TV can be educational! How we try to be intentional about our kids television viewing

It's been nearly a full month since our family started our monthly Netflix subscription. I was asked to be a part of the Netflix #streamteam and was excited to have the opportunity to try something I have heard so much about. Several years ago I wrote a post about how our family survives without cable. What started out as a money saving move became a lifestyle change we were comfortable with. As a parent I want to be very intentional about what my kids are watching. I had no idea that I could find that with a company like Netflix.

If you aren't familiar with Netflix, Netflix is a monthly subscription service that provides unlimited movies and television shows.  Streaming can be done through your TV, on your computer or through your mobile devices.  It costs $7.99 a month which is more than a third of what you would be paying for even the most basic cable services. Netflix enables you to set up viewing profiles for every member of your family. Each member can create a watch list of shows and movies they are interested in, and in turn, they receive personalized recommendations based on what that member has been viewing. For my two kids under 12, there is a safe kids area where their viewing profile only allows them to view appropriate titles for their age.  Have you ever looked at the front cover of some of the movies that are out? Holy cow, just seeing them could give you nightmares! The kids area keeps these titles and pictures away from their eyes. I have always been quite strict about my kids television viewing. I want what they watch to be educational and not just mind numbing. For years the library has been a great resource for our family to get educational shows and documentaries,  but as our kids continue to grow and mature,  it's getting harder and harder to find titles that they are interested in. When my kids were little they loved The Magic School Bus series.   Can I admit that I learned a thing or two myself from watching the Frizz? My youngest son still soaks in Wild Kratts and I'm amazed at what he can learn from a TV show.

                         

Now that I have kids ranging from High School age all the way down to late elementary school age,  finding shows that we can watch as a family is getting more and more difficult. Thankfully, Netflix has some of our families favorites. My tween daughter is in middle school.  She gets extra credit in science by watching and explaining the scientific process from a Mythbusters episode.

My husband is an engineer and he could spend hours with the kids sharing his love of design and science while truly being entertained with these programs.

I think we all have a show or two we can add to our netflix profile this month. We certainly won't be short on things to watch for family movie night. So far, I really like streaming Netflix for our family. I think you will too...that is, if you don't already. What are you watching?