You're probably in front of your TV, with your remote in hand, browsing channels in search of educational programs to binge on. Perhaps, you’re looking for kid-friendly TV programs to support your children’s learning.
Whatever the case, you have tons of awe-inspiring shows, series, and documentaries to keep you entertained and informed. But with so many options available, it can be challenging to choose a channel that suits your needs.
Thankfully, that's about to change.
This article will explore some of the best educational resources from your favorite TV channels. So you can spend more time watching and less time browsing through media.
Let's get to it.
Benefits of Educational TV Channels
Educational TV shows are produced with a clear goal in mind - to provide distance learning to their viewers. But that's not all; the shows and learning resources have also impacted their viewers in the following ways:
- Intellect Development: Educational TV shows can help children develop their cognitive, socio-emotional, and speaking/writing skills. Shows like Sesame Street, Peg + Cat, Curious George, etc., use well-crafted visuals and simple English to teach kids on academic curriculum and social activities happening around them.
A 2015 Economic Study shows that Sesame Street is as good as preschool. It claims that kids who watched Sesame Street would likely do better in school than those who didn't. This goes to show that educational TV shows play an important role in educating preschool kids. - Informative TV Programs: Channels like NASA, CNN, History Channel, Discovery Channels, etc., provide their viewers with programs and documentaries to keep them educated and informed.
- Promotes Skill Acquisition: From cooking shows to DIY tutorials and craft documentaries, there are many learning possibilities for everyone. Viewers can learn IT skills, crafts, and other skills that can boost their confidence and career.
- Stimulates Passive Learning: For kids who find reading challenging, you can use TV shows to get them interested in learning. Thanks to the catchy visuals and entertaining characters, your kids can learn varieties of subjects positively and enjoyably.
- Extra-curricular Activities: Channels like National Geographic, Disney, CNN, and BBC provide students with extracurricular activities like Geo-exploring, Theatre trips, TV reporting, student journalism, etc. These activities help them take a break from school activities while also learning good skills.
Indeed, the benefits of educational TV shows cannot be overemphasized. These programs provide you with free and on-demand media resources to entertain you while you learn from the comfort of your home or anywhere.
With that said, let's check out some educational TV channels that might interest you.
TV Channels that offer Educational Resources
Whether you want to learn something new or want to take a refreshing dive into the deep end of knowledge? The following educational TV channels provide varieties of insightful shows that suit your needs.
They include:
NASA TV
NASA offers a host of educational TV programs ranging from live podcasts, RSS feeds, Live streaming, and TV interviews. The programs provide coverage on LandSat, Space technology, and STEM. Some of the programs are also aired on other channels like the Smithsonian and Science channel.
Highlights include:
- NASA Kids - NASA Educational TV for kids, middle schoolers, and college students.
- NASA Edge - This covers space programs on the planet, including the latest launches and gadget releases by NASA.
- NASA X - A showcase of aeronautical missions by engineers, NASA scientists, and researchers. Jennifer Pulley hosts the show.
- NASA 360 - covers climate change, space exploration, and human activities on Mars
Public Broadcasting System
PBS offers free and on-demand educational resources for people of all ages. These include animations and programs on academic curriculum, history, current events, music, culture, etc.
Highlights Include:
- PBS Kids: This channel provides shows and animations to help preschoolers learn and get ready for school. PBS Kids feature shows like Curious George, Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and more.
- PBS Learning Media: The platform provides a world of learning resources for educators and students across America. This includes free standards-aligned videos and interactive lessons to help school teachers and instructors.
Teachers can also create free accounts to integrate the PBS learning materials in their teaching process. They can save resources, organize classes with Google classroom, view state standards, develop lessons, quizzes, and puzzles for their students without ease.
CNN
From breaking news and live reports of events across the globe to documentaries and exclusive interviews on politics, CNN has you covered.
If you're looking to stay up to date with the latest events and world politics, CNN features programs and documentaries to keep you glued to your screen.
They feature news, documentaries, and stories on world politics, tech, business, climate change, and lots more.
