One week in and my brain is certainly turned to mush, and I am sure the kids aren’t fairing much better.  Sunshine, beaches, picnics and a few precious moments where mom just needs the “boob tube” to do some babysitting.

So, when an opportunity comes along to entertain my kids and fill their brains with a bif of education. . . well, I am ALL over that.

We had experienced Sammy’s story during A Turtle’s Tale, and when the chance to preview the second edition came along I, (I mean, the kids,) were all over it.  And we had been so anti-social for the first week of summer break, so this was a great time to invite a few friends over and fill out day with prep and fun.

Except, all those friends were all away. On holidays.

Or at grandma’s.

So we made it about something else.  We made it about turtles.

And by that, I mean REALLY about turtles.
Local Turtles.

The turtles at our favourite swimming hole.

Yes, I know, Western Painted Turtles are not the green sea turtles of the film, but they are real enough to actually have the movie make an impact on our kids. As they watched Sammy struggle for his freedom, they understood a little more about the concept of captivity and how humans affect the natural world.  It all hit home a little more, especially when they visited our local beach and cleaned up left over wrappers and bits of paper surrounding the protected turtle eggs.

The kids were amazed by the eggs on the beach, and even more enchanted by Sammy’s tale of survival and adventure when they watched the movie.

We made pizza’s from scratch that night (actually according to the 3yr old, they were Turtle Pizza’s . . .  mommy isn’t so good at making them round) and snacked on treats and cupcakes.  But most importantly, we slowed down for a moment and put as much thought into preparing for the evening, and thinking about the concept of the movie as we did watching it.

And then the next day, we went back to the turtle beach.

And the next, and the next, and the next.

The best part?  The 3yr old no longer wants a pink and purple bedroom. He wants a turtle room, thanks to Sammy!

Grab a copy for yourself the kids this summer and slow down (to turtle speed) for a moment and enjoy the story that this movie shares.  Entertain, enjoy and then add the icing on the cake and educate the kids a little.

 And check out the preview here for a little taste of what is to come!

http://www.youtube.com/movie/a-turtles-tale-2-sammys-escape-from-paradise

You can grab your copy of “A Turtle’s Tale 2, Sammy’s Escape from Paradise” on Amazon or at local retailers, released JULY 9TH, 2013.

Disclosure: I am participating in A Turtle’s Tale 2 – Sammy Escapes From Paradise Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.”