Penguin Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If your children watch documentaries for science and/or history , when do they watch them? Do you schedule them? Suggest them? Do they watch them during official school time or during their free time? Do you make it part of family time? Just curious. For various reasons, I prefer that we watch them during the evening or on the weekend, but other things tend to get in the way. I am looking for better ways to incorporate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If it is related to what they are studying for science or history, we watch during class time to spark questions and reinforce understanding. If it is their interest like Nova ScienceNow, we watch those as family time. We watch science and history on PBS on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We are fortunate to have Netflix streaming, Amazon streaming, and the ability to stream YouTube to our TV. We almost always watch a documentary during our ~ 30 minute lunch break, typically getting through one-half of a film one day and finishing the next day. I put "lunch & learn" on DS10's assignment checklist, so even though I consider them optional, they get watched as part of our daily routine. We also watch them on weekends some if we're at home and the weather is too cold or rainy to be outside. We don't watch much of anything else on TV. ETA - I have lots of titles saved in our "queues" and a list to coordinate with what we're studying in order. About two-thirds of the time I have something specific in mind to go with what we're studying that day but about one-third of the time I let DS choose whatever he wants from the queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 As part of their school hours, preferably in the afternoon. I have an assortment of educational school related documentaries in out Netflix queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I've added some to our science lessons and I schedule them as part of class time. For example, one day we read a lesson about the topic and then the next science day, we watch the documentary instead of a lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If I really want it to happen, then I have to schedule it (and find time for it) during school. My kids are 5 years apart, so it is difficult to find something that is relevant for the 7th grader but appropriate for the second grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 My boys watch documentaries for school, and for fun. So sometimes it is a scheduled event, sometimes it is in their freetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I find them when I am preparing for the week and we watch them in school time when we're ready: either before the lesson to whet her appetite, or after to cement understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We don't watch TV during the day, so documentaries are watched in the evenings and weekends. We usually stream Netflix, but I like to also have Netflix DVDs so I can pop them in while we are driving. If I had only school aged kids, I would probably let them watch docs during lunch time. In fact, I would like that, but lunch time gets chaotic around here. Dh often comes home for lunch, the toddler is ready for a nap by then, and I am prepping food for the little people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Thank you all! I think that I need to make time during the day - it just isn't happening otherwise. And we really have enjoyed the ones that we have watched. Goodness knows, we still have plenty of cold, dark and dreary afternoons still ahead of us before the weather will change. I just have to avoid the two days a week that we go racing out the door at 2:30 to get to sports practice. It is no fun having to leave a movie when there is 10 minutes to go. That, and his energy level is then down. Netflix (streaming only) just came to Denmark. What is a bit silly is the fact that the selection disappoints me - after all, we are not even getting around to the wonderful documentaries that we DO have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I found watching documentaries during meals and evenings together a great time for documentaries. Alternatively, we used them to break up our day. We enjoy our meals at TV tables together :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuesdayschild Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If your children watch documentaries for science and/or history , when do they watch them? Do you schedule them? Suggest them? Do they watch them during official school time or during their free time? Do you make it part of family time? Just curious. For various reasons, I prefer that we watch them during the evening or on the weekend, but other things tend to get in the way. I am looking for better ways to incorporate them. I schedule them in if they are docs that relate to science or history, and I'm wanting the dc to view them. Visual go-alongs are watched in the afternoon in our home & usually Friday seems to be the best day for that. One proviso ..... if it's a dvd that Dh wants to watch too, we'll watch it one evening all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We usually watch during lunch on a nice, slow day. Unfortunately, we were trying to finish Microcosmos today and one of my ds refuses to watch bugs and eat at the same time. But usually it's good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschnee Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We watch docs every day during our hour lunch break. Every day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We usually watch during lunch on a nice, slow day. Unfortunately, we were trying to finish Microcosmos today and one of my ds refuses to watch bugs and eat at the same time. But usually it's good. LOL! I'm the same way about watching bugs (and snakes) while I'm eating! :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If they are related to what we are studying, then I will add them to our schedule. Otherwise, I allow them to watch a "school movie" on Netflix during lunch ~ documentaries, Myth Busters, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 We LOVE documentaries here! We've always watched them during lunch. We all get our food, take it to the family room and watch the show. It's a homeschool tradition for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tita Gidge Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We watch them in the afternoons. We're typically finished with lessons by lunch. I grade during lunch/recess, and we go over any corrections during the afternoon. If they have none, I usually have them spend an hour or so doing school-ish stuff that isn't official school - crafts, projects, scout badge work, independent reading, and movies. This transitions us from school time to free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We are fortunate to have Netflix streaming, Amazon streaming, and the ability to stream YouTube to our TV. We almost always watch a documentary during our ~ 30 minute lunch break, typically getting through one-half of a film one day and finishing the next day. I put "lunch & learn" on DS10's assignment checklist, so even though I consider them optional, they get watched as part of our daily routine. We also watch them on weekends some if we're at home and the weather is too cold or rainy to be outside. We don't watch much of anything else on TV. ETA - I have lots of titles saved in our "queues" and a list to coordinate with what we're studying in order. About two-thirds of the time I have something specific in mind to go with what we're studying that day but about one-third of the time I let DS choose whatever he wants from the queue. Almost exactly this! Some days, especially when DS is having a morning or afternoon playdate with a buddy, we take the rest of the day off to watch documentaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Lunch. Almost every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Usually after school in the afternoon or evening when we get home from our activities. Occasionally they will watch a short one during lunch. They pick one, I suggest one, or my dh or I just turn one on and they watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arborite Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Cuddling on the couch, by the fire, in the evening. They get limited computer time, so consider documentary time an opportunity to snag more screen time. Do Horrible Histories count as documentaries? ;-) They are a favorite. But so too are History Channel and BBC History. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My son is watching one right now for history class. We watch them as part of the class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 If we watch documentaries mid-day, say, at lunch, it throws off our whole day and DS13 has a hard time getting back in the groove. Instead, we watch them after ALL of the school work is done for the day or on the weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 We tend to watch them in the evenings or on weekends these days. Sometimes if we have a particularly rough day we'll watch one during lunch to relax and regroup. If mom or enough kids are sick we tend to watch some in the afternoon as some downtime while we all feel yucky. When the kids were younger and I was pregnant we watched one nearly every afternoon when I hit my nap time-I could rest and they were still on topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 We watch most of them during lunch on school days, to start off our homeschooling efforts. Sometimes the kids will watch them in lieu of more formal science/history when I have homework of my own. We watch them suring Sunday dinner occasionally as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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