Paddle To The Sea - National Film Board Of Canada

 

I was reminded today that the best thing about the You Tubes is that you can find pieces of video that meant a lot to you as a kid. Paddle to the Sea is one of those kinds of memories for me. Made by the National Film Board of Canada it was a staple in every Canadian Schools Elementary Social Studies classroom. It follows the canoe as it makes it's way from high snowy mountains, mountain streams and finally to the larger rivers and eventually to the sea. It's nearly wordless but teaches it's lesson with beautiful shots of Canada in the springtime. We also learn how water shapes the land and without such waterways Canada would never have been fully explored. It's an exiting journey to watch as well.

I even have used this film when teaching senior high Social Studies to show the influences the NFB has had in many eras, most notably, educating Canadians on the vastness of the country we all love so much in an era before Google Maps and other satellite imaging technology.