Netflix isn’t Just About Streaming Movies

I have been a streaming movies Netflix user on and off for years, but most recently, for a little over a year.  My daughter loves it and probably watches it more than anyone.  She has caught up on her favorite shows, “Phineas & Ferb,” “Good Luck, Charlie,” and “Jessie,” from the very beginning episode to the present.  We have also love streaming movies on Netflix as a family and for a “date night” with my husband and I.

As a member of Netflix’s Stream Team, I will be writing about Netflix each month.  Last month we covered bullying in the form of cyberbullying in our article, Cyberbullying – Get Involved BEFORE it Happens, as last month was National Bullying Month.  This month, however, I wanted to write about a whole area of Netflix most people don’t know about.  Did you know there’s a whole section on Science and Tech TV?  You have to use the search box and type in Science & Tech TV to find it.

There is a whole collection of movies to interest your son who has a fascination with dinosaurs, your budding scientist daughter who wants to know, “what would happen…,” your enlightened astronomer, your future biologist, or even your last-minute procrastinator who needs some help understanding a topic for his/her large project…due next week!  You’ll find fascinating movies from top producers such as National Geographic, PBS, Discovery, the SCI channel, Animal Planet, and even TED Talks.

Here are some educational movies I started watching on Netflix.  They are well done and very intriguing, once you start watching….

In How Stuff Works, Volume 1, I learned that the corn as we know it is man-made!  Corn was originally a type a grass that grew small kernels.  Scientists help corn evolve to the indispensable delicious corn we know today.

Cracking Your Genetic Code is a fascinating  video about personal genomics.   A number of companies now offer people the option to learn their predispositions to diseases based on their genetics.  A company called 23andMe.com allows consumers to test and receive results directly from the 23andme.com website, bypassing a doctor altogether.  But the interesting question here is whether this information actually helps or hinders a person.  If you know you have a predisposition towards ovarian cancer, will you stress out about it more?  Or if you’re likely to get diabetes, will you change your diet for the better now?

My daughter is in fifth grade and studying  the discovery of America and how the Spanish dominated new land and gold discovery back in that era.    I found an interesting documentary entitled Beyond the Movie:  The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown, which brings to life the words she read about in her social studies book.  There were 215 men who made it to what is now known as Virginia.  They thought their biggest worry were the Spaniards, they didn’t anticipate the Indian attacks.  More than 70% of these men died due to illness, Indian attacks, and even in-fighting, as today’s archaeologists can best determine.  This movie goes back and forth between a film about Jamestown and what the archaeologists have found recently to shed more light on the story.  It’s very interesting.

A Mom’s Perspective

Take some time to browse through Netflix to see what interesting videos you can unearth.  I had no idea the wealth of knowledge available right under my nose until I started using the Search box on Netflix.  I was fascinated to learn that in a matter of just a few years, full genomic test results, showing the entire genetic code of our body will be available at a reasonable price.  Wow.  After watching the video, Cracking Your Genetic Code, I’m not sure if I’d want the information or not.  But I do know this, I sure don’t want insurance companies to get their hands on my genomic information.  It takes all the risk out of the equation for them and they could dramatically increase health and life insurance rates based on this information for individuals.

I am excited about using Netflix as a tool to enhance my kids’ learning about events in history and science too.  It had not occurred to me before to utilize Netflix as a visual supplement to the things my kids are learning at school.  Science and technology are essential for kids to not only grasp, but appreciate and I’m always looking for apps, books, and movies to help in this endeavor.

How about you, have you found any movies on Netflix that you believe is enhancing your child’s education?

*  I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team and was provided with streaming service for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own.