Finish Earth Month Strong With Netflix’s New Nature Docuseries, Our Living World
The streamer also has eco activities for the whole fam.
You didn’t plan any Earth Day activities with your kids, and now you’re feeling that familiar twinge of mom guilt. Been there. We all know conversations about our planet are vital, and that our children will be hearing about climate change and other sustainability issues likely far more in their lifetime than we have. So, with Earth Day upon us and Earth Month nearing its end, how do we spark a dialogue with our kids that will continue throughout the year? One word: Netflix.
OK, so streaming TV might sound counter-intuitive to celebrating Earth and nature. But we’ve got to meet kids where they’re at, right? Know that Netflix has rolled out a kid-friendly “PLAYbook” highlighting movies, shows, and activities aimed at enriching our understanding of nature’s wonders. You’ll get ideas for nature walks (i.e., get inspired by Ada Twist and find a pollinator, like a bee), find sustainability solutions in a word search, and pick movies and TV shows that expand kids’ perspectives on the planet — conveniently broken down by age group.
Here are a few ideas for harnessing the power of Netflix to help your family finish Earth Month strong.
Cue Up The Newest Docuseries
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Cate Blanchett, Our Living World explores nature’s abilities to restore the planet by capturing the living network that connects everything on Earth. The four-episode docuseries literally spans continents and oceans — filming took place in 24 countries, with photoshoots adding up to a whopping 1,252 days in the field and studio.
Through its stunning visuals and narration, Our Living World addresses how the “unprecedented speed of change to the Earth from human activity” is putting our planet’s life support system in peril. In other words, it’ll kick off a very important conversation between you and your kids.
Download the PLAYbook
If you want to do a more nature-oriented activity with your kids in honor of Earth Month, consider the PLAYbook your springboard. It encourages your family to take a walk in your neighborhood, even offering up prompts inspired by nature-based Netflix characters to help you make the most of your eco-education. For example, you might ask your kids to “get inspired by the Octonauts and take a picture of wildlife like Dashi.”
Other activities in the PLAYbook include a word search, cut-and-play finger puppets, coloring pages, and more. Download it here.
Watch a “Sustainability Story”
Research shows that young people are particularly anxious about how humans’ effects on the planet will impact their futures. As parents, we can help by educating and reassuring our children, obviously — but also by instilling hope. To that end, Netflix has earmarked a bunch of content featuring natural wonders, heroic humans, and fantastic creatures as part of the streamer’s Sustainability Stories Collection.
Conveniently, the PLAYbook suggests a few titles by age, along with conversation-starting prompts. For example, you might press play on the new season of Spirit Rangers for your preschooler. In the animated series, Native American siblings and Junior Park Rangers transform into their own super-powered spirits to protect the national park they call home.
