Now available on Disney+, original film Disney*Pixar’s LUCA, is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summ...

Now available on Disney+, original film Disney*Pixar’s LUCA, is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides.

Note: This post is in partnership with Disney+, who invited me to the online screening. Views expressed are always 100% my own.

My Review for Disney and Pixar's LUCA

I had the chance to screen LUCA and enjoyed it. The storyline is simple but relatable with issues of a child's independence, forming friendships and dealing with life's challenges.

Besides the storyline, families will enjoying watching the animation of LUCA. While it does have the brightness and color of other Disney*Pixar films, it's on a different level and an unexpected plus, especially the under water scenes.

Luca is a great film for families to enjoy together.

Disney and Pixar's LUCA Activity Pack

To celebrate the release of LUCA on Disney+ , I'm sharing some fun facts and activity sheets for families to enjoy.


You can download the activity kit here: LUCA Activity Pack

Fun Facts for Disney and Pixar's LUCA

BEST FRIENDS

The character of Alberto is inspired by director Enrico Casarosa’s own childhood best friend, also named Alberto.

SCALE IT BACK

Sea monster Luca has 3,436 scales on his body.

GETTING IN SHAPE

Artists gave Giulia a distinct look, embracing triangle shape language—particularly in her hair and pants.

CAMEO

Director Enrico Casarosa provides the voice of the winning card player in Portorosso who shouts “Scopa!” He is also the fisherman in the boat who yells to a speeding boat, “What’s wrong with you, Stupido!”

OUT OF CONTROL

There are 221 and 223 individual controls in Luca’s and Alberto’s mouths, respectively, to help animators create the rounded mouth expressions they use throughout the film.

FISHY BUSINESS

One of Luca’s chores on his underwater family farm is herding goatfish. There are several real-life species of goatfish—some found in waters off the coast of Italy.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

All of the background kid voices in the film were recorded by local children in Italy.

HIDDEN GEMS ON THE BALL

The iconic yellow, red and blue Pixar ball can be spotted on a rooftop as the Portorosso Cup bike race gets underway.

PRODUCTION DELIZIOSO!


Filmmakers traveled to Italy to research the local culture, architecture and overall feeling of the film’s setting. Food was a welcome highlight of their research. Director Enrico Casarosa, who’s a native of Italy, even treated team members to dinner at his parents’ house in Genoa.

SYNOPSIS

Luca shares summer adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

The voice cast features Jacob Tremblay as Luca Paguro, Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto Scorfano, Emma Berman as Giulia Marcovaldo, Saverio Raimondo as town bully Ercole Visconti, Maya Rudolph as Luca’s mom Daniela, Marco Barricelli as Giulia’s dad Massimo, Jim Gaffigan as Luca’s dad Lorenzo, Sandy Martin as Luca’s grandma, and Giacomo Gianniotti as a local fisherman.



Pixar Animation Studios’ 24th feature film is directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa (“La Luna”) and produced by Andrea Warren (“Lava,” “Cars 3”). Award-winning composer Dan Romer (“Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Maniac”) created the score.

Learn more, visit -

Facebook - www.facebook.com/PixarLuca
Twitter - wwwtwitter.com/pixarluca
Instagram - www.instagram.com/pixarluca

Grandma & me: Explore Outdoors Activity Kit ($34.95) provides a fun and easy way to explore nature together! This complete kit will spar...

Grandma & me: Explore Outdoors Activity Kit ($34.95) provides a fun and easy way to explore nature together! This complete kit will spark meaningful conversations and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of the environment.

Read Together! Lay the foundation for a nature walk by enjoying the fun facts and stunning illustrations in the storybook, A Busy Bee Life.

Explore! Personalize a drawstring backpack and head outdoors to enjoy the dozens of nature-based activity ideas in the one-of-a kind Outdoor Activity Journal. Observe the tiniest details with the included 10x magnifying glass while recording observations on the Nature Notes journal pages. Pick and choose a different activity on every walk you take!

Create and Connect! Collect natural objects and use the power of the sun to make original solar prints. Use the included pens to design your own painted rock collection. Create eco-friendly art with the included sidewalk chalk. Enjoy the beauty of nature as it inspires wonder and conversation!

Little Bridges: Explore Outdoor from Little Bridges Activity Kits on Vimeo.

What’s Included:

- 24-page hardcover fact-filled storybook, A Busy Bee Life
- 10x magnifying glass
- Solar print kit
- Drawstring backpack
- Outdoor Activity Journal with dozens of fun and easy-to-do ideas
- 3 fine-point paint pens
- Sidewalk chalk

Encourage a special grandmother/grandchild bond with an activity kit that makes outdoor play a delight!

Learn more, visit - www.littlebridges.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/littlebridgesactivitykits
Instagram - www.instagram.com/LittleBridgesActivityKits

So we recently did a thing....got vaccinated at American Museum of Natural History. Honestly I've been on the fence about this. I ha...

So we recently did a thing....got vaccinated at American Museum of Natural History.

