Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

[cezanne]

Current fave for me is "How It's Made" on Discovery: Aluminum foil, gummy bears, cue sticks, combination locks.... Apparently this show is in its ninth season. I don't know how I missed this show all this time.

What's yers?

[Pomai]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s): Making Stuff

Current fave for me is "How It's Made" on Discovery: Aluminum foil, gummy bears, cue sticks, combination locks.... Apparently this show is in its ninth season. I don't know how I missed this show all this time.

What's yers?

I've never seen "How It's Made", but by your description, it sounds similar to "Made in America" on the Travel Channel (which covers everything Made in the USA), and "Unwrapped" on The Food Network (which covers everything made that's related to food). Both fantastic shows.

I used to really enjoy the Discovery Channel's "Movie Magic", which revealed how our favorite movies were made, with a focus on special effects. CGI production, blue-screening, foley artists... all that cool stuff.

In the 90's, my TV was set on Discovery Channel by default. Now it's all Food Network (educational in its own right). Probably my next "phase" will be ESPN.

NOVA on PBS is fantastic as well. Even better since there's no commercial interruptions. "Secrets of the Samurai Sword" is coming up next week!

[pzarquon]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

We just caught a few episodes of "How It's Made" as well. (Actually, I think our TiVo profiled us and suggested it.) It's moderately interesting, but really, the program has absolutely no personality or soul. It's the very stereotype of a documentary setup, with a detached, bland narrator talking over video clips. No interaction, no questions, and no energy whatsoever.

Does "Mythbusters" count? "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe? "Good Eats" with Alton Brown?

[lavagal]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Since I was too cool as a little girl to dig Mr. Rogers, I got a second chance when my girls were little and the three of us would watch together. Now I must say that a part of my heart is with Mr. Rogers. He'd show us how crayons were made, mini vacuum cleaners, erasers, balls, etc. Very cool. The three of us were spellbound.

We also like "How It's Made," but mostly that's my husband's favorite show.

I like to watch home and women makeover shows as I feel I could benefit from a chance at either!

[shaveice]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

i don't go out of my way to watch or record any particular show but there are several that interest me: survivorman, seconds from disaster, diagnosis x, intervention, the upcoming 'last man standing', samantha brown on the travel channel, etc to name a few! the critics of tv are right to be concerned about mindless stuff filling our little one's heads/time, but there's no denying that there's a lot of very good stuff to enjoy...

[Lei Liko]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Since I was too cool as a little girl to dig Mr. Rogers, I got a second chance when my girls were little and the three of us would watch together. Now I must say that a part of my heart is with Mr. Rogers. He'd show us how crayons were made, mini vacuum cleaners, erasers, balls, etc. Very cool. The three of us were spellbound.

We also like "How It's Made," but mostly that's my husband's favorite show.

I like to watch home and women makeover shows as I feel I could benefit from a chance at either!

I, too, used to get excited whenever Mr. Rogers showed a film on How People Made Things. Books, crayons, and straws were my favorite!

I like "How It's Made" as well, but I really don't care too much for most of the stuff they feature. I think I can go on the rest of my life not knowing how people make lightbulbs.

[Pomai]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

I, too, used to get excited whenever Mr. Rogers showed a film on How People Made Things. Books, crayons, and straws were my favorite!

Then of course there was Sesame Street. Does anyone remember The Electric Company? I have little detailed memory of the show's content, but I DO remember having watched that back in hanabaddah dayz (dating myself here).

The first (and probably only) time I saw a Barney & Friends (that purple dinosaur) show, I had deranged thoughts of destroying my TV.

I like "How It's Made" as well, but I really don't care too much for most of the stuff they feature. I think I can go on the rest of my life not knowing how people make lightbulbs.

How about if they showed how an edition of People Magazine was put together (the journalism, printing and distribution/marketing process)?

Hey common', seeing how light bulbs, hammers, cordless drills and tractor lawn mowers are made is cool stuff!

[Lei Liko]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Then of course there was Sesame Street. Does anyone remember The Electric Company? I have little detailed memory of the show's content, but I DO remember having watched that back in hanabaddah dayz (dating myself here).

I totally remember The Electric Company! They stopped filming new shows before I was born, but I remember they showed the reruns up until I was in grade school!

My old school favorite was 3-2-1 Contact, especially the Bloodhound Gang mystery segments.

Every child of the 80s also has to remember Square One Television!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Then of course there was Sesame Street. Does anyone remember The Electric Company? I have little detailed memory of the show's content, but I DO remember having watched that back in hanabaddah dayz (dating myself here).

There have already been multi-disc DVD releases of old shows from both of these series, two volumes of The Electric Company to date, and one of Sesame Street (the second Sesame set drops Nov. 6.) Yeah - I'm just strange enough that I have them all...

[LikaNui]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

One of my all-time favorite clips ever was this one of Harry Belafonte with Kermit and The Muppets, singing "The Banana Boat Song."
What a classic!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

One of my all-time favorite clips ever was this one of Harry Belafonte with Kermit and The Muppets, singing "The Banana Boat Song."
What a classic!

Indeed it is - but just for accuracy's sake, that's from "The Muppet Show," not "Sesame Street."

[cynsaligia]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

i'd say mythbusters counts, ryan. we watch it, too. a recent eppy that stuck out in my head was when they showed it would take several thousand balloons to lift a person--thereby dispelling the myth that a child can be carried away by a normal bunch of ballons.

some other shows that eric & i regularly dvr:

have fork, will travel with zane lamprey

three sheets, also with zane lamprey (the link has clips of the show, including one clip where zane partakes of lambanog in the barrios of the philippines)

history of sex from the history channel (here's a schedule of upcoming eppies)

motorweek

the aforementioned good eats with alton brown

uncorked with billy merrit (eric likes to watch it but most of the educational value is really for me--i'm still learning about wine)

on nights i have insomnia, i try to watch understanding.... but halfway through, the melatonin kicks in. maybe i should dvr the next couple of eppies, which will be beauty tonight, laughter the next night, and the following, the brain.

hmmm. i just realized that a good proportion of what we watch are documentary or educational shows. no wonder we're clueless when people start talking about "dancing with the stars" or "american idol" (bleh) or "survivor."

[cezanne]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Man there's so much more of the "ed" stuff on TV nowadays. I remember when PBS was the only station that had anything educational... oh yeah that and Wild Kingdom on Sunday afternoon.

I like Mythbusters too. What a job those guys have... you wouldn't even have to pay me to get in on that action.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Man there's so much more of the "ed" stuff on TV nowadays. I remember when PBS was the only station that had anything educational... oh yeah that and Wild Kingdom on Sunday afternoon.

I like Mythbusters too. What a job those guys have... you wouldn't even have to pay me to get in on that action.

oh, yeah, totally same here! another thing that's so cool about mythbusters is that it's a great show for kids to watch, not only for the "pure" educational value, but they show people using science to do fun things and making a living at it!

[LikaNui]

Re: Favorite "Educational" TV show(s)

Indeed it is - but just for accuracy's sake, that's from "The Muppet Show," not "Sesame Street."

Yeah, I kinda knew that already, since what I wrote was:

One of my all-time favorite clips ever was this one of Harry Belafonte with Kermit and The Muppets

I kinda figured that would give folks a clue.