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. ; )
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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Sounds like a great variety of documentaries. My daughters and I like watching them as well. We have satellite tv as well and some of the educational channels have excellent programs that enrich our science, history, and general knowledge subject areas.
One of the things I like about Netflix is that we can watch things that came on channels we didn’t get (Animal Planet) back when we DID have Dish Network Satellite. I always wanted to have those channels but never wanted to pay for the higher plan so I did without and now I get to watch some of those shows. =)
Great list! I’m going to look up that Jamestown one right now! Thanks!
We used the Jamestown documentary to supplement what we’d learned in the “Story of Us” documentary. We’ve done that several times along the way.. “I think I’d like us to learn a little bit more about that before moving on.. let’s see what we can find.” =) We watched the Lewis and Clark one for the same reason. =)
We are great fans of documentaries, too! I find that my kids (like most homeschool kids) learn better with a more adult approach that is present in documentaries. Of course, my kids will watching almost anything science or history based…
We definitely prefer science but I’m trying to foster an enjoyment for history, too. My oldest actually enjoyed the segment of “Story of Us” that we watched today.. she said, “There’s no war or killing in this one.” 😉
Amber, I love documentaries too! We’ve also watched a number of the ones in your list (gotta LOVE Netflix). And thank you, because I plan on using your list for future reference! LOL
Go for it!!
We are so spoiled with Netflix and the internet… what would we do without it? =p
Thank you so much for this post. I found your website by putting “netflix documentaries for kids” in my search engine. Two years ago, I discovered one of America’s most forgotten heroes and I have to share about him because there is a netflix documentary about him and his life serves as such a role model for young people. The documentary will be too slow for young children; however, if the parents watch it, you can then teach the basics about him to your kids. There are children’s books about him on amazon.com and he is also in the excellent… Read more »
Thank you so much for this list! My little mister is home sick from school today and too pitiful to do anything but lie on the couch. I found this while I was trying to make sure he was getting something a little more educational than “Dinosaur Train,” and I will be referring to it often.
You’re welcome. =)