educational tv - video recommendations please

[newmum35]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for educational tv shows for a 2 year old? (even age 3-5 would be acceptable!) 30-45 min. would be idea, but I'll consider anything.

I already have barney and little bear and I'm not looking for more cartoons or flashy characters, noisy programs, etc.

I'm looking to buy plain and simple educational programming.. things that will teach him about the animals in our world, how things work, the environment, I don't know... just anything educational for the youngest learner to learn REAL STUFF. We don't get cable tv so anything he watches will be dvd or vhs tape..

He really likes construction vehicles and I was excited recently when we got some programs along those lines, but was very disappointed in the way it was presented. It constantly flashed from one scene to another in a matter of seconds, long before interest in the one scene expired, played loud music (instead of using real sounds the machines were making) and many other annoying features. He would have benefitted much more from someone just being there in person with a home videocamera recording the event!

It does not have to be something that was made for tv (although I'd seen some great discovery programs in the past I think he would enjoy) - maybe theres' something out there thats even sold as a homeschool program tool or something... I don't know

anyone know what I'm talking about or have any suggestions?

[EviesMom]

We have a "Bob the Builder: On Site" video from the library right now and DS loves it. It has Bob and the machines step by step about how to build something like an arch bridge, then it shows people building one, then back to Bob to show Bob and his machines building one.

DD used to love Mr. Rogers, and there might be some about building. There might also be some Reading Rainbow videos about buildings. Hmmm... is there a Reading Rainbow for "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel"? That would probably focus on building things.


Other favorite shows here right now are Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train, which are PBS, but there may be some available online.

[Geerbabe]

If you can find any old episodes of Mr. Dress-up, he did wonderful programming for that age range.

[luv-my-boys]

My boys LOVE magic school bus, its a cartoon that is based on a magic school bus that takes the students on various science related field trips. It is a little older for a 2 yr old but its quite cute. I loved them before we started HS and now use them along with our science curriculum.

We also like reading rainbow (no longer on pbs) although that too is for a little older crowd. But its filled with great info and pretty child friendly.

[atreyyena]

what about...

There's also the all about series. We have all about fire engines and all about trains....

For example, the train one gives a tour of the train, shows model trains, shows a train in action, explains how steam and diesel trains works, and has footage of the trains going.

[newmum35]

Originally Posted by Geerbabe

If you can find any old episodes of Mr. Dress-up, he did wonderful programming for that age range.

I have never heard of Mr Dressup. Found a few segments on youtube..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk89rGy_E3s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8dlWBo5j-Q&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kdlr...eature=related

He must have been the Canadian Mr Rogers, very interesting.. The little music I heard was not at all annoying. One thing about Barney, while its not a terrible show, there is just so MUCH music and loud music too, its like nonstop, and terribly noisy. I don't know why they didn't try to limit it to a few songs per show. It seems there is no break for your mind to absorb anything, it goes from one noisy song to another, to children talking, laughing, etc... it has its good points, but I Think they could have done a better job. I think its just too much stimulation.

anyways, I found a box set of 3 dvds for $21 and just orderd a set. Did some searching and it appears this is the only shows available to buy. (mind boggling, when it appears the shows ran for over 30 years!) So I'll try not to like it too much when it comes I guess, because no other shows are available to buy.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/dvd/Mr...3297-item.html


We did check out a bob builder vhs from library (with Scoop and Muck, etc) ... it seems he will enjoy that one more in a few years.. again though, its "cartoony" too.

Thank you for all the other suggestions as well.. I wasn't familiar with the "all about" series (this is more along the line of what I was wanting) and I found some dvds at amazon that look good. He totally loves fire engines too. (and we live by RR tracks) - the train videos had great reviews but am seeing lots of bad ones with the fire engines

http://www.amazon.com/All-About-Fire...9997015&sr=1-1

[emilys_mom1]

We record the reading raimbow shows. They are very, very educational and my kids love them. You can also get them through your local library.

My kids also love Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Dora and Diego.

