Discovery Education Streaming Plus Review

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Discovery Education Streaming Plus is a website that supplies digital content to schools. Not only is this a valuable resource for traditional classrooms, but it’s also a wonderful tool for homeschooling families.

I’ve used this website for a couple of years to supplement my children’s studies with a wide variety of quality, educational, streaming videos.

This site contains a ton of resources, covering every major school subject as well as many electives.

What will you find at Discovery Education?

1. Videos

• Animal Planet
• BBC Worldwide
• Discovery Channel
• Mythbusters
• Scholastic
• Science Channel
• and lots more!

2. Audio Files 

• Podcasts
• Audio books

3. Lesson Plans, writing prompts, and skill builders

4. Reference materials, images, and simulations

Why use videos in homeschool lessons?

If one of your goals is to use a variety of learning tools in your home school, then easy access to thousands of videos can be a lifesaver. Adding digital content to your lectures or more formal book learning is a great way to engage different learning styles.

Personally, we use videos in all of our science and history lessons. Sometimes I play them to introduce a subject and other times to drive a certain point home. If we are studying a complex topic, I love having the option of streaming a video to offer a different perspective.

What are Some of the Best Features of Discovery Education?

Ease of Use

Discovery Education has a wonderful search function. For example, are you studying chemistry this year? Type chemistry into the search box and hundreds of choices will be at your fingertips.

With so many options, how do you know which ones to review? You can further refine your search. Choose the type of information you’re looking for (video clip, full video, image, etc.) as well as the relevant grade level and you’ll be left with a focused list.

My Content

Once you find what you want for your lessons, keep them organized by saving them to My Content. This allows you to do your research when it works for you and everything will be ready whenever you need it. I love when I can plan ahead!

Lesson Plans

You’ll find over two hundred lessons plans written by teachers for students in all grades, from elementary to high school.

Some homeschoolers may not need everything included in a plan designed for a traditional classroom, but the lesson plans include related materials, vocabulary, discussion questions, and activities that could help save you time and energy.

A Sampling of Lesson Plans for 6th-8th Grade Students:

• Inventor’s workshop
• Transition Metals
• Ultimate Roller Coaster Contest
• When Civilizations End
• Writing as Criminal Evidence

Two obstacles home learners have faced with Discovery Education Streaming Plus have been cost and availability. Thanks to Homeschool Buyers Co-op, you can purchase a subscription, at a great discount.

If your child has access to any public school materials, see if this is one of them. Some virtual schools have accounts that are available to enrolled homeschool students.

This resource is an incredible time saver and will add an element of fun to your lessons. With everything that’s included, you’ll find yourself using it on a regular basis.