In our current state, everyone has been told to stay home, don’t go out, but don’t sit in front of the TV. What are your children supposed to do? Many of their lessons have been cancelled, birthday parties aren’t happening, splash parks are closed, and television is the only option after they have read books, done chores, and played.
I’m here to tell you that not all TV is bad. Your local PBS station has incredible educational programming. If you are homeschooling (like so many are right now), you may be struggling with spending individual time with each child. That’s where educational television comes in. Look up your PBS station. They have educational programming for everyone from babies to adults. Shows include math, science, social skills, emotional intelligence, reading, spelling, language, and more!
Some of our favorite programs over the years have been:
Word World – Ages 3-5: WordWorld empowers children as early readers by making the important connections between letters, sounds, words and meaning that are necessary for reading.
CyberChase – Ages 8-11 yr. olds: Every episode, game, and activity is motivated by Cyberchase characters and settings, and on a math concept centered on national standards.
From tackling fractions in ancient Greece to using decimals to repair train tracks in Railroad Repair, kids learn that math is everywhere and a useful tool for solving problems.
Word Girl – Ages 4-9: Engages children in a language-filled world that will provide a meaningful context and rich experiences to help build children’s deep word knowledge and engender a
lifelong enthusiasm for language.
My children (and myself) have learned so many things from these children’s programs. They are all teens now and will still sit and watch some of these shows. They will laugh and reminisce. Some shows you can even find in two languages. Curious George is done in English, and you can find the same episodes in Spanish. There is your language immersion.
Here is a partial list of children’s programming on PBS:
There is also a huge listing of programs for high schoolers and adults. I am in Louisiana, so my state channel has tons of local historical programming.
Here is the link to PBS. There are games for children, saved programs for history, sewing, cooking, and now math for school ages.
If you need time for yourself, or if you need time with an individual child, or you all simply need a little break from one another, don’t hesitate to put on educational programming. This is pertinent learning information that teachers use in classrooms. You have full, free, no-guilt access to amazing content!
Happy learning!
Dr Vet Sonya 