It seemed like a good idea…..

300+ kids ages 5-9 all sat on the floor of the non-airconditioned gym watching the Lego Batman movie. Some wanted to listen; some wanted to react and talk. For some of the Kindergarteners I was shepherding, what little plot there was in the movie went over their heads and there seemed a general disinterest.

This “event” was a reward for meeting their reading goals. I’m certain that it seemed like it would be exciting for them. Except – most had already seen the movie. And when kids watch a movie together they want to talk about it. And it was hot. And it’s only fun to sit on the gym floor for short periods of time – not 90 minutes. And they were all drinking bottled water because all the water in Livonia is no good for the next few days due to an earlier power outage. And that meant hands being raised to go to the restroom and a long line at the girls’ restroom door in the hallway.

I think they also served ice cream. I’m not certain because a staff member announced that if anyone didn’t want to watch the movie, s/he could go back to the classroom. A bunch of my kids started asking to go, so I asked the rest of them if they wanted to, and ended up taking all except 3 or 4 of them. We went to the classroom and played with trucks and toys and games and the little kitchen and dominoes and plastic counting bears and such. Unfortunately, I had left the classroom fan in the gym, but we survived.
Anyway – we didn’t get ice cream or whatever the treat was.

I think the era of showing a movie as a perk anywhere has ended. These kids can watch just about any movie anytime anywhere however many times they want. Sitting still and quiet with 299 of your closest classmates in a very warm gym is not really a bonus.