Oh, Netflix. I adore Netflix (even after the price hike – we use it enough we’re still getting a good deal.)

One of the many things we watch on Netflix are documentaries. I adore documentaries. So do my kids. Mostly.

We use documentaries to supplement in areas we’re already learning about, learn about new things we’re just curious about, or my favorite-for educational “entertainment” on teacher sick days. Yes. You heard that right. Having a sick day? Pick out a documentary. Everyone find a cushion, open your ears, clothes your mouths and enjoy!

Documentaries can be a bit tricky though… you never know when you’re going to end up with a total dud. But mostly they’re good. We’re only on Week 8 of school but we’ve already watched many this year. Here’s a list of some of the things we’ve watched (or have in our queue, I’ll mark them.)

Science & Nature Documentaries

Saving the Ocean: Shark Reef

Secrets Beneath the Ice: Nova

National Geographic: Seas Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure

Deadly Dozen (A series of episodes about the deadliest animals on each continent.)

The Vanishing of the Bees (I’ve watched it, it’s in our queue for the kids to watch.)

Tornado Intercept (In the queue.)

National Geographic: Incredible Human Machine (I’ve watched it, it’s in the queue for the kids.)

Coral Reef Adventure (In the queue.)

400 Years of the Telescope (In the queue.)

Disney Nature: Oceans (In the queue.)

God of Wonders (In the queue.)

 

Historical Documentaries

National Geographic: Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West

America: The Story of  Us

National Geographic: Jamestown

The Great Ships: The Pirate Ships

China’s Terracotta Warriors

Greeks: Crucible of Civilization (In the queue.)

National Geographic: Alexander the Great (In the queue.)

Wild China (In the queue.)

Discover Atlas: China Revealed (In the queue.)

Ancient Mysteries: Forbidden City -Dynasty & Destiny (In the queue.)

The Revolution (In the queue.)

 

Biographical Documentaries

George Washington: American Revolutionary

In Search of Beethoven (In the queue.)

Marco Polo (In the queue.)

Here I Stand: Martin Luther (In the queue.)

History’s Mysteries: Lincoln: The Untold Stories (In the queue.)

The Lincoln Assassination (In the queue.)

Paul Revere: The Midnight Rider (In the queue.)

 

Previously Watched in 2011:

National Geographic: Secret Yosemite

The March of the Penguins

National Geographic: Ultimate Cat

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life: Ocean World/Frozen Seas

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life: Open Oceans/The Deep

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life: Seasonal Seas/ Coral Seas

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life: Tidal Seas/Coasts

The Natural History of the Chicken

Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution

Science of Dogs

Atlas: Uncovering Earth: Atlantis

Esther: The Bible

National Geographic: Great Pyramid

National Geographic: Egypt: Pharoahs

 

As you can see, we really use Netflix to our advantage. Our favorites are clearly science and nature related – Little Prince will choose shows about animals without any prompting whatsoever – Deadly Dozen is one of his favorites! We also do like some history (though the kids are generally more skeptical of those because we’ve seen a few dry and boring ones!) We also like to watch shows that show you how things are made or work or done, like How It’s Made, Storm Chasers or Dirty Jobs. We’re either very curious over here or we just like to know many things to be know-it-alls. 😉

Documentaries.

Don’t knock’em ’til you’ve tried’em. ; )

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This is a part of the ABC’s of Homeschooling series by Dawn @ The Momma Knows. You can find all of my ABC posts here.

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Amber

Hey, y’all! I’m Amber and I wear many hats. I drink a ton of coffee and I’m constantly sweeping crumbs off the floor. After 20+ years of homeschooling, we are starting over at preschool with our fourth, Lil Miss Mouse. She keeps us young and she’s the main reason for my excessive coffee consumption. Drink up!