Back to school viewing on Netflix #StreamTeam

Hey, we were compensated for this post. Having said that, all thoughts are our own and these shows really rock. Back to school! What did the kids do this summer? If their television habits weren’t as educational as you would’ve liked there is a solution to that. School! And there are some fun, educational shows on Netflix that kids of various ages will like to watch. These shows are actually educational and will provide kids a chance to relax in front of the tele while still learning something.

Mighty Machines

Educational or kids just like to watch big machines do stuff? Either way, we’ll let Mighty Machines squeeze in because it’s awesome. Even mom or dad will find themselves watching this and learning something about these big, massive machines that we rarely see.

Dinosaur Train

Dinosaur Train is for the set that are curious, motivated or learning about dinosaurs. Basically any child 2-4 that likes using their imagination, music, trains, big creatures and wildly entertaining songs that list the dinosaurs A-Z.

Space Racers

If outer space education is their thing then they need to watch Space Racers. It’s a group of young planes going to school where they learn about the moon, tides, planets and anything else that might require them to escape Earth’s atmosphere.

Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow was mighty machines before that show was created. Start with a common activity, like bowling and show the kids how the pin machine works. Now start reading a classic children’s book like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. It is dated, but kids won’t mind at all, plus it’s a joy to see Lavar Burton doing his passion project.  This show is perfect of kids 2-4.

Leapfrog

Our oldest learned sight words from watching Leapfrog videos on Netflix. He also learned some of his numbers, as well as, a refresher course on his A, B, C’s. There are a handful of Leapfrog titles on Netflix. Each one is about 27 minutes long and is packed with education. The show also presents a quick moving story with Tad that always manages have the crew learning something educational, in addition to math, reading or writing.

Sesame Street

This is the blueprint. There are some special Sesame Street shows on Neflix about specific things like shapes, opposites or numbers. You’ve also got some regular shows that the kids would watch on PBS. This is a classic show that you really can’t go wrong with.

Monster Math Squad

Our oldest started watching this last year when he was four. It’s more entertaining that educational, but still has enough math to make it something that parents can let kids watch without feeling guilty.  The show is monsters, solving real math problems in their monster village. The theme song to the show is also ridiculously catchy.

Bill Nye, the Science Guy

Sure this show is older, but it’s still entertaining and will have kids at the bare minimum be curious about science. Why is this guy so excited? What’s he going to do next? Kids will love it and his trademark bow tie hasn’t aged a bit.

Dinotrux

We have had the Dinotrux books for a couple years and it only made sense that they made a show. What is surprising is how good the show actually is. The animation is great and you can see detail that you do not expect from a television series. This show is more about entertaining than education, but kids will learn about sharing and teamwork. Each episode is 23 minutes and serves as a great buffer when the kids need something fun to watch.

The Magic School Bus

We reviewed this DVD and it’s great. The Frizz is streaming on Netflix and this is one of the smartest, creative cartoons you’ll ever see. It’s a head trip spin that manages to make the mundane, fun, curious and something that kids want to learn about. Plus it describes it all in a way that kids will easily understand using a variety of methods like time travel, shrinking and more.

BBC Earth

BBC Earth has several shows on Netflix, they’re all documentaries and all of them that we’ve seen are great. The photography is crisp and takes you to places far away or up close to allows kids to see things happen. Some of the nature shows do show animals being predators, i.e. surviving, and that might be too much for small kids.