Educational videos can be a great way to enhance your lesson plans and curriculum. Videos can also be a great opportunity to take a break from lessons when your child is having a rough day and to help make abstract concepts more relatable to children. Knowing where to find educational videos to fit your lesson plans is a MUST for homeschoolers.
Where to Find Educational Videos to Fit Your Lesson Plans
One of the things I've learned in my years as a homeschool parent, is that a great video can work wonders for the homeschool day. From documentaries to fun shows like The Magic School Bus and science experiments videos, the internet and popular streaming services are packed with amazing educational videos you can use in your homeschool.
YouTube
YouTube is one of the most accessible options for finding videos you can use in your homeschool. This is a great place for kids to see science experiments in action that may not be the best for doing at home if you do not want a mess or to risk someone getting into trouble. Youtube has a quality search engine that allows you to find videos on nearly any topic. Of course, what we use frequently depends on what we're studying. Since we're currently studying Asia with our core curriculum, we're using a lot of Geography Now videos. When we studied North American Birds, we used a lot of Leslie the Bird Nerd videos. We also enjoy videos from Nat Geo Kids, and Animal Facts by DataCubeand Earth Titan.
Disney Plus
Disney Plus is fairly new on the scene for video streaming services. If you have Disnely Plus you have access to a white variety of educational TV shows and documentaries thanks to Disney's partnership with National Geographic. While Disney + is packed with shows for young children, older kids can get plenty of learning from shows like Brain Games and Expedition to Mars.
Netflix
While Netflix has been under fire lately if you are still a member you can take advantage of great offerings like Emaly’s Science lab and Everyone's favorite childhood show The Magic School Bus. These classics we enjoyed as children are perfect for teaching our children as well.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime has a great streaming service built in for their members. While two day shipping is the highlight of amazons service their video streaming can be an amazing educational tool for the homeschooling family. Use shows like Animal Encyclopedia and Children of the World to bring your homeschool lessons to life in new and exciting ways. With a bit of everything from science to history Amazon Primes streaming service is worth exploring for your homeschool if you already have a membership.
HULU
While HULU may not be one of the more popular streaming services for homeschoolers they do have some great gems you can take advantage of in your homeschool. Your kids can explore the inner workings of production with How It's Made or dive into fact and fiction with Myth busters. If you are looking for fascinating videos that will capture your child interest and inspire a sense of wonder Hulu may be worth giving a try this year.
CuriosityStream
If you are looking for documentaries specifically to stream for your children you can't take advantage of the low cost subscription of CuriosityStream. This budget streaming service has thousands of documentaries to inspire and inform your homeschooler making it a great option for families looking for a wide variety of educational videos that can cover nearly any topic your child could want to discover.
Finding videos you can use in your homeschool can go a long way toward helping your child develop a sense of wonder. As always be sure to check the ratings on videos before you share them with your child. If something seems questionable watch the video yourself before allowing your child to watch it.
