Soul Learning Experiences
Hello! It’s been a while! I must say that I intended to post much more this summer, but I’ve been caught up with having way too much fun. My family and I got away this summer and went on vacation for about two months! I can’t believe summer vacation is almost over! If the novelty of summer has warn off and you are running out of things to do— look no further! I have learning experiences for you based on the Disney+ movie Soul.
Soul is SUCH a good movie. I was deeply moved and can’t wait to watch it again with my husband who loves Jazz music. Soul follows a man, Joe Gardner, whose “sole” (see what I did there?) dream is to be a Jazz musician. When he finally gets his big break, an accident puts his body in the hospital and his soul in a sort of limbo.
I must admit that my children did not love this movie as much as I did, simply because it was a bit over their heads. They enjoyed it, thought parts were really funny, but didn’t necessarily understand about his soul being in another place, so that’s something we had to talk about. That’s a great starting point when watching this movie with your kiddos and thus today’s “Hook”.
The “Hook”
Ask your children if they know what a soul is. This is going to be very abstract for little ones, but it will help them understand the film a little better. If they don’t know, explain that your soul is what is inside—it’s what makes you you! It’s our thoughts, our feelings, our wants, our dreams—it’s who we are inside our bodies! You can explain that, in this movie, the main character is going to take a trip with his soul, who he really is, outside of his body.
*Note- this is a time when you can talk about death, if you feel it’s appropriate. With my children I didn’t go there, however if your child has experienced the death of a loved one, this is a great time to talk about it! Especially if the person was someone who was suffering or was hurting, you can talk about the soul now being free from the body. You could even talk about this after watching the movie.
Now you’re reading to watch Soul!
Materials Needed:
-paper and/or cardstock
-pencils, markers, colored pencils, crayons
-paints (watercolor or acrylic, whichever you prefer)
-shapes to trace (any household objects will do)
-dowel rods, kebab skewers, or pencils (2 are needed)
-scissors
What is Your Spark?
I set up this invitation to learning to get my kids to think about what their “spark” is—what they love and what really makes them “tick”, as they say. I cut out paper circles so that it looked like the circles that all of the souls waiting to go to Earth have. I was excited to see what my children chose as their spark.
Research a New Hobby To Try
In the movie, Number 22 tries so many different things to try and find her spark. Here’s the opportunity for your child to try something new! Talk to your children about new things they may be interested in or may want to try. This can be as simply as folding paper airplanes or other origami, a more experiential activity like flying a kite, or something more difficult like learning to play an instrument. My daughter began learning to play piano. It helps that Nana has one!
Famous People Research
In the movie, so many famous people try to help Number 22 find her spark. These include Abraham Lincoln, Marie Antoinette, Muhammad Ali, and Sigmund Freud. Find someone your child is interested in and do some research on that person. My daughter picked Thomas Edison because she became fascinated by him when they talked about him in school. Here is a great website with links to various famous people that children may be interested in researching.
What is Jazz?
Your child may be wondering- what exactly IS Jazz music? Here is a link for slightly older kids explaining about the origins of Jazz music. This website also has a great video from the National Museum of American History at the bottom of the page that explains Jazz and has some examples of Jazz music. While you’re on Disney+, you can also pop on over to The Muppet Show and watch the Dizzy Gillespie episode in season four. He’s one of the Jazz Greats and it is one of my girls’ favorite episodes of The Muppet Show that they ask to watch over and over again. Turn the radio on and find a Jazz station. Have a dance party! My husband and I enjoy Ed Love’s Destination Jazz, a local Detroit station that you can check out here.
Music Exploration
Looking for more activities to do with music? Check out my Exploring Music blog post here.
New York City
New York City is one of the main characters here in this story! If you and your child have been to New York City (or maybe you even live there!) now is a great time to bust out the photos and talk about your experience, taking a walk down memory lane. If you’ve never been to New York City and want to learn some facts, check out these websites here and here. The first link is more about the state of New York itself and the second one is about New York City and targeted towards younger kids.
Note: Remember to always watch YouTube with your child. You never know what ads may load before and after the videos.
Make a Memory Book-
Speaking of Memory Lane, have your child think about some favorite memories and then write them down. You can make a memory book. My oldest daughter painted a picture of her at a local pet store petting a bunny. She wants one SO bad. But I’m not backing down. No bunnies. Not even when she paints cute pictures.
