We know and understand that Youtube is problematic in a lot of scary ways but it is also a great resource for your homeschool. The key is paying attention to what your kids are watching, setting ground rules and limits and taking the time to set up playlists or subscribe to safe channels. Of course, the reality is that my kids don’t always do what we tell them so they lose their privilege to watch youtube at least once a month … LOL! Most of the time they’re on board with watching educational videos…. we just don’t always agree that watching a kid open a new toy or someone ice a cake or the destruction of random objects through a giant shredder is educational. And yes, I am aware of the “safer” versions of online video sites that are out there but most of us don’t have those apps available on our smart tvs. Our kids are allowed to watch any channel we’ve subscribed to on the family account and I intentionally make playlists for various subjects or topics that I want them to view.
Here’s a short list of what we’re watching on Youtube this week:
The Kennedy Center – I love the arts and music so of course, we encourage our kids to do the same. The Kennedy Center has lots of playlists to choose from including: Lunch Doodles, Black Culture Matters and salsa lessons.
Musical Mashup – Our kids are “theater kids” so they enjoy fun videos like this one featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Blunt singing classics from 22 musicals covering Evita to The Wizard Of Oz.
MathAntics is probably my favorite “go to” channel for math help for my kids. However, last year when my youngest was in third grade, I started a math playlist so that she could go back and review videos on her own.
Kid Science Playlist – American Museum of Natural History channel
The great thing about playlists or subscribing to channels is that it allows your child to explore on their own while you’re working. Youtube can be a great educational and fun resource for your family during and after school hours as long as you set a few boundaries, manage expectations and take advantage of this opportunity to help your child learn life skills in resourcefulness, responsibility and self-discipline.
Always my favorite… Crash Course. We always start here with new topics and subjects or as something to watch when we need to see the big picture.