Honestly I've been on the fence about this. I had lots of pro and con concerns about which vaccines, when we should get them and where we'd go. But once the vaccine became available for kids 12+, my son and I started discussing travel again and how much we missed going places.

My son has been asking for months, when we're going somewhere. While we love being in NYC, my son enjoys being part of the activities when we visit different cities. I get it. I'm the one who introduced him to that lifestyle!

Now we're ready to be part of that "we outta state" lifestyle again, and we both agreed it was time to get it done.

We looked over various locations to find the right fit for distance, timing and options. Once we saw that American Museum of Natural History had availability, we knew it was the right spot for us. I mean come on, we LOVE that museum.

Once there, the overall process was organized and went quickly. After it was done, we celebrated with a photo beneath the Blue Whale and next to the T-Rex heads. Because of course we would.

Now we can plan a trip to see the Blue Whales in real life. As for dinosaurs, we'll stick to seeing the one's in the museums. No real life dinosaurs for me!

My Disclaimer

Without getting into the vaccination debate, I think it's a personal choice. People do what's right for their families, based on the right information, in the right time and with the right motivation. I encourage families to make informed choices.

If your choice is to get vaccinated, then you have options, use them, which can include going to the American Museum of Natural History to get vaccinated.

COVID Vaccination at American Museum of Natural History

New York City opened a new COVID-19 vaccination site at the American Museum of Natural History. The vaccination site opens under the blue whale in the Museum’s Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.

The Museum’s partnership with the City on this historic and lifesaving effort aligns with its mission of public access and fostering scientific knowledge and understanding, and continues its work to address and educate the public about issues at the frontiers of human health, including COVID-19.

How to Get Your Vaccination

Vaccinations are available 7 days a week, 10 am to 5 pm.

This vaccination site is open to walk-ins, serving U.S. residents ages 12+, with set-aside appointments for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents and staff and District Council 37 (DC37) members, New York’s largest public employee union, with members who work at New York City cultural institutions.

You can also register for an appointment by visiting NYC Vaccine Finder and selecting the American Museum of Natural History vaccination site or calling 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

What to Expect On Arrival

All visitors must proceed through security check and follow the Museum’s Code of Conduct. Luggage, carry-ons, and oversized backpacks are not allowed in the Museum.

Come Back and Visit the Blue Whale

Everyone who receives their vaccination at the Museum will receive a voucher for complimentary general admission to the Museum for up to a group of four. You can redeem this voucher online to reserve timed-entry general admission for a future visit.

Find out more about how an infectious disease like COVID-19 emerges, how vaccines work, and why vaccination will play a critical role in the next phase against COVID-10 in The Science of COVID-19.

To learn more, visit - www.amnh.org/explore/covid-19-science

To learn more, visit - www.amnh.org/covid-vaccination

During the summer families are focused on enjoying a more relaxed routine. But that doesn't mean learning has to stop, or be boring. Th...

During the summer families are focused on enjoying a more relaxed routine. But that doesn't mean learning has to stop, or be boring. There's still lots of ways kids can avoid the summer slide with toys that are both fun and educational.

Note: I received product sample for review purpose, but any personal views expressed are always 100% my own

To learn about a few of these toys, I attended a Virtual Educational Toy Preview with Learning Resources, Educational Insights & Hand2Mind. During the preview, each brand highlighted various products including new and best sellers.


After the virtual preview, we received a few samples of the toys and products to try out. My son loves to build things and enjoyed making a catapult with Hand2Mind "Craft Stick Creation". 

Looking for a way to encourage continued learning in June and over the summer? Storyline Online® has free videos and activity guides, which ...

Looking for a way to encourage continued learning in June and over the summer? Storyline Online® has free videos and activity guides, which aligned with Common Core Standards to help strengthen comprehension, verbal and written language skills!

Storyline Online, streams ad-free videos featuring celebrated actors reading K-5 children’s books aloud alongside creatively produced illustrations.

Each book includes a free activity guide developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aimed at strengthening comprehension, and verbal and written skills for English-language learners.

Readers include Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell, Rita Moreno, Viola Davis, Jaime Camil, Kevin Costner, Lily Tomlin, Sarah Silverman, Betty White, Wanda Sykes, and dozens more. All of the readers donate their time and talent to this project.

Summer Reading Ideas throughout June

Friday, June 4: National Doughnut Day
Watch Chris O'Dowd read Arnie the Doughnut
www.storylineonline.net/books/arnie-the-doughnut/

At first glance, Arnie looks like an average doughnut - round, cakey, iced and sprinkled, with a hole in the middle. He was made by one of the best bakeries in town, and admittedly his sprinkles are candy-colored. Still, a doughnut is just a doughnut, right? WRONG! Not if Arnie has anything to say about it. And, for a doughnut, he sure seems to have an awful lot to say. Can Arnie change the fate of all doughnuts - or at least have a hand in his own future?

