Sunkirst Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I'm trying to resolve a family situation :rolleyes:. I've started to let my kids have some screen time, but standard TV has little of value (IMO) beyond PBS. I simply will not (cannot) pay for cable. So what am I to do? I'm starting to consider netflix, and I found that my library system actually has many well-known cable shows on DVD (such as MythBusters, which I think my son would love). So what are your favorites? What cable shows, what documentary series? Anyone else out there trying to put together such a list? -Kirsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 We are really enjoying the 'Life Of Mammals' series with David Attenborough (BBC). It is well worth getting the book too as a read aloud because it covers a lot of different things to the series. He also does 'Private Life of Plants', 'Life of birds' and many other classics. His enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 We could watch anything by National Geographic or Discovery repeatedly. We also enjoy animal documentaries such as March of the Penguin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Actually, Alton Brown's "Good Eats" is one of our favorites. Since he goes into the science of cooking, I do consider it educational. This might not be your cup of tea, but we also love "Walking With Dinosaurs." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 as far as videos/DVD's that you could probably get at your local library or through inter-library loan. Our PBS has some neat shows like "CyberChase" (math/science) and a new one my kids like called "Fetch". DK Eyewitness has some good DVD's as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermom Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 It is an instant download, nearly 4 hours long, that is a very entertaining docu-drama on the Renaissance. Even my 7 year old enjoyed it and we all learned so much....much, much more than we learned from our readings on the Renaissance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Planet Earth and Blue Planet (BBC/Discovery channel). My 4 yr old and husband are watching one of the Blue Planet episodes right now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 If you are looking for the elementary level, my children like the National Geographic for Kids (they call it "Spin"), and Magic Schoolbus. I also saw that my library has some videos about the life of various classical composers, but I havent' checked the out yet. I second the checking out your library suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenJac1501 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Jacob has alot of National Geographic Videos:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenstet Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 We use Netflix. We tend to get a lot of documentaries. They have a lot of nature selections. My favorite so far "Microcosmos" Also liked "Castles" by Dave McCauley, spelling may be wrong he writes books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunkirst Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Wow. I can hardly believe it, but I can get almost all of this (plus The Dog Whisperer, which I've just been longing to see), Through our library system. I never really considered this route. Also, many things are available as a set of DVDs covering a full season. I'd just better be careful, or we'll glut ourselves :o Supermom, do you (or anyone else) know an author or production company for Empire - The Medicis? It sounds fantastic, and I'd like to track it down (and possibly avoid Netflix if I can). Thanks All! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermom Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Empires: The Medici is a PBS production. That is all I know about it. I definitely want my kids to read about history, too, but I feel sure they could have read 10 hours and not learned as much as they did in these 4 hours of docu-drama. And what I really like is that it was tastefully done. I had tried to watch another dvd with them about the renaissance, and to demonstrate the culture.... they use completely nude actors/actresses to do re-enactments. We had to turn that one off. A painting is one thing, but this was so unnecessary. I know you said you want to avoid Netflix if you can, but did you know that for only $9 a month you can watch unlimited movies instantly? Well, we are only limited by what they carry. But all of the Medici episodes were instant downloads so we watched them with a click of the mouse...and we have connected our computer to our TV, so we had it on the big screen. And then the movies not availalbe for instant watching can be ordered...no postage either way. I've been able to find a DVD on every topic we are studying in TOG. Well worth the $9 a month to us and so much cheaper than satellite TV. I just wanted to let you know about that in case you weren't familiar with the plan now days. They do have a 2 week free trial, too. So you could watch the MEdici during your free trial period and then cancel if you want after that. I hope you can find it. We've watched so many that were pretty boring, but this one was extra good IMO. Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 The Privileged Planet DVD. Must see for any age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Readsalot Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I know that is not exactly a movie, but it is a DVD and it is a blast to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunkirst Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thanks, Supermom, for posting about the instant download option from Netflix. We can afford $9/month, and our computer is bigger than our TV (no couch here tho :D). I'm actually looking forward to this now. Generally, I have no patience for movies or TV, but I actually enjoy documentaries. This will hopefully help DS too. All our best friends are unschoolers, have cable/digital, and watch quite a few high interest science-type shows. A couple of weeks ago, we came back from our park day and my son remarked that he felt dumb because his friends knew so much (one dear friend is Mr. Mile a Minute Science Fact Guy - only about half the facts are correct tho :D). Funny, we read for at least an hour daily, and do plenty of other stuff besides, but nothing quite compares to the amount of knowledge ingested in a beautifully produce program (I know that it's often a disjointed, incomplete picture, but at least it can stimulate interest). Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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