; shame on their parents for not making them watch it!
I do know there are 2 episodes of the cartoon series on either the first or second special edition DVD. The first one is an episode of "The Real Ghostbusters" and the second is "Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters" which is the reinvention of the original cartoon and is REALLY STUPID. You will lose brain cells watching it and in my opinion is not the best way to expose the kids to Ghostbusters.
This may be way out there...but if you have the technology and are willing to put in some extra work, the video game for Wii is awesome and kid friendly.
Eh, it depends how old the kids are. For early elementary school kids, the cussing is obviously an issue. But for older kids (4th-5th grade, or above in my humble opinion), it doesn't seem like a terrifically big deal to me. They hear these words all the time, and if the value of the movie (for whatever reason) is there, that should outweigh some bad language.
That said, that's very much my own opinion. I don't get too hung up on that sort of thing... it's just not a big deal to me. I myself even occasionally let slip a "****" or an "ass" in class, and it's a non-issue. If it's excessive, perhaps I'd worry, but I've seen the film.... they're not drunken sailors or anything. It really is occasional..... or so I recall.
Eh, it depends how old the kids are. For early elementary school kids, the cussing is obviously an issue. But for older kids (4th-5th grade, or above in my humble opinion), it doesn't seem like a terrifically big deal to me. They hear these words all the time, and if the value of the movie (for whatever reason) is there, that should outweigh some bad language.
That said, that's very much my own opinion. I don't get too hung up on that sort of thing... it's just not a big deal to me. I myself even occasionally let slip a "****" or an "ass" in class, and it's a non-issue. If it's excessive, perhaps I'd worry, but I've seen the film.... they're not drunken sailors or anything. It really is occasional..... or so I recall.
I actually had this exact same thought but our school is really under the microscope right now as far as movies we watch and expose to the kids. I would have cut out the bj scene but the cussing was a little much for me to avoid and the scene where she was possessed is too much of a crucial part of the movie for me to avoid.
We'll be watching Ratatouille today.
And that was our party.
