YouTube is one of the great phenomenons of the 21st century. Over 400 years of content are uploaded to YouTube every day. This is both a blessing and a curse. While this means you can find videos of just about anything on YouTube it may also be difficult to find what you are really looking for, or the quality you expect. YouTube is a great source for educational videos and we wanted to share a couple of great channels, broken down by subject, that will actually make learning FUN!
Science
Science is what furthers our understanding of the world around us. Science covers everything from microbiology to outer space and everything in between. Getting interested in science can open up all kinds of doors for students and further their yearn for knowledge and understanding.
NASA in my opinion is the best government agency. Everyone at NASA seems to love what they do and earnestly tries to spread their passion to anyone who is interested. At ReelNASA they highlight the weekly updates each from the international space station. These are interesting, but the best videos are the ones directly from the astronauts explaining how they go about every day life; including how they wash their hair and even run in space.
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I’ve talked about how awesome I think the Vlog brothers are in previous posts. They make engaging videos that really encourage their viewers to think. Whether it is thinking about solutions to problems, thinking about our past, or just thinking for ourselves, the popular Internet brethren have spread their roots and have several interesting channels on a range of topics. Sci Show is a side channel which Hank Green often hosts, where they answer scientific questions, or give the scientific reasons for everyday questions like: how do beards grow?
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Math
Math is the universal language. Math is incorporated into everything we do; even as I type this I know that there is a certain amount of force I must apply to the keyboard in order for the button to register. Math is fundamental and studying math is like building blocks: we learn to count, then we learn to add, then multiply, then algebra, and just like numbers the possibilities are infinite.
Do you know what the 1,000,000 digit in pi is? It’s 1, I didn’t know that either, until I checked out this channel. Numberphile makes it fun to watch videos that uses mathematics to explain everything from the probability of a coin toss to just giving fun facts like the one above.
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One of my favorite channels. This dad uses his knowledge of engineering to explain complex problems usually involving physics, but also covering a range of scientific and mathematical problems. What’s even cooler is he often incorporates his kids into his videos and is really trying to explain these problems to them, which results in easy to understand explanations.
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History
There are many sites dedicated to history, and rightfully so. History tends to repeat itself, so learning history can help you spot trends in anything from politics to current events.
So we mentioned Hank Green who is very involved in SciShow. His brother John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, is very involved in the history channel Crash Course. Crash Course uses impressive visuals and witty dialogue to create very engaging videos. Like other video the Vlog Brothers are involved in, user engagement is always encouraged so be sure to ask questions in the comments.
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A different view of history is offered as the videos ask ‘what if’-hypothetical questions. It’s an interesting way of doing video as they look at major effects of what actually happened and than manipulate history to draw conclusions. Questions like “What if the United States never revolted?”
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English/ Books
If you love to read, then you also probably love to discuss and talk about the books you love to read. There are many places to check out recommendations for good reads. There are also many YouTube channels that feature book lovers. However many of these focus more on the YouTubers themselves versus actually discussing the books. Below are two channels in which the discussion is really centered on books, while the YouTuber’s personality still shows through.
Beatrice, or Tris, does a great job of updating her viewers on both what books she is excited about as well as giving comprehensive and articulate reviews of the books she’s read.
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A fun channel where Zoe creates a good mix of themed videos. The videos are well put together and she does a great job of staying active in the comments and encouraging everyone to read.
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BONUS “subject”: Do It Yourself (DIY)
While DIY may not be an actual subject, making crafts or fixing common household problems are great things to learn. For those of you who like to build things around the house or make crafts here are some channels that provide great videos.
Immense. That is how I would describe this channel. There are so many how to videos it is a little overwhelming. That being said I wouldn’t come to this channel for ideas for fun projects, but if you have a project in mind, whether it be home improvement or arts & crafts, this channel is a great resource. All the videos have good production value and provide great step by step instructions.
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This graphic design major puts together very creative videos showcasing her talents as a video editor and creative designer. Art projects, phone cases, room decorations, puff paints, room organizers, journals, back-to-school… You get the idea, there are a lot of projects here that you and your kids will love.
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Do you have a favorite educational channel, or better yet do you host a channel with an educational focus? Please share your favorite YouTube channels or any ideas you have to make learning fun!
Featured Image – Rego Korosi / CC by 2.0
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