Shoot for the Stars

McKenna laid on the ground yesterday and cried because she wanted a wheelchair and a cast on her leg. I'm not kidding. So I found an ace bandage and wrapped up her foot and she was happy as could be. You see, we watched the new American Girl movie this weekend and the girl is slightly obsessed.

The doll for the year 2012 is named McKenna and my McKenna lives and breathes this girl right now. She told me that she never wants to take ballet again and that she doesn't like soccer, she just likes gymnastics. She pretends she's doing flips and vaults and tumbles all day long.

It's not very often that I rave about a movie but I give this one two thumbs up! It's excellent. It's not really intended for my McKenna's age, but she loves it. There's enough gymnastics action in it to keep her interested. I think it's perfect for girls 6 and up. There is so much to talk about with it. It's the kind of movie that moms and daughters should watch together and talk about. 

And it's the perfect movie to watch before the start of the Olympics!!

Great discussion points:

• McKenna struggles with reading comprehension and I felt like the movie depicted what it was like for her to struggle with reading really well. Lots of great discussion with that!!!
• McKenna thinks gymnastics are more important than school.
• McKenna tries to keep it a secret from her friends that she's getting tutored and lies to her best friend.
• McKenna gets hurt during one of her practices because she didn't obey her coach.
• McKenna's tutor is disabled and she's insensitive to her tutor regarding her disability.
• Overall McKenna learns the importance of obeying the person in authority over her. She learns how to be a good friend. She learns the importance of working hard in school. She learns how to accept other people who are different than her.