The Kid Should See This

Kid-friendly STEM-focused videos spark interest, encourage learning

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 1 review

Privacy rating

Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

K–12

Subjects & Skills

Arts, English Language Arts, Science

Great for

Instructional Strategies, Lesson Planning

Price: Free
Platforms: Web

Pros: Informative, kid-appropriate videos include written background information.

Cons: Content is divided into general categories, but isn't sorted by age or specific topic.

Bottom Line: Regularly updated visual content stimulates interest, learning; adding better sorting capabilities would make it a stronger resource.

By screening short videos that provide a visual look at subjects ranging from science to art, teachers can reinforce concepts kids are learning in class. Educators likely won't find a video for every concept they discuss in class; however, they can share information with students on a variety of topics, including what gives stars their shape, why leaves change color, and how cardboard is recycled.

Teachers can also assign videos to individual students for additional learning. Each video contains written text on the topic, which can also help kids practice reading. However, teachers will need to email a link to the video; there's no way to directly share content with other users through the site.

As with many curated video sites, the clips on The Kid Should See This are grouped into topics -- in this case, science, technology, space, animals, food, DIY, music, animation, and art. Creator Rion Nakaya, who updates the site with input from her 3- and 6-year-old children, says she picks videos parents and teachers can watch with children, but that weren't necessarily created for kids. (Don't expect a lot of zany sounds or graphics.) Ten to 12 STEM-focused videos are added each week.

The site's short, interesting clips contain a fair amount of background information, which can help kids learn about each topic. Videos don't, however, feature age- or grade-level suggestions, which could help teachers determine which content might work best for each student or classroom. Teachers may need to dig a bit to find appropriate clips.

Users can sort videos by date, title, or popularity, but aside from about 40 general tags, videos aren't broken down by specific topic. If you're looking for a video on a specific topic within a larger subject area, you'll most likely need to enter a keyword in the search field. Bookmarking clips for later use can also be tricky. Users supposedly can click Save Video and view the video later on a site page, but tests to try that functionality on two different browsers proved unsuccessful. Even without in-depth search options, the site can be a useful classroom aid. The compelling, quick, informative videos offer a thorough look at science, technology, and other topics; watching them will spark conversation and encourage kids to learn new concepts.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

Kids can't comment on videos, but clips may inspire conversation and additional research. Most are educational, but some just-for-fun picks are also in the mix.

 

Pedagogy

Each video contains background information to help kids understand what they're watching. Videos are also loosely grouped by topic, which can help adults guide kids toward subjects they’re learning about.

 

Support

Users can sign up to receive new videos each week via email. They can also click through to sites like YouTube and Vimeo that host the videos. Some videos contain captions/written text.

Common Sense reviewer

Community Rating

Get tool for teachers to learn something before teaching it.

My overall opinion about this product is it is great for teachers to prepare for a lesson. The videos are also great for young children. My students enjoyed the video on how candy is made and it helped expand their thinking skills. I enjoy the videos as an adult and the kids love them too. There are no much changes I would make expect maybe have a questionnaire or test at the end to test the students knowledge from the video.

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Privacy Rating

Data Safety How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between trusted users.
  • Unclear whether personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.

Data Rights What rights do I have to the data?

  • Unclear whether users can create or upload content.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to access and review user data.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to modify data for authorized users.

Ads & Tracking Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Traditional or contextual advertisements are displayed.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.

Continue reading about this tool's privacy practices, including data collection, sharing, and security.

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