I apologize in advance. I usually don’t spend a lot of time whining when I’m sick, but I am truly sick of this head cold! My friend Judy encapsulated how I’m feeling when she said:
“There’s something about having your body alternating dripping and stuffy and spontaneously erupting (sneezing) that is both uncomfortable but out of control and reminding you that mind over matter doesn’t really work well for the small things.”
Exactly! Just when you think things are getting better it’s back! Since everyone else in the house has survived, I know I’ll live. But what to do in the meantime? Since reading isn’t comfortable (runny nose) and talking just made me tired and cough-y, it’s time to break out the television. I don’t have cable, but I do have lots of Roku channels. My latest addition is a channel called CuriosityStream. I purchased a lifetime subscription, so might as well use it.
What is CuriosityStream?
CuriosityStream is a repository of unique documentaries. It was launched in 2015 by the founder of the Discovery