50 Classic Kids Movies

Well, it has rained all day here, and if you're hip to our 100 Things to Do This Summer list, then you know that #5 (rent and watch classic movies) is the perfect activity for a day like today.

And even if it's not raining, while your kids are patiently biding time between the new Superman movie and the new Wolverine movie, you can teach them that heroes come in other forms too, such as Marty McFly and Indiana Jones. Of course, we Walkushes taught the boys that last year.

So, in honor of that suggestion, I give you a list of 50 classic movies that your kids should watch.

I've listed the year and rating for each movie. And to keep things simple, they are listed in alphabetical order (lest we launch into lengthy conversations about rankings). Please use your best judgment as to what movies are appropriate for your family.

1. An American Tail – 1986 – Rated G
2. Angels in the Outfield – 1994 – Rated PG
3. Annie – 1982 – Rated PG
4. Babe – 1995 – Rated G
5. Back to the Future: I, II, and yes, even III – 1985, 1989, 1990 – Rated PG
6. Bad News Bears – 1976 – Rated PG
7. Beethoven – 1992 – Rated PG
8. Beetlejuice – 1988 – Rated PG
9. Benji Movies (Benji, For the Love of Benji, Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story, Benji Off the Leash) – 1974, 1977, 1978, 1987 – Rated G
10. Big – 1988 – Rated PG
11. The Black Stallion – 1979 – Rated G
12. Charlotte’s Web – 1973 – Rated G
13. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – 1968 – Rated G
14. The Dark Crystal – 1982 – Rated PG
15. Edward Scissorhands – 1990- Rated PG-13
16. ET the Extra-Terrestrial – 1982 – Rated PG
17. Explorers – 1985 – Rated PG
18. FernGully: The Last Rainforest – 1992 – Rated PG
19. Free Willy – 1993 – Rated PG
20. The Goonies – 1985 – Rated PG
21. The Great Muppet Caper – 1981 – Rated G
22. Gremlins – 1984 – Rated PG
23. Harry and the Hendersons – 1987 – Rated PG
24. The Herbie Movies (The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas) – 1969, 1974, 1977, 1980 – Rated G
25. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – 1989 – Rated PG
26. Hook – 1991 – Rated PG
27. The Indiana Jones Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, if you must) – 1981, 1984, 1989, 2008 – Rated PG/PG-13
28. Jumanji – 1995 – Rated PG
29. The Karate Kid – 1984 – Rated PG
30. Labyrinth – 1986 – Rated PG
31. The Land Before Time – 1988 – Rated G
32. The Last Starfighter – 1984 – Rated PG
33. A League of Their Own – 1992 – Rated PG
34. The Mighty Ducks – 1992 – Rated PG
35. Mrs. Doubtfire – 1993 – Rated PG-13
36. The Muppet Movie – 1979 – Rated G
37. The Muppets Take Manhattan – 1984 – Rated G
38. The Neverending Story – 1984 – Rated PG
39. Newsies – 1992 – Rated PG
40. The Parent Trap – 1961 – Rated PG
41. The Princess Bride – 1987 – Rated PG
42. Radio Flyer – 1992 – Rated PG-13
43. Rudy – 1993 – Rated PG
44. The Sandlot – 1993 – Rated PG
45. Sister Act – 1992 – Rated PG
46. The Star Wars Movies (Episodes VI, V, and VI, none of this namby pamby I, II, and III stuff) – 1977, 1980, 1983 – Rated PG
47. Teen Wolf I & II -  1985, 1987 – Rated PG
48. Tron – 1982 - PG
49. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – 1971 – Rated G
50. The Wizard of Oz – 1939 – Rated G

For holiday-themed, kid-friendly movie suggestions, check out our 25 Kid-Friendly Halloween Movies and 40 Kid-Friendly Christmas Movies.

This post contains affiliate links.

We do like our Zucchini!

In the grand Harris Sisters' tradition of measuring garden veggies with babies, here is a picture of  Baby Emma Lola with a zucchini from our garden:

And here is Donna's wee measurer, Jaxon (from a few years back, that is):

Hope your garden is doing well this year!

This post contains affiliate links.

Ticket to Ride at Dollywood - Girls' Weekend 2013

As we have alluded to, it was that time again.  Yes, time for our annual Harris Sisters Girls' Weekend, and this year, we were joined by an honorary member to our group - Misty's daughter, Charlotte.   She's the short one (I use that term loosely) on the end that looks like a mini-Misty.  As you can see, we decided this year to change it up and head to the hills of Tennessee for a trip to Dollywood and a long weekend of fun!  And good old Dolly sure didn't disappoint.  Take a look at this collection of photos, and see if you don't agree that a day at the amusement park can make anyone into a kid again. 

(L to R- Charlotte, Misty, Donna, and Deanna)

The first pic of the day!  Dang, we were off to a pretty good start!

As for the first ride of the day, Charlotte was gracious enough to go along with my plan of easing into the rides slowly!

These horses are about my speed, not too fast and they are pretty firmly rooted to the ground.  Aahh, just right!

The swings were definitely NOT my speed at all.  I rode them once, but never again. These things move FAST and they are really high.  Donna and Charlotte loved them.

Speaking of Donna and Charlotte, they buddied up for all the swings from then on after. They were soaring high up there in this pic.

Here's another wild ride- this time it was Donna, Misty, and Charlotte for a spin on the dizzy disk.

Dolly's teacup ride was called the Lemon Twist.  We were twisting this little cup so fast, none of us could stand up and walk straight after the ride was over!

Of course, we took a ride on the Dollywood Express!

This ride is called the Scrambler, but it is pure nostalgia for us.  When we were little we used to love this ride.  We would take turns riding it with Daddy.  He lovingly coined the name "The Cigarette Crusher" for this ride because anyone who rides this one will tell you that you are thrown to the outside of the ride pretty violently and will certainly crush anything in your pockets - in his case, cigarettes.  Daddy doesn't smoke anymore, but we will never call this one anything else. 

Charlotte's pic of the day. She was riding the "Cigarette Crusher" and looking adorable.  We must have rode this ride at least 10 times.  It was one that everyone could agree on!

Though we didn't get pictures of it, Misty and Charlotte rode EVERY roller coaster in the park. In fact, there wasn't any ride that Charlotte didn't ride. Oh, to be so young again!

I hope your summer is off to this kind of a fun start. Girls' weekend may be a wrap, but now it's time to gear up for Take 2 as the whole family heads to Nashville for the 4th of July! So it looks like this story is to be continued. More to come, friends, MUCH more to come!