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Where to Watch
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
2019 · Movie · 113 min · TV-PG
Primary lesson · Turn knowledge into practical solutions for real problems
Why It’s Worth Watching
Connects engineering and self-education directly to a family's survival as a teenager uses salvaged materials and scientific ideas to respond to drought and crop failure. The story gives older children unusually concrete exposure to energy, agriculture, scarcity, poverty, family responsibility, and how practical knowledge can become valuable when formal resources are limited.
Who it's for
Ages & Chapters
Suggested viewing age
10+
Best learning window
11–16
Best discussion ages
12+
Before you press play
Parent Guidance
Heads up level
Moderate
Content notes
Drought, hunger, poverty, family conflict, and animal death.
Context for parents
The hardship is realistic and central; older children may benefit from context about Malawi, agriculture, and food insecurity.
More title details▾
- Era
- 2010s
- Language
- English / Chichewa
- Origin
- United Kingdom / Malawi
What it teaches
Lessons & Learning Areas
Primary lesson
Turn knowledge into practical solutions for real problems
Secondary lessons
Strongest learning areas
After the credits
Discussion Questions
- 1
What problem is William trying to solve for his family?
- 2
Which materials and knowledge does he use?
- 3
How do poverty and limited resources change the engineering process?
Take it further
Family Experience
Activity
Build a simple paper windmill or research how wind turbines generate electricity.
Real-world challenge
Find one object at home that could be repaired or repurposed instead of replaced.
Parent follow-up
Use the film to connect ingenuity with real structural challenges; avoid romanticizing poverty.
Discovery
Where It Sits
Generation
Mood
Life stage
Lesson tags
Genre