At this point, maybe you’ve grown tired of people asking how you’re holding up. We all know that life has been rough for everyone these past several weeks. Rougher for some more than others. If you’ve got young children at home, you may already be at wit’s end. I must confess that one of the ways our family is coping with self-isolation is with more relaxed screen time rules… but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something! I love educational TV shows, when they’re done right, and Disney+ has got several.

Now, I’m sure that Disney+ has lots of other great educational TV shows, but I’m only listing the shows we’ve actually watched. Here are a few of our favorites.

Cosmos: Possible Worlds

To borrow a page out of one Neil deGrasse Tyson, you could say we’ve got a badass over here. While there are new episodes on the National Geographic channel, you can catch the first season of Cosmos on Disney Plus. I wrote about Cosmos when it first came out way back in 2014, so I won’t repeat myself here. What I will say is that you’ve got a kid who’s interested in astronomy and astrophysics, it’s a visually stunning program with (mostly) accessible explanations of complex concepts.

Hostile Planet

I should preface this by saying that I adore nature documentaries, always have. Learning all about the different creatures who inhabit this planet brings me great joy. I should also say that Hostile Planet is not at all for the faint of heart. As its title indicates, the nature series hosted by survivalist Bear Grylls dives into some of most inhospitable locations on Earth.

It showcases how wildlife has adapted to living in such extreme conditions, but the resulting footage can be quite harrowing… like watching baby geese literally jump off a cliff to “bounce” on the jagged rock hundreds of feet below. Spoiler: They don’t all make it.

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet

This will also depend a lot on how sensitive your children (or you) may be. Many of the stories in Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet are incredibly heartwarming and the animals are adorable. That being said, the visuals can also be quite graphic, as you really dive right into what it’s like to be a veterinarian for both wild and domesticated animals. Yes, there’s blood. But, this is real life and offers tremendous insight into the work that vets do with the resources that they have.

Forky Asks a Question

Okay, how about something much lighter? Clearly targeted at the younger set, Forky Asks a Question is a series of Disney+ original shorts, each exploring a single topic. Since the episodes are only five minutes long, this is the perfect kind of educational TV for preschoolers and kindergartners with super short attention spans. Particularly if they like the oddball character of Forky from Toy Story 4. Episodes include “What Is Art?” and “What Is a Pet?” As of this writing, there are 10 short films in all.

One Strange Rock

Who doesn’t love Will Smith? Apparently, he’s not just a YouTuber. He narrates One Strange Rock, a documentary series produced in conjunction with Darren Aronofsky. (You might recognize Aronofsky as the writer/producer of 2008’s The Wrestler and the director of 2010’s Black Swan.) In some ways, you could say One Strange Rock fits somewhere between Cosmos and nature documentaries. It explores “the extraordinary story of Earth” through the unique perspective of astronauts.

What Do You Want to Learn Today?

Educational TV shows, whether you find them on Disney+ or elsewhere, can also be very entertaining television. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with this time of “temporary homeschool,” it’s okay to turn on TV and watch a show together. Or you could play Animal Crossing to learn about fish, bugs, and sound financial decisions. It all counts.

What have you been watching on Disney+ lately? Do you tend to watch more movies or series?