| I have found that interesting (and family-friendly) documentaries can be an excellent way to introduce and build excitement about a new topic in science or history. We belong to a DVD rental service, so the cost is quite low (and the selection is very impressive). Generally I look for topics that are not likely to be controversial, anti-Catholic or agenda driven (as required by the age and maturity of my children). And so, for example, I might avoid a video on Galileo unless it comes recommended by sources that I trust since that is so often used as an opportunity for Catholic bashing. I also look for reviews and other information online and still watch the videos with or before my children do (and I'm not afraid to use the fast forward button or send them out of the room for tricky spots). Some series we've particularly enjoyed (although many of them required a little editing) include: Building Big with David Macaulay, Rick Steves: Best of Europe, Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering, and many programs from the PBS Nova series. (Alicia from WI) |
| No. My children do not do well with video input as "education".
However, we
do have CCC videos (saint stories) and Veggie Tale videos that they watch for
wholesome entertainment and reinforcement of virtues. (Suchi from Washington) |
| If I can find educational videos, I occasionally use them as reinforcement, but usually after the kids have read about a particular subject, time period or topic first. For example, when my children study Egyptian history through the Middle Ages we do make use of David Macaulay's books and/or videos called Pyramid, City, Castles and Cathedrals [each is a separate title]. One of my sons particulary liked the video on City, which shows all the aspects of a Roman city and how it was structured. He was not as interested in the one on Castles because parts of it were animated. We find these books and videos at our local library. It was suggested to me to have a child who was struggling with comprehension listen to an audio book. There are some good ones out there such as "The Winged Watchman" from Bethlehem Books, "Tom Sawyer" from the library, as well as many, many more. We really enjoy the educational DVD's of Memoria Press' Prima Latina, by Leigh Lowe. My 10 year old listens to the lesson each week and then does the workbook reinforcement. It really pays to have a foreign language on DVD/video in order to learn correct pronunciation, and to make it more interesting. Stories of the saints often "come to life" when backed up by a good film such as The Miracle of Fatima, Marcelino, Joan of Arc or Father Damien of Molokai. These we rent from a local Catholic bookstore. There are many times though, that no film can beat a well written book and, the imagination. Sheila (from WI) |
