Monday, May 18, 2015

FishFlix ~ Flight and Metamorphosis


I had the opportunity to review two videos from FishFlix, entitled Flight and Metamorphosis. FishFlix has a wide range of DVD's with the goal of bringing Christian and family friendly films to their viewers. Whether you are looking for wholesome viewing for your kiddos, educational films, or movies for family movie night, FishFlix has you covered. 


Metamorphosis - DVD


My 8 year old and 12 year old girls and I watched Metamorphosis. The footage was spectacular. I absolutely loved the close up microscopic footage which provided amazing details of these magnificent creatures. From the intricacy of the egg, all of the way to the beauty of the butterfly, Metamorphosis, chronicled captivating detail and information. This is definitely something that only God, an intelligent designer, could accomplish. The cycle of metamorphosis is mostly hidden from the eyes of the world, which makes the whole process that much more intriguing. 

Here is a brief overview of what we learned from Metamorphosis.

Egg:
  • specific host plants must be chosen to lay eggs
  • the developing caterpillar will die if eggs are laid on the wrong plant
  • stick to the leaf by a sticky suction like cup
  • egg is protected by an outer layer

Caterpillar:
  • is pretty much a stomach with legs
  • growth is amazingly fast
  • molts 4-5 times
  • survive on plant leaves for nourishment

Chrysillis:
  • total reconstruction takes place
  • death of caterpillar cells to new cells that will be the butterfly

Butterfly:
  • eyes have 180 degree vision
  • pinhead sized brain does so much
  • survives on nectar


Metamorphosis highlighted the Monarch Butterfly and its amazing yearly migration. The segment was truly spectacular and very informative. Did you know that Monarch Butterflies gather to rest on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico on their journey down to Mexico in the winter months? Did you know that the Monarch Butterfly uses a magnetic compass to direct their flight to the Michoacán Mountain Range in Mexico? These are just two of the intreging bits of information that you will learn about the Monarch. 

Overall, I would give Metamorphosis, a ten out of ten, with regard to content!! 


Flight: The Genius of Birds DVD


Wow, Flight was another amazing film!! Flight was captivating and informative. My husband was sitting in the room watching a movie on his iPhone and within five minutes he stopped watching his movie and was also watching, Flight. I purposely did not call any of the children into the room before I began the DVD. Little by little, kiddos started trickling into the room to watch. They were hooked! Unlike other animal DVD's, FishFlix, utilizes graphics to show the inner workings of the subject being discussed. An example of this is the bird egg. The video chronicled the amazing journey inside a bird egg, from the beginning of development up until the bird hatches. Did you know that there are over 9 thousand species of birds?

The DVD discussed the importance of a bird's skeletal system, feathers, and the muscular system. A bird's bones are hollow in order to make the bird lighter for flight. Birds need structural strength as well as a light body.

The DVD highlighted three species of birds. 

Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are natures equivalent of a helicopter. They are unique in that they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, and side-to-side. Hummingbirds also have the ability to maintain a hovering position. Its heart beats 1,250 bpm. The hummingbird's tongue is extraordinarily unique. The DVD had a very detailed explanation as to how their tongues work in order to collect the nectar from thousands of flowers every day. 



Starling
I was extremely fascinated by the murmurations of the starling. They travel in flocks of hundreds and even thousands, in a symphony of whirling, ever changing patterns. The DVD compared their flight to a ballet. How they avoid collision is amazing!



Arctic Tern
Arctic Terns have the longest migratory distance of any animal. They travel from Greenland to Antarctica and then back again, each and every year. Scientists were able to use loggers, which are trackers attached to a birds foot, in order to track their amazing migration over a year's time. It was very fascinating to see the results of the data. 



When thou seest an eagle,
thou seest a portion of genius.
~William Blake~

Final Thoughts
The DVDs were amazing and our family loved them. I would definitely purchase more videos from FishFlix, for both educational purposes and enjoyment. I would also highly recommend these videos to fellow homeschoolers and educators. My 8 year old animal lover has already watched both of these DVD's, two times. I am sure that it will not be the last time she will watch them. The one thing that surprised me was that God's name was not mentioned. They talked about how only an intelligent agent/designer could have a hand in all of this spectacular intricacy of life, but their was no mention of who the agent/designer was. I kept on waiting for them to mention God but that was never done. The website says, "We believe that media and entertainment are gifts from God that help us spread his message with creativity and excellence." I do not mention this in order to criticize FishFlix, rather I want to make the purchaser aware that these two particular DVD's mention only an "intelligent agent/designer" in the generic sense.

To read more reviews click HERE.

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