Saturday, June 5: World Environment Day
Watch Justin Theroux read Here Comes the Garbage Barge
www.storylineonline.net/books/garbage-barge/

Before everyone recycled…there was a town that had 3,168 tons of garbage and nowhere to put it. What did they do? Enter the Garbage Barge! This mostly true and completely stinky story is sure to make you say “Pee-yew!”

Tuesday, June 8: World Oceans Day
Watch Chris Pine read Clark the Shark
www.storylineonline.net/books/clark-the-shark/

Clark is a shark with zing, bang, and boom. Clark zooms into school, crashes through the classroom, and is rowdy at recess. Clark loves life – but when his enthusiasm is too much for his friends, Clark’s teacher, Mrs. Inkydink, helps him figure out a way to tone it down. Clark the Shark celebrates boisterous enthusiasm – and knowing when it’s time for indoor voices.

Watch Ernest Borgnine read The Rainbow Fish
www.storylineonline.net/books/the-rainbow-fish/

The Rainbow Fish is an award-winning book about a beautiful fish who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scales of the Rainbow Fish.

Thursday, June 17: National Eat Your Vegetables Day
Watch Jaime Camil read Zombies Don't Eat Veggies
www.storylineonline.net/books/zombies-dont-eat-veggies/

Mo Romero is a zombie who loves nothing more than growing, cooking, and eating vegetables. Tomatoes? Tantalizing. Peppers? Pure perfection! The problem? Mo’s parents insist that their niño eat only zombie cuisine, like arm-panadas and finger foods. They tell Mo over and over that zombies don’t eat veggies. But Mo can’t imagine a lifetime of just eating zombie food and giving up his veggies. As he questions his own zombie identity, Mo tries his best to convince his parents to give peas a chance.

Sunday, June 20: Summer Solstice
Watch Mark Duplass read When a Dragon Moves In
www.storylineonline.net/books/when-a-dragon-moves-in/

If you build a perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in. And that’s exactly what happens to one very lucky boy at the beach. Dad is busy sunbathing and Mom is busy with her book, so the boy and dragon roam the beach together, flying a kite, braving the waves, and roasting marshmallows.

But no one believes him when he shares the news of his magnificent dragon: Mom only hears the roar of the ocean, Dad thinks the dragon feather is a seagull feather, and know-it-all sis claims there’s no such thing as a dragon.

That’s when the sandwiches mysteriously disappear, claw prints are found in the brownies, and dragon-giggles erupt from the strangest of places. Heh-heh-heh. Is there truly a mischievous dragon running around in the beach or is someone’s imagination running wild? Decide for yourself When a Dragon Moves In.

Sunday, June 20:Father's Day
Watch Kristen Bell read Quackenstein Hatches a Family
www.storylineonline.net/books/quackenstein/

Crack open this tale of family and fright, as cute as it is creepy. All the animals in the zoo have friends and family to play with and love. All of them, that is, except Quackenstein. Lonely and bitter in his ramshackle corner, he decides to adopt an egg. He cares for it diligently, waiting until the moment when it will hatch a baby duck of his own.

Sunday, June 20: World Refugee Day
Watch Ed O'Neill read How I Learned Geography
www.storylineonline.net/books/how-i-learned-geography/

Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could.

Monday, June 21: World Music Day
Watch Viola Davis read Rent Party Jazz
www.storylineonline.net/books/rent-party-jazz/

This story is set in New Orleans in the 1930s. Sonny and his mother are scraping by to pay their rent. Mama works in a fish canning factory, and Sonny works for the coal man before school each morning. When Mama loses her job, they no longer have enough money for the rent and fear that the landlord will turn them out.

One day Sonny meets Smilin’ Jack, a jazz musician who is playing his trumpet in Jackson Square. Smilin’ Jack offers to play at a party at Sonny’s house to help raise money for the rent. The neighbors all come to sing and dance and before they leave, drop some coins in a bucket. Sonny learns how people can help one another “if they put their minds and hearts to it.”

Watch Angela Bassett read Trombone Shorty
www.storylineonline.net/books/trombone-shorty

Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.

Along with esteemed illustrator Bryan Collier, Andrews has created a lively picture book autobiography about how he followed his dream of becoming a musician, despite the odds, until he reached international stardom. Trombone Shorty is a celebration of the rich cultural history of New Orleans and the power of music.

Thursday, June 24: International Fairy Day
Watch Tony Hale read No More Noisy Nights
www.storylineonline.net/books/no-more-noisy-nights

Who is making so much noise and how will Jackson ever get to sleep? Despite some silly, sleepy mistakes, genteel Jackson finds a fun and quiet activity for each of his noisy neighbors. He finally gets a great night’s sleep -- and discovers three new friends in the morning.

Storyline Online is a SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Daytime Emmy®-nominated and award-winning children’s literacy program, also endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, has received the "Best Website" recognition award by the American Association of School Librarians, and one of the "11 Best Educational YouTube Channels for Kids" as recognized by Parents Magazine.

In addition to the website, Storyline Online offers a free app for iPhone and Google Play devices.

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