There are not too many homes that don’t have a least one television. The primary use for this is as a form of entertainment. It can also be used as a valuable tool for education.
Television Programs
Many homeowners buy packages from their cable providers as to the types of programs they can access on their television. Usually among the list will be some choices for educational based programs. Sometimes these get overlooked as to the value that they can add for the family. These are most often found on the speciality channels. These will vary according to the country and the cable providers.
Removing the Guilt
A lot of parents feel guilty if they are allowing their kids to watch too much television. With the proper choice of programs, this guilt can be turned into a positive experience.
Australia
There are some great opportunities to enjoy educational TV in Australia. The programs are broken down into categories such as:
- Primary:
Which includes programs such as Art with Mati and Dada, Author Talk, and Back in Time.
- Secondary:
The selections here include 199 Little Heroes, Atom Bomb, and Against All Odds.
United States
In the United States, there are many options to choose from for television based programs. There are categories for all ages. Some of the choices are Adam Ruins Everything, Adventure, MythBusters Jr. And many more.
Canada
While there are many choices for adults for educational tv in Canada, there are some excellent choices for kids such as The MagicSchool Bus, Bill Nye The Science Guy and National Geographic Kids.
The Benefits of Educational Television
To encourage the use of educational television, it is important to recognise the many benefits that this form of television has to offer.
Intellectually
There have been studies that support the intellectual benefits of educational programs. The studies indicated that kids who watched some of this program a few hours per day did better on academic tests compared to the kids who did watch educational programs.
Supplementary Teaching
Quite often, the material that is being taught in the educational television programs is in addition to what the kids are learning in the school setting. This can be a great advantage in helping them to expand their knowledge.
Role Models
Many times those who are part of the educational programs become good role models for the kids. They are often influenced by the characters they are being exposed to. Those educational programs with characters that are projecting positive messages can be instrumental in helping the kids make decisions.