Watching and Learning

We like TV in our house. There are mamas in our local homeschool group that avoid TV, some that don't even have a TV, some that use the TV for DVDs only, and others that restrict their children's viewing choices considerably. There are shows that I discourage my children from watching - Sponge Bob, Ed, Edd, and Eddie, That's So Raven to name a few. But we like TV and watch it regularly in our house.

Adding to my list of "things I didn't know would be advantages to homeschooling" is the fact that my 9 year old doesn't think she is too old to watch Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney, and PBS kids shows. She doesn't know that most school kids her age have out grown those shows. She doesn't know about many of the popular (and annoying) shows that school kids her age are watching. I do see her tastes changing. She is not so interested in watching Blue Clues anymore. But she will sit and watch Sesame Street with her little sister.

One new "big" kid she recently discovered is Time Warp Trio on Discovery Kids. How excited I am that she found a show about history to be excited about instead of one about high school kids that play pranks on each other...

We also love Little Einsteins. It warms a mam's heart to hear her little girls running around the house singing classical music tunes. And Sierra understood several math concepts on the 3rd grade test thanks to Cyberchase. The Magic School Bus is another favorite. We have recorded every episode and love to watch them when we learn about each science topic.

We are not radical unschoolers. I do limit television viewing, but when we do watch it brings a smile to my face when they are watching and learning.

*See sidebar for a list of our favorite educational shows.