Looking to add film to your homeschooling curriculum? As schools close, we know that a lot of you will be spending more time at home in the coming weeks. To make this transition easier, we’ve put together a list of educational shows for all ages that you can stream and watch as a family.
Using our age ratings can help you and your family choose what's right for you and avoid what's not - whatever you watch, wherever and however you watch it. Read our Parents' Guide to Age Ratings or head over to our Grown-up hub to find out more.
Our Planet
Rated U for scenes of animal death, hunting, feeding and mating
Our Planet explores the diversity of habitats around the world, from the remote Arctic wilderness and mysterious deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America.
Theme
There is footage of animals hunting or feeding on dead animals, but the visual detail is minimal. There is also brief footage of animals mating.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Night on Earth
Rated U for scenes of animal hunting and mating
Night on Earth is a British nature documentary series about nocturnal animals.
Theme
There are scenes of animals hunting, including CCTV footage of a leopard attacking a pet dog. Bloody detail is brief and infrequent. There is also brief sight of animals mating, accompanied by very mild verbal references.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Ask the Storybots
Rated U for mild rude humour, very mild threat
Ask the Storybots is a US children’s educational series in which a team of small creatures go on adventures in order to find the answers to children’s questions.
Rude humour
The question of what happens when you flush the toilet is explained using images of a friendly cartoon poo.
Threat
The storybots are briefly scared when they fall into a volcano, but no one is hurt. In an animation illustrating what happens when you catch a cold, a black cloud of virus cells chases human blood cells. The blood cells are soon rescued by antibodies, who eat the virus.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Brainchild
Rated U for very mild rude humour, language, references to bullying, comic fantasy violence
Brainchild is a US children’s educational documentary series about science
Rude humour
There are infrequent jokes about farting, diarrhoea and nose-picking.
Language
Very mild bad language includes ‘jerk’, ‘heck’, ‘god’ and ‘omg’.
Theme
There are very mild references to bullying, including brief sight of children pushing another child against a locker. The issue is handled in a sensitive and positive manner.
Violence
People in foam costumes pretend to punch each other in order to illustrate germs fighting. No one is hurt.
Horrible Histories
Rated PG for moderate injury detail, mild comic violence, rude humour, language
Horrible Histories is a British educational comedy series for children, based on the books by Terry Deary.
Injury detail
Occasional comic images of injury detail and gore include bloody wounds, dead bodies, severed body parts and internal organs, as well as infrequent blood spray. The visual effects are not realistic, however.
Violence
Historical figures are killed or injured in various ways including stabbing and beheading, to comic effect. There are mild references to further violence including torture.
Rude humour
Mild rude humour includes jokes about defecation, urination, vomiting and flatulence, as well as images of human waste.
Language
There is infrequent mild bad language (eg ‘turd’).
Additional information
There are infrequent very mild references to sex, historical discrimination and suicide.
Where to watch it: Netflix
The Elephant Queen
Rated PG for distressing scenes
The Elephant Queen is a documentary in which a mother elephant protects her herd after they are forced to leave their water hole.
Disturbing images
The film contains scenes in which a baby elephant collapses and dies from starvation, as well as scenes showing other dead animals.
Where to watch it: Apple TV
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Rated PG for discriminatory references, brief bloody image
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché is a documentary about the life and legacy of the pioneering French film-maker and producer of the silent film era.
Discrimination
Images of pages from film trade magazines of the early twentieth century include a quotation from an actor who claims, "I do wop parts". In another sequence featuring scenes from a silent film, made with an all-black cast, the commentary explains that white actors refused to participate in its production because "It would be a dishonour to appear with people of colour". The discriminatory references are placed in a clear historical context and discrimination is not endorsed by the film as a whole.
Disturbing images
In a moving collage presented as a 'walk through' the history of Hollywood there is a brief shot of the familiar image of a blood-drenched Sissy Spacek from the horror film Carrie.
Additional information
Clips from a series of silent films feature very mild threat and violence. A clip from a silent film shows a man, overcome with passion, forcing a kiss on a woman which results only in comic consequences. There are very mild sex references in accounts of marital infidelity. There are scenes of smoking in silent films which reflect the historical period in which they were made. There is also very mild bad language (‘damn’, ‘oh my God’, 'hell').
Where to watch it: Amazon Prime
The Mind, Explained
Rated 12 for references to sex, drugs and sexual violence, disturbing images
Ever wonder what's happening inside your head? From dreaming to anxiety disorders, discover how your brain works with The Mind, Explained. These five episodes focus on each of the following topics: memory, dreams, anxiety, mindfullness, and psychedelics.
Where to watch it: Netflix
