How we watch TV has evolved significantly from when we were younger. Gone are the Video cassettes and DVDs of old, or waking up early on a Saturday morning in eager anticipation of your favourite TV series! Now many of us are streaming shows on-demand, and as a result we’re seeing lots of great content getting created for families to watch, whenever and wherever they want to! So we thought we’d share our top educational videos for kids…
If you know where to look, there’s a wealth of great videos and channels that both entertain but also educate at the same time.
We’ve shared a few of our faves, from hip-hop that teaches a variety of topics, to weird and wacky chemistry that satisfies the oddest ‘what if’ questions, check out these three channels with your children! Maybe you’ll learn something new and pick up some interesting facts with your kids!
It's Okay To Be Smart 🧑🏫
In a nutshell: Joe Hanson examines the things that make up the world around us, how they came to be, and why!
In this vast array of free videos from PBS Digital Studios, one man armed with a PhD and a curiosity about the universe investigates science, space, history and more. These excellently put together animations, on a topic presented and explained in a easy-to-understand but engaging way, are likely to leave you feeling enlightened! You can find out the latest set of questions Joe is answering over on their channel.
Our personal favourite: Who built the pyramids?
Ancient Egyptians hadn’t even invented the wheel when pyramids were invented, so how did they do it? In this video, Joe delves into how they came about in a neat review of ancient history that captures the imagination and how they survived (or kinda survived!) over the course of 4000 years.
TED-Ed 📽
In a nutshell: a treasure trove of educational videos, supported by great animations, on a variety of topics.
We did warn you in June that we love TED Talks here at RoosterHQ! The aptly named educational side of TED has carefully curated a vast library of informative videos that can help both kids and parents pick up something new, in subjects ranging from events in History and investigations in Psychology, through to incredible Biology and mind-boggling Riddles. Discover what else they’ve covered on their channel.
Our personal favourite: Inside your computer – Bettina Bair
Don’t tell the kids, but many of us still don’t fully comprehend just how computers work! In this informative animation, learn just how fast technology has to work to keep up with us when we’re using it, and how it does it.
Cartooning 4 Kids 🧑🎨
In a nutshell: step-by-step video tutorials that teach children how to draw all sorts of different pop-culture characters.
All drawn in real-time so you or your children don’t miss anything, Cartooning 4 Kids shows how to draw everything from Pokémon to Disney characters. A brand new video is posted every day, 7 days a week on a different character, while you can also find arts and crafts resources and more on their website. Uncover who or what today’s video is about!
Our personal favourite: Drawing Minecraft Steve
In this freehand art lesson, follow along as the presenter talks through every line and detail needed to create your own artwork of Minecraft’s most original character.
Flocabulary 🎶
In a nutshell: catchy hip hop rhymes from biology to geometry, which you can watch all the time.
Flocabulary make a variety of educational videos on topics suitable for children of all ages. They range from understanding the human nervous system to how you can calculate the area and perimeter of a shape. They have almost two dozen videos on their YouTube channel so far, and also have a wider offering for teachers to use in classrooms (available on their website). Everyone learns best in different ways as we now know, so why not give learning through music a go? Ooh, that rhymed! Check out their channel here.
Our personal favourite: The Importance of Setting in a Story
Exploring a narrative and learning how to tell a story is key in everyone’s education and a vital life skill to support how you understand the world around you. This catchy song, with excellent visuals, demonstrates how to effectively use a setting in a story and how this can help get your meaning across to your audience!
San Diego Zoo 🐯
In a nutshell: brief videos of animals that'll have you going 'aww!' in seconds.
Well this might be stretching the realms of educational videos for kids, but it wouldn’t be the internet if it didn’t contain cute videos of animals would it? San Diego Zoo has a wide range of videos on the different animals they have. They’re no more than two minutes long each at most, so it’s easy to have a quick watch before you’re in the position where you’re thinking “okay, maybe I’ll watch just one more!” To follow along with the animals at the zoo, you can subscribe to their channel here!
Our personal favourite: Panda Cub Has a Ball
In this minute-long short, watch the zoo’s young panda cub Xiao Liwu, playing with a plastic ball during an exam, to help test his co-ordination and encourage him to play. Warning, it’s likely to encourage you to find out more about pandas and watch even more videos!
Got any ideas or suggestions for what we cover next? Let us know at hello@roostermoney.com and it might get featured in a future blog!