Why Use WonderGrove S.O.A.R.?

1. Students of developmental ages 2-10 relate to animated characters. The relationship students develop with the WonderGrove S.O.A.R. animated characters can be cultivated and used to help them refine social and critical thinking skills.

2. Animated stories teach empathy. Though empathy is a crucial skill for classroom culture, it can be hard to teach to young children. When students view empathy in a story and relate to an animated character, they can transfer that empathy to real-life situations and utilize empathy in their personal relationships.

3. Animations are a multi-sensory teaching tool. In an animated lesson, students can see their favorite characters in tough situations, hear them responding respectfully to other characters, and talk about the viewing experience with peers and teachers. Then teachers can extend each lesson with the printable extension lessons available from the WonderGrove S.O.A.R., there are also opportunities to involve other senses like touch. 

4. Animations help separate a child’s behavior from their person. Priming students with regular viewings of WonderGrove S.O.A.R. animations can give context to refer to that makes behavior corrections non-threatening. By reminding students what the character did in an animated lesson, there is a non-threatening opportunity to explore the present situation.

5. Students imitate the characters’ behavior. Kids are already imitating characters, why not give them some animations that model the behaviors we WANT them to imitate? We can combat the fact that they want to fight like Power Rangers by offering alternative animations that help them think through their choices and behavior.

6. Animated stories are an efficient way to convey information. In animated stories, students hear the characters’ tone, see the characters’ body language and expressions, and listen to the words they are saying simultaneously. Much can be understood about characters by observing their environment, their appearance, their likes, and their dislikes.

7. Animations are a way to “hook” the students. In the WonderGrove S.O.A.R. animated stories, content serves as the hook, making the experience not only enjoyable but in alignment with how students learn best. The recurring characters are immediately recognized and trusted, allowing kids to focus on the social-emotional or life skill being portrayed.

8. Stories create a shared viewing experience. Animations in the classroom provide students with a shared experience. Kids absorb pro-social behaviors from educational programs more effectively when they watch them in a group setting.

9. Animations are a powerful social-emotional learning platform. There is no need to give up content instruction time to use WonderGrove S.O.A.R.! Our most popular animations include 21 printable content area extension lessons (over 2000 in total!) that can be adjusted for all student levels.

10. Animations provide a 3-minute opportunity for a breather. The 3-minute length of WonderGrove S.O.A.R. animated stories provide the perfect amount of time for a teacher to prepare for the next task. By the time the animation ends, the students have calmly watched a social or life skill brought to life with their favorite characters.