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The Balgonie Birdman

A small prairie town has few secrets but in Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Bill Gibson had one. Each night, when most folks were home asleep, Bill was busy in his workshop. You see, Bill had a dream. He was building a flying machine. This short puppet animation tells his story.
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A small prairie town has few secrets but in Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Bill Gibson had one. Each night, when most folks were home asleep, Bill was busy in his workshop. You see, Bill had a dream. He was building a flying machine. This short puppet animation tells his story.

Transportation Technology All subjects
Animation for Kids Make Me Laugh All channels
  • director
    Brian Duchscherer
  • animation
    Brian Duchscherer
  • producer
    William Pettigrew
    Barbara Stewart
  • executive producer
    Ches Yetman
    Douglas MacDonald
    Barrie McLean
  • script
    Bob Lower
  • editing
    Ken Rodeck
  • sound editing
    Russ Dyck
  • re-recording
    Jean-Pierre Joutel
    Shelley Craig
  • narrator
    Randy C. Woods
  • music
    Normand Roger
    Denis L. Chartrand

Education

Ages 8 to 12

Notes

Brief “lesson launcher type” activity or a series of inquiry questions with a bit of context:

Animated film depicting the true story of William Wallace Gibson (Bill Gibson) as he becomes the first Canadian to study, design, build and fly his own aircraft.

Bill has some big ideas, but he thinks he will get more support in British Columbia. Do you think many people move to bigger cities for their careers or ideas? Why might they do this?

What obstacles does Bill face as he tries to fly his aircraft? How does he overcome them?

How does Bill demonstrate perseverance in his attempts to fly his aircraft?

More educational content

The Balgonie Birdman
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