Smart web series keep kids engaged
If there is one thing every parent is learning in the age of COVID19, it’s that teachers are not paid nearly enough for what they do.
After playing homeschool for months while sheltering in place, the summer should be a respite for many families. However, it’s a good idea to try to make sure your kids aren’t just doing community service on “Animal Crossing” while they’re stuck indoors. According to Oregon educational nonprofit NWEA, students lose 20% to 50% of their schoolyear knowledge gains over the summer, and that’s in normal years when a third of the school year isn’t canceled because of a pandemic.
Luckily, there are plenty of shortform videos and web series out there to ensure that children receive some educational content over summer break. Here are a few options to stream.
“Crash Course”: There is no better comprehensive, allages educational content on YouTube than the PBS web series “Crash Course.” The show covers nearly any topic that you can imagine, from European history to organic chemistry and philosophy.
My family has been working through its U.S. Government and Politics series hosted by Craig Benzine, a delightfully cheesy host who has a knack for explaining the complicated world of American civics in simple but fun ways accompanied by animation. It’s a nice piece of sanity and sense during a tumultuous election year. The episodes generally are eight to 10 minutes long, making them easy to fit in between other summer activities.
Watch: Available on YouTube. www.youtube.com/crashcourse
“Storied”: PBS has two web shows that are perfect for the moody, artistic teenager in your life, “Monstrum” and “It’s Lit,” which are now under one banner called “Storied.”
“Monstrum” is an exploration of fictional monsters hosted by Emily Zarka, who tackles ancient beasts like the wendigo as well as modern legends like Slenderman. The series delves into the meaning behind monsters and what they say about us culturally.
“It’s Lit,” hosted by Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes, takes an analytical look at literature. The latest season is very modern and takes a look at the literary worth of fan fiction as well as the impact of Afrocentrism. “Storied” is great because it is essentially about the creative process, whether through individual authors or people as a collective. It serves as a fine tool for helping teenagers find their voices.
Watch: Available on YouTube. bit.ly/ pbsstoried
“Bill Nye Saves the World” (and
“Brainchild”): Are you here for the Re NY Essance? Netflix rates Bill Nye’s latest show as TV14, but if you’re the sort of parent who makes it a point to talk to your kids about concepts such as sex and drugs, then it should be more than fine. Nye has been an educator for
decades and thrives in front of an audience with his selfdeprecating humor, penchant for props and earnest interviews of experts.
If the program seems too adult for your child, however, then consider the equally excellent “Brainchild,” also a Netflix offering. This program, ironically, follows in the footsteps of Nye’s classic approach, with host Sahana Srinivasan explaining concepts like memories and germs in a slightly more Children’s Museumish way. Between the two of them, Netflix has science well covered.
Watch: Available on Netflix.
“Ordinary Women”: Anita Sarkeesian is most famous for critiquing things like Legos and video games from a feminist perspective, but one of her best projects was the short series “Ordinary Women.” Using a combination of costumes and animation, Sarkeesian examines the lives of six exceptional women throughout history.
From the brilliant discoveries of Ada Lovelace to the bloodsoaked seas of the pirate queen Ching Shih, the show is a brief but amazing look at how women have made their names despite typically being regarded as the inferior gender. The only complaint is that there is so little of it. Hopefully, she will return to do a second season.
Watch: All episodes available on YouTube. bit.ly/ordinary womenyoutube
“Sesame Street Town Halls”: Everyone should be watching the joint town hall events that Sesame Street and CNN have been hosting. So far, they have done one dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and one focusing on the recent protests against police brutality.
Delivered with whimsy and a childlike appreciation for the pain many people are feeling, Elmo, Abby, Big Bird and the rest of the crew cut through the cultural miasma and deliver truths that a lot of people could stand to hear right now. More than anything, these videos encourage viewers to step back and view issues from a child’s perspective rather than that of an adult burdened with decades of social baggage. For parents struggling to explain this difficult time, they are invaluable.
Watch: Available at cnn.com.