Stop Summer Brain Drain With Educational Shows and Movies from Netflix

School’s done in NYC and one thing I always worry about is the summer slide. My three kids love Netflix and if I let them have free reign with it — Transformers and My Little Pony would be on ALL THE TIME. So I insist that they also watch shows with educational value. As I am also a PBS Kids VIP Ambassador, so I want to make sure educational programming is in their life. My toddler loves SuperWHY, my daughter loves Pet+Cat — it’s great to know that both those shows are available on Netflix. But my older child, who’s turning 9 at the end of September is out of the PBS Kids stage and heavily into watching super hero shows on Netflix. However, recently we’ve gotten into the BBC’s Walking With Dinosaurs. All three of my kids devoured that show and we’re now into watching the prequel to the series, Walking With Monsters (which goes back even further in time – around 300 million years ago).

Here are some good educational suggestions for your big kids:

1. Lewis & Clark: The Journey Out West

2. Walking with Dinosaurs

3. Secret Yellowstone

4. The Blue Planet

5. When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions

And for your little ones:

1. The Great Mouse Detective

2. Busytown Mysteries

3. LeapFrog: Math Adventures to the Moon

4. Turtle: The Incredible Journey

5. The Magic School Bus

We love the Leapfrog movies, they are around an hour long and perfect for my 3 1/2 year old and my 6 1/2 year old.

If you are looking for more brain-booster titles, Common Sense Media has a list of 12 age-appropriate documentaries that encourage kids to explore worlds they may not normally encounter, all currently streaming on Netflix – check out the list here.

Create This!

After streaming these fun and educational titles, get your little ones’ minds moving by create these story cubes byKelly Ladd Sanchez to give your kids the chance to activate their imagination and come up with their own storybook adventure.

Make This!

Strawberries and Greek yogurt make a brain boosting popsicle – which makes a terrific breakfast, an afternoon snack or healthy dessert. These sweet treats by Andrea Lynn are not only delicious, but are filled with brain-powering ingredients, like berries and Greek yogurt – click here to learn how to make your own.