Netflix

Netflix is an educational resource I had completely overlooked until I saw a discussion on one of the homeschool e-mail lists I subscribe to. It turns out that their catalog of educational DVDs is amazing. They carry DVD versions of many documentaries, including practically every IMAX film I've ever heard, and all the works of Ken Burns. They also have flat-out curriculum, including instructional DVDs for math, science, and language. They have plays, operas, and concerts. Of course they also have classic films (although not Rebecca, as we discovered). I know that using TV for education is controversial in homeschooling circles, but to me it seems like a fun way to round things out and reinforce concepts we may be working on at the time. And I, for one, really enjoyed all those educational movies out of Bell labs (do they still show those?) we watched in school assemblies when I was young. I learned a lot from them.

Anyway, even though if you look at the Netflix selections labeled "Child and Family" it looks pretty lame, if you search by subjects such as 'math,' 'French language,' or even 'calculus,' you'll be surprised by how much you find.