Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Thank you, television!

Short post today. Can I take a moment to thank the producers of Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, How It's Made, and a multitude of other shows that are heavy on the science content?

Thank you.

These shows are such a boon to homeschoolers. We got to reference two episodes (one MB, one DJ) in yesterday's discussion on friction alone. Friction doesn't seem powerful, but do you remember the episode of Mythbusters where Adam and Jamie 'zippered' two phone books together, and couldn't pull them apart? Shannon does. Friction.  Do you remember the episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe processed hagfish and was elbow deep in slime? Shannon does. Friction (or reducing friction in this case) again.

Seriously, not a week goes by right now that we don't refer to *something* we watch on Science Channel or Discovery. Luckily, Shannon loves these shows as much as her parents do. They may not be full scientific lectures themselves, but the science content is there, and it usually serves as a VITAL link or 'a-ha' moment that explains the concept. Wanna talk to your kids about alcohol use and abuse? Mythbusters has a bazillion segments they've done on it, usually showing how much things change with only a little to drink. Ballistics? Check, check, and check. How about the importance of recycling? Dirty Jobs has had a lot of episodes on landfills, recycling plants, and composting.

So again, thank you to ALL shows with a little bit of nerd content.

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