Make a Subway Map
Before we leave the topic of New York City, we can also explore the subway system. In the movie Number 22 and Joe travel through the subway. If your child has never been on a subway before, you can talk about how Number 22 and Joe traveled through the movie. You can also learn more about New York’s subway system here. Encourage your children to make a map of a Subway that they have created themselves. Here are drawings of my 8 year old and 5 year old’s subway maps.
Another great way to do this activity is to use colored masking tape and let them go at it! They can make subway tracks and maps on the floor or on a table and the best part is that it all peels up so easily with no mess afterward! Just remember to take a picture of their masterpiece before it gets taken apart.
Counselor Jerry Art- Using Shapes
All of the Counselor Jerrys in this movie are abstract-looking people made out of lines and shapes. Encourage your child to make people out of shapes. There are a couple of ways to do this. One way is to have your child trace household shapes and cut them out. It’s fun, gives great fine motor skill practice, and will keep them busy for a while! We traced the bottoms of salt shakers, cups, bowls, toilet paper tubes, toothpick boxes, and other kitchen objects. Note: I found it easier to use card stock for this activity (for ease of cutting) but construction paper also works. After cutting them out, encourage your children to arrange the shapes in different ways to make their very own Counselor Jerry!
If you prefer just cutting out ready-made shapes, you can find printable shape templates here. Again, I recommend printing them out on card stock.
Another way to create a Counselor Jerry is by using a good old Spirograph. My older daughter got one for Christmas and was eager to bust it out again. This kept her busy for a while!
A third way to do this activity is to use Wikki Stix. This is such a great tactile experience. You can also use these to help your younger child practice making letters.
Finally you can do this activity using tools. There are great products that encourage kids to screw shapes in and out. It’s great motor skill practice and another activity that keeps them busy for a while! You can find some choices here.
Imagine You’re a Mentor- Make a How-To Book
Your children can imagine that they are one of Number 22’s mentors. Ask them what their area of expertise is. Is it building Legos? Is it making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Playing Minecraft? Whatever it is, have your children make a “How-To” book of how to do a favorite thing (hobby/spark).
Your child can’t write yet? No problem! They can also tell a How-To story using pictures. I know my daughter loves to create little Lego creations and draw step-by-step directions for how to make them, just like a little Lego booklet would. She then takes her creation apart, pops it in a box along with the directions, and gives it to a friend or family member to make. It’s great practice for children to think of sequence: first, next, then, last.
Math- Create and Use Your Own Abacas
Terry is one of the people who works with all of the Counselor Jerrys and realizes that something is amiss in accounting. We see Terry using an abacas, trying to account for all of the souls. Encourage your children to make their very own abacas. You can find instructions for making your own here. We took Kebab skewers (although dowel rods would be a safer, less pointy option). You could also use pencils. Then we took 10 pipe cleaners, threading 10 beads on each of the pipe cleaners. Attach the end of each pipe cleaner to one of the rods and voila! You have an abacas! Make sure you leave room on each pipe cleaner for your children to slide the beads back and forth. Practice using the abacas together and show your child how it works. Then give them some math problems and have them go at it!
Uniquely You- Acrostic Poetry
This movie is all about what makes a person unique and special. It isn’t what they do, but who they are. Now your children get to think about all the things that make them unique and special. Have your child write his or her name vertically down the side of a paper. Then have them come up with one word or phrase that describes them using each letter in their name. This is called an acrostic poem. An example with my name is below.
Self Portrait
Observation is an important skill. It’s vital to take time to stop and notice. Encourage your children to draw a self-portrait. It’s important to give them some way to see themselves. This can be by providing a hand-held mirror, sitting in front of a mirror at home, or taking a picture of your child with your phone for him or her to look at. Encourage your children to really notice their features. Then let them take their time and draw, noticing what they see. This is my eight year old’s self portrait. Make sure to put the date on it and then have them do it again next year and then the year after that! It will be amazing to see the growth in their drawings and in how they see themselves. It makes for an amazing keepsake.
Well, that’s all for now! I hope you’ve enjoyed these learning experiences to go with the Disney+ movie Soul! My next blog will be coming next week, so stay tuned and I’ll see you soon!
~Nicole