A Movie That Stimulates Your Child’s Curiosity

 Editor’s Note:  Congratulations to Kim Doo for winning our FOREO LUNA tech skincare device to improve her skincare routine.  

At the end of last year, we became a member of the Netflix Stream Team.  I have been a customer and fan Netflix years now, so becoming a Stream Team member made sense.  Of course, since we are a family tech blog, our focus on Netflix will be different than other Stream Team members.  We will provide you with different movies or documentaries that you probably hadn’t heard of before, that relate to technology, the sciences, and more that explores topics which stimulate your child’s curiosity.  Previous Netflix articles include Netflix Isn’t Just About Streaming Movies, Netflix Makes a Splash at CES 2014, Extreme Christmas Trees, and Cyberbullying – Get Involved BEFORE it Happens.  

This year, Valentine’s Day didn’t quite go as I anticipated.  Yes, it did end up hitting my main objectives which were:

1.  eat dinner at home

2.  watch a movie

Originally, we had planned for our good friends to join us for dinner at our home.  We enjoy Valentines together every year.  But instead of going out like we usually do, I really wanted to stay home and enjoy our house…and no waiting in line, sitting through long dinners because of slow service, and sometimes experiencing diner hostility from others tired of waiting. I also thought it would be fun to watch a fun romantic movie together.  We had made arrangements for the kids and we had already planned out most of our menu.  As fate would have it, my husband got sick about 2 days before Valentine’s Day and as much as he tried, he just couldn’t recover in time.

Plans Change

We celebrated Valentine’s Day with the kids…on the couch with blankies all around.  We were cozy and ready for a movie. We watched the Olympics while we ate a chicken salad on TV trays.  I searched frantically online to find a good movie…that wasn’t a cartoon…that the whole family would enjoy.  Let me tell you, this is no easy feat.  There just aren’t a lot of good family movies out there.  By the time I had found it, my son was asleep already. The movie I came up with is called Hugo and it’s on Netflix.  I knew I needed a movie that both kids and adults would like, that was engaging, not entirely kid focused, and thought provoking.  And of course, I’m a big fan of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education, and I could see Hugo had an element of this in it.

Hugo, directed by Martin Scorse, is about the adventures of a tenacious and resourceful 12-year old boy named Hugo Cabret, who lived in the walls of the Paris Gare Montparnasse railway station.  He actually lived within the station’s old clock tower, where he was the main caretaker of the clock, as his drunk uncle who was responsible was not available most the time.

Hugo became under his uncle’s care after his dad, a museum worker, passed away in a work-related accident.  Hugo’s dad doted on him and taught him how to fix mechanical devices. After Hugo’s uncle passes away after a drinking binge, Hugo is left to continue to take care of the clock while stealing food and mechanical items found in the railway’s stores.

Hugo is focused on fixing an automation figure that his dad and he used to spend hours on restoring.  His dad found it in storage at the museum.  It is this very automation figure that opens the door for friendships, mystery, and adventure that Hugo could have never imagined in his quest to finish his father’s work.  I don’t want to ruin any surprises, so I won’t go further, but I can tell you that Hugo is a must see movie with your kids.  I plan on watching it again with my son (awake this time) and daughter.

I love the ingenuity of Hugo and how at such a young age he can fix very complex mechanical devices. Hugo helps children expand their minds to what is possible…even at their young ages….with determination and a desire to learn new things.  This movie stimulates your child’s curiosity and helps them to dream bigger of what they can do. Hugo, which was in theaters at the end of 2011, is rated PG, and really is a must see movie.  Just search for Hugo in Netflix and you’ll find it.  Enjoy!

*  I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team and was provided with streaming service for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own.