Other highlights include CNN 10, Turner Learning, CNN Newsroom, etc.
Disney Plus
Disney Plus provides educational content, movies, and animations to help your children improve their reading, science, social studies, and more
These videos are designed for preschoolers, educators, and children and come with a subscription of $6.99/month.
Highlights include:
- Disney Nature: The channel features activities, animations, and guides on science-related topics like an ecosystem, earth, habitats, and biodiversity for children. Animations like Dolphin Reef, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book, Born in China, and The Jungle Book help communicate these topics in an enchanting way.
- Theatre Trips: School teachers can organize theatre trips to help preschoolers and middle schoolers learn and act as their favorite Disney characters on stage.
National Geographic
National Geographic features cutting-edge research in science, exploration, and adventure. They showcase exciting videos about wildlife, reptiles, dinosaurs, national parks, etc., to educate and entertain viewers.
Educational Resources from National Geographic Channel include:
- NatGeo Education: A comprehensive platform that provides a digital learning experience ranging from academic courses, lessons, and professional programs for educators and students.
- Explorer Classroom: Alive and interactive session where students and teachers meet and learn from explorers and researchers in science, technology, and adventure. The sessions are scheduled at specific times on Mondays and Thursdays for various age groups.
Discovery Education
The platform offers a series of learning resources for educators and students, including broadcasts, videos, and interactive lessons on science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and other academic courses.
Highlights include:
- Virtual Field Trips: Live streams and on-demand video resources feature trips to different nature scenes - mountains, desserts, wildlife reserves, etc.
- Virtual Conference Sessions: Teachers can access lessons from the 2-days professional learning conference, which focuses on improving digital learning.
History at Home
History Channel's 'History at Home' focuses on accurate representation of history. They feature a broad range of topics and various documentary films and dramatic programs, each segment covering a different period in history.
You’ll find everything from military history to stories of medieval times.
Highlights include:
- New presenters share lessons and stories to teach, inspire and motivate students. These lessons are accessed every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- History Shows: From Forged in Fire to Modern Men and numerous other series, you will find informative videos and documentaries of ancient civilization, events, and artifacts.
Smithsonian Channel
The Smithsonian Channel uses storytelling to create content on America’s history and the people and events that shaped it.
They share stories, exciting videos, and insightful documentaries around nature, science, history, pop culture, air, space, etc.
Highlights include:
- Smithsonian Channel Plus: Requires a subscription of $4.99/month to access the channel’s documentaries, videos, and original series.
- Learn with Smithsonian: A library of resources to facilitate distance learning for educators and students. They also provide learning resources for kids and teens.
How to Stay Connected to Your FavoriteEducational TV Channels
Missing out on your favorite shows can be frustrating, especially when you've become nose-deep interested in a program.
However, you can stay connected and catch up on all the latest programs on your favorite TV channels with the following tips:
- Use a Premium TV package for your devices: Enjoying unlimited TV channels comes with a price - the more channels you want, the higher you pay.
- However, GVTC provides affordable TV subscriptions for scrambled and on-demand channels. With that, you can enjoy unlimited shows and stay connected to your favorite media on any device of your choice.
- Use a reliable internet connection: Whether you're streaming live videos or watching your favorite channels on your tab or smartphone, a reliable internet connection makes it even more enjoyable.
- Thanks to GVTC, you can enjoy a super-fast and reliable internet connection with zero network glitches.
- Keep our subscriptions active: Activate automatic renewals or contact your TV package provider before your subscription expires. So you don’t get cut off while streaming or watching your favorite shows.
Wrapping Up
On the whole, educational TV shows make learning fun and enjoyable for kids and adults alike. They also provide interactive and exciting learning resources that make the learning experience worthwhile for teachers and students.
So, whether you're at home, at work, or on the go, you don’t have to worry about missing out on educational resources from your favorite TV channels.
With GVTC, you can stay in the loop with your favorite TV channels. The GVTC TV app and strong network allow you to save or watch all your favorite shows any time, anywhere.
