Although December brings with it lots of hectic holiday chaos, our family has been fortunate to have some pockets of time together to do fun things. Thanks to Mom Central, the four of us sat down to watch "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa" at our local theater. Then fresh off the movie enthusiasm with catchy tunes in our heads, we unwrapped the "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa" Wii game.
My kids love Wii, and they especially love playing games that relate to things they've experienced in other media, such as with seeing the sequel to Madagascar before actually playing the game. The game itself has different modes: the story mode relates to the movie itself, whereas the "Africa Arcade" provides various quick games that are fun on their own or as part of a multiplayer tournament. Players can collect "monkeys" which they then use at the "Duty Free Shop" to purchase items.
My sons (aged 7 and 4) initially went through the story mode, but then decided they enjoyed the ability to pick and choose mini-games through the "Africa Arcade." My eldest son has probably played the soccer game at least fifty times. Both boys choose Marty the zebra. Watching zebras play soccer is quite a funny sight!
The movie is entertaining, certainly, but it also provides a great springboard to talk about environmental conservation. Since the game parallels the movie, it too can be a good starting point for discussion. The first scene of the movie shows hunters all too eager to lure animals off the protection of their reserve. The first movie depicts zoo animals escaping from New York to Madagascar. In the sequel, the animals leave Madagascar, crash land in Africa, and discover animals from their own species.
Initially they are awed to see the beautiful savannah, but soon the characters discover that a human-made dam cuts off water supply to the reservation. Of course the friends save the day by blowing up the dam, but in "real life," such simple solutions to man-created problems are not so easily accomplished.
Fortunately, the movie and game are entertaining, even if at the core they deal with serious subject matter. My boys laugh at the funny parts, love playing the game, but they are both aware of environmental issues. My eldest loves to scold me at the gas pump (my husband drives a Prius, so he applauds him.) My youngest likes to tell me to turn off lights when we aren't in the room anymore.
And both of them love to play soccer with zebras.
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Learn more about the "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa" video game
Purchase Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa for the Wii at Amazon
Purchase Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa for the Nintendo DS at Amazon
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Read on for some kid-friendly tips from Conservation International:
Find out more about endangered plants and animals. Ask your teachers, read books and newspapers or visit zoos and parks to see these animals. Have your teacher do a class project about endangered animals so that everyone can learn more together. Draw your favorite? Or maybe a field trip to see some? By learning more, you may one day become someone who goes out to these places and saves endangered animals youself!
Join a local group or society to help your environment around you. Many local groups (there might be one at your school!) try to help local wildlife by planting local plants or cleaning up natural places. In some places you may be able to help an endangered species right next door! They might not be a tiger or a gorilla but they are just as important.
Try to use less energy. Turn off lights when you aren't using them, share a car on long trips (or going to school.) Using less energy means making less pollution which causes climate change. Climate change is changing the weather and environment around us and is affecting people all around the world, especially the poor. But that also includes the forests, oceans, ice fields and mountains that many endangered animals like gorillas, turtles, polar bears and snow leopards call home.
Once you have done everything you can do reduce the electricity and energy you use, you may need to do an extra good thing to balance out the bad stuff you can't stop doing (everyone needs a light to read at night!) Scientists tell us that protecting forests is one of the best ways to do that. Those forests are also home to lots of endangered plants and animals. That means you can help control climate change (which is also bad for people) and help protect the homes of endangered animals like the tiger, gorilla, elephant and panda. Two good deeds for the price of one. What a bargain!
Once you have learned all these cool facts about endangered animals and how to help them -- do them! Then tell your friends and family. And make them tell their friends and family. One person makes a small difference. By doing and showing others, you can help other people make their own small differences - and together that becomes one big difference that you can make to help the planet.
