Films and Documentaries

Children's Films

The Lorax (2012): Of course, Dr. Seuss published The Lorax in 1971 and the message remains important to this day. The theme in the 2012 film edition of The Lorax does not hide the underlying theme of the destruction of our plants and trees and the impact it has on our lives. Students can create a discussion about sustainable living and seed preservation. 

MPAA Rating: PG 

Moana (2016): The Disney film shows a clear message about sustainable communities. The island community grows taro, bananas, and coconuts which are important crops of the people. When something threatens the health of the crops, Moana takes it upon herself to save her people. It creates a positive message about how everything we do impact our natural world. 

MPAA Rating: PG 

WALL-E (2008): A film that takes place 700 years into the future, the Earth becomes a deserted, trash-covered ghost town. The film's protagonist, robot WALL-E finds his way into space and tries to convince humans to return back to Earth. The film urges viewers to notice how their actions affect the environment. 

MPAA Rating: G

Films for Older Kids/Teens

The Martian (2015): An astronaut's sole colonization of Mars is not a far-fetch tale anymore. Older students can discuss the potential of life on Mars and how humans can succeed in survival. This film can bring in a discussion about how the basic necessity to ensure human life and the potential reality of humans living in space. 

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language, serious injury, and partial nudity. 

 Documentaries 

Nature: What Plants Talk About (2013): Do plants behave like animals? You're not crazy if you think they do! In this documentary, viewers will observe how plants behave in their environment. Students will be mind-boggled as they watch plants interact with one another in order to survive. This is a great documentary to talk about adaptation for plants. 

Rating: TV-G 

BCC - Life (Episode 9) - Plants (2009): Viewers will watch how plants endure daily struggles for water, nutrients, and light. This episode shows how some plants adapt to environmental extremes, through timelapse videos. 

Rating: TV-PG

TV Programs 

The Magic School Bus Series: You can never go wrong with Ms. Frizzle's magic school bus! Based on the book series, viewers will take outrageous (but educational) field trips with Ms. Frizzle and her class. Here is a list of specific episodes that talk about plants: 

• "Goes to Seed" (Season 1, Episode 11): The class is planting a garden and Phoebe is in need of plants. The topic of this episode is seeds and the life cycle of plants. 
  
  
• "Get Planted" (Season 3, Episode 10): The topic of this episode is photosynthesis. 
  
  
• "Tim and the Talking Tree" (Season 6, Episode 10): The topic of this episode is how plants and animals interact and communicate in their environment. 

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Another timeless classic in the classroom. Viewers will be intrigued by Bill Nye's quirky explanations of concepts. Here is a list of specific episodes that talk about plants: 

• "Flowers" (Season 4, Episode 10): viewers will learn how plants reproduce, get pollinated, and the types of flowers that exist. 
  
  
• "Plants" (Season 3, Episode 3): Bill Nye explains to views how plants breathe, make food, and defend themselves.