Runningmom80 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 can you recommend other programs along the same line? Ability to stream would be preferred, we do not have cable. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Well, fwiw Cosmos wasn't our favorite but in the space related theme we're LOVING Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, sadly I couldn't find it streaming but I was able to get it ILL from the library, we've been watching it as a family. FYI for those who are religious there is an episode about if there is a creator, dh and I viewed that on our own because I wasn't for sure how it would be. The episode on Black Holes was especially interesting, amazing really, they don't hold back with the science either. It seems a step above of Nova with detail but still extremely interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thanks! I'll see if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 We loved Cosmos also, so I will be watching this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 My son is loving The Universe. He chose to watch it instead of a family movie the other day, and is watching it right now during breakfast. It is on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Do you mean about the same topics or in the same style? In the same style, we really liked... Hunting the Elements (chemistry) Your Inner Fish (evolution) How We Got to Now (history) All of those presented big ideas by focusing on lots of different aspects in an interesting way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Do you mean about the same topics or in the same style? In the same style, we really liked... Hunting the Elements (chemistry) Your Inner Fish (evolution) How We Got to Now (history) All of those presented big ideas by focusing on lots of different aspects in an interesting way. Same style or same topics. Thanks for the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 In the same style, we really liked... Hunting the Elements (chemistry) Your Inner Fish (evolution) How We Got to Now (history) A second vote for these. We LOVED all of these. Thanks for the thread! We will look into the other suggestions, too. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: Evolution or a billions-of-years-old universe is incorporated in all of the listings below. ***Note for below: I link to Amazon for reviews, but I have listed Netflix availability*** 1) We have just started watching Wonders of the Universe, but I don't think that we are "into" it enough to make a judgment. Available on Netflix by disk, but not by streaming. 2) The Voyager Odyssey is a bit dated, but it is Voyager Mission(s) as they happen. When I first saw this documentary more than a decade ago, I sat at the edge of my seat with each discovery. It made our universe real in a way that my daughters don't comprehend yet. It fills in the the gaps of "why" and "how do we know?" for me. Rather than just knowing that a planet or a moon has shifting ice or volcanic vents, I am a spectator to the original discovery and the explanation of WHY. I am awed by the scientists that worked their brains out in a race against the clock to make Voyager I and II happen. If they hadn't met this deadline, it would have been over 150 years (168 years?) before all the planets lined up so perfectly again. I am humbled that these discoveries were made just a few short decades ago, within my lifetime. I am saddened that some of these planets haven't been visited since then. I plan to share this documentary with my children with they get a little older. I hope they share the wonder and inspiration that I encountered in viewing it. Disclaimer: pictures of the planets are a bit dated in color and clarity. It can be like getting a child interested in a black-and-white movie. Not available on Netflix. 3) Growing Up in the Universe (Richard Dawkins). This is Dr. Dawkins giving "children's level" lectures during the Christmas season. It's a great introduction to evolution and physics. Not available on Netflix. 4) Origins - From the Big Bang to Extraterrestrial Life, Neil deGrasse Tyson (NOVA) leads us through the latest research to answer the question of "Where did we come from?" Available on Netflix, but not by streaming. 5) Becoming Human (Human Evolution) available through both Amazon Streaming and Netflix (disks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Some Amazon suggestions... (may be available on Netflix - I haven't checked yet) Big History Mankind: The Story of All of Us America: The Story of Us How the Universe Works Into the Universe w/Stephen Hawking How the Earth Changed History Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyoustxmama Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Seconding How the Universe Works. Fantastic, although if you are theistic in views of the big bang/universe formation/formation of the earth, you might want to watch it with your child to inject commentary (they say a lot of things like "just happened by chance to be the right distance from..." or "by luck, just the right amount of water..." etc.) It used to be on Netflix for free (I think it is gone, now :( ), but we liked it so much that we bought our own copy for ds. He would watch it over cartoons. Dh and I also found it fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 We are secular homeschoolers, bring on the evolution! Thanks for the suggestions! These are all great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 If we're just talking good, quality compelling documentaries, I'll add in all the Attenborough Life of... ones. So, so good. Also, I just tend to thumb through whatever is available in terms of old NOVA episodes and let the kids pick whatever looks interesting. So two big hits were one about Otzi, the iceman mummy, and one about a mysterious drawing that some collectors believed may have been painted by Da Vinci. I really liked the one about learning the Mayan hieroglyphs. They all can have different styles of storytelling, so they can be a little hit or miss with my duo but it's a good source of documentaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 My sons loved Big History and there are online supplemental materials for it if you are using it for school. https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 My sons loved Big History and there are online supplemental materials for it if you are using it for school. https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home so cool! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 My sons loved Big History and there are online supplemental materials for it if you are using it for school. https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home I am working on using this as the basis for my ds's education next year! Adding in a few books, documentary series, etc. He's fascinated with this approach to history integrated with science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 3) Growing Up in the Universe (Richard Dawkins). This is Dr. Dawkins giving "children's level" lectures during the Christmas season. It's a great introduction to evolution and physics. The Royal Institution has some of the old Christmas Lectures free online including Dawkin's lectures from this DVD. http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beircheart Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Though not hard core science, my kids love Mythbusters. The show is quirky but the science is typically solid. There are a few episodes with suggestive stuff in them, moderate to frequent BEEEEEEP edits, but overall it is generally kid friendly. Naturally, that is just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Not a documentary, but if you want practical astronomy:Star Gazers is a 5-minute weekly show that talks about what is in the night sky this week. They teach you how to find constellations and comets, and they teach a little general astronomy. I've linked to the website, but for us, it plays late Friday or Saturday night on PBS. Fire up the TIVO to make sure you don't miss it, and invest in a green laser pointer to help your kids see what you see in the night sky. Episodes can be seen online, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 The James Burke "Connections" documentaries aren't quite in the same mold as Cosmos, but I bet if you liked Cosmos, you'll like Connections. They are all up on YouTube now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Another vote for David Attenborough's wildlife series. We've seen many and they are so good. Some are on Amazon Prime streaming for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Adding to this old post. OP, I am not sure if you were referring to the old or new Cosmos. We LOVE Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Some of us have enjoyed Degrasse-Tyson's. I don't like it nearly as much. Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe etc. have been life-changing in our household. Human Universe is good, too! I love Fabric of the Cosmos, although it hurts my brain sometimes. Check out some of our other faves - Iain Stewart's How to Grow a Planet, Jim Al-khalili's Science and Islam, and Simon Schafer's Light Fantastic. Iain Stewart, Jim Alkhalili and Brian Cox are amazing at whatever they do. Also check out The Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures for kids. We also loved The Big History Project. Our fave audiobook - Short History of Nearly Everything. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 The James Burke "Connections" documentaries aren't quite in the same mold as Cosmos, but I bet if you liked Cosmos, you'll like Connections. They are all up on YouTube now. Thanks, I have this on my list next year but I haven't been able to find them on streaming or at the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe etc. have been life-changing in our household. Human Universe is good, too! Enjoy! Oh, thanks for this, I had this recommended but couldn't remember the name. I just found it ILL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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