In this day and age, children are forced to grow up faster than ever before as they are exposed to more information at a younger age. The internet has contributed heavily to this phenomenon, as kids are forced to confront and deal with knowledge from a variety of sources, many of which it must be admitted, are not always that reliable.
But the internet does not always have to be a scary monster spouting misinformation that it often can be. With it being a platform for so many simultaneous voices, parents can actually use it to their advantage because it is also filled with wonderful people showing us wonderful things. Truly, in the age of information, it would be silly not to use it as an educational tool.
Here are 4 YouTube channels that your kids will love while learning at the same time:
DNews
DNews, short for Discovery News, is an offset of Discovery Communications, responsible of course, for the Discovery Channel. Hosted by a range of fun people, they upload videos almost daily, posed as questions. These questions are random and varied, and cover a variety of topics, aimed primarily as busting myths. But most of them your kids will find in tune with stuff that they’ve wondered about. Some of their videos include “What makes online shopping so confusing?”, “Why do we all love rhymes?” and quirky stuff like “Why Short Men Live Longer!”
Find it here!
AsapSCIENCE
AsapSCIENCE combines a simplicity with science. Using current themes as a basis, they introduce videos that answer questions that would be on anyone’s minds. These uploads are usually accompanied by the most American and cheery of voices and fun animations which go perfectly with the rest of the video. Their most recent videos revolved around the Winter Olympics, dealing with issues such as nervousness, stress, physical fitness and training. Some other interesting topics include “Why are babies so cute?”, “The Science of Laziness” and the awesome “Childbirth vs. Getting Kicked in the Balls”.
Find it here!
VSauce
VSauce is hosted by the enthusiastic Michael, who covers a host of different topics which cover the breadth of our universe. Not only does it cover the realms of physical science, VSauce differs from the other channels in the fact that they cover philosophical conundrums as well, with videos that ask “Is anything real?” and “Is Your Red the Same as My Red?”. Existentialist crises aside, they boast an impressive and thought-provoking catalogue that is further improved by their sister channels VSauce2 and VSauce3 which cover a host of other experiments and subjects.
Find it here!
CrashCourse
CrashCourse is a product of the Green brothers, John and Hank. Some of you might know John Green as being the author several popular Young Adult novels such as Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. CrashCourse provides just what the name suggests: short crash courses on almost every subject imaginable, from philosophy to history to chemistry and physics. It is to be noted that they don’t merely glance over the subjects, but provide in helpful detail information on the various proponents that constitute them. It is literally a school that your kids can visit while on the internet. Except it’s way more fun.
Find it here!
So what are you (and your kids) waiting for? Head on over to YouTube. It’s good for more than just cute cats and babies.