[LoMaH]

My children are older now, but when younger they absolutely LOVED to watch the Preschool Power Series and they learned a lot from them (so did I- lol).
Later you can have him do all of the activities at home.

http://www.preschoolpower.com/activitylist.shtml

[newmum35]

Originally Posted by LoMaH

My children are older now, but when younger they absolutely LOVED to watch the Preschool Power Series and they learned a lot from them (so did I- lol).
Later you can have him do all of the activities at home.

http://www.preschoolpower.com/activitylist.shtml

That is exactly the type of program I was hoping for! (never imagined it would be taught by kids though - fabulous!) Thanks so much, this looks like something I might want to get!

ETA: I just called my library, although they don't have them there, they can order them for me from another library, and I can keep them for 6 weeks! hooray.. I also asked about "signing time", at the suggestion of someone else, these also seem wonderful and educational. (I was trying to get away from fake "characters" if I could since they are so plentiful everywhere else)

[Needle in the Hay]

My son was close to three when I got him National Geographic's Baby Tales. It was cute and he enjoyed watching it. There is one little part where a baby animal has died but it's not in a violent or graphic way, a little one might not even realize.
The rest is really sweet.

I know you don't want to do too many shows with characters but Curious George is a really nice one to keep in mind for sometime in the future. My son is 8 and still enjoys watching his CG dvds. They do cover a lot of "real stuff" on that show and it's not really fast or flashy.

[LoMaH]

Originally Posted by newmum35

That is exactly the type of program I was hoping for! (never imagined it would be taught by kids though - fabulous!) Thanks so much, this looks like something I might want to get!

Yeah, why couldn't I be the one to come up with this concept first!
Glad it's what you were looking for, I wasn't sure.
I started out buying one or two of the videos just to try them out (this was 5+ yrs. ago- they weren't at the library back then). I ended up buying the entire set (I don't think I'll ever part with them). No regrets.
Can't say enough about them and how engaging they are.

Have you seen any of the clips? (I think youtube also has some).
Have fun.

[NightOwlwithowlet]

My son loved the Baby Bumble Bee series (they have the Alphabet, colors etc), he has a speech delay and these were great for him. He also loved the Eye Witness series (so did I), they have several nature ones. He also loved the National Geographic baby animals.

[pigpokey]

I would be inclined to look at the Your Baby Can Read videos 'cause if they work, then your child can just read books ...

[grahamsmom98]

We have never had TV and so ds has grown-up watching only video recordings (VHS & DVD). TV is the special treat when he visits his grandparents!

For series, Ds (now age 11) loved the "Little Bear," "Franklin," and "Bob the Builder" when he was a munchkin. ((We were, and are, a Barney-free household! ))

From the age of about 18 months, it was the following types of programs. It all started when my darling mil gave him "Walking With Dinosaurs when he was 18 months old! He was hooked on the subject (and still wants to be a marine paleontologist when he grow-up)!!

I would HIGHLY recommend any of the David Attenborough programs. He narrates all of them and explains things so beautifully. The photography is spectacular and I know any child (or, adult) would find them fascinating.

Here's our favorites educational videos:

David Attenborough's:

Life On Earth
Life Of Birds
Secret Life Of Plants
Blue Planet
Life Of Mammals
Trials Of Life
Living Planet
Jewel Of the Earth (all about amber)
Life In the Freezer
Life In the Undergrowth (all about insects)
Life In Cold Blood (reptiles and amphibians)

NOVA:

Japan's Secret Garden (David Attenborough)
Garden Of Eden (on the Seychelle Islands)
The Unknown World (microscopic life)
Treasures Of the Great Barrier Reef
Miracle Of Life (in the womb)

IMAX:

The Great Barrier Reef
The Living Sea
Coral Reef Adventure
Galapagos
Blue Planet (different from the David Attenborough series above)
Origins Of Life

PBS Home Video:

Secrets Of the Ocean Realm

Winged Migration

Microcosmos

Insectia

BBC:

Walking With Dinosaurs
Walking With Cavemen
Walking With Prehistoric Beasts
Allosaurus
Chased By Dinosaurs
Prehistoric America
Prehistoric Park

Discovery:

When Dinosaurs Roamed America
Dinosaur Planet

National Geographic:

Any of the Really Wild Animals videos (set of 10 available, any and all are terrific for kids AND adults!)
Any National Geographic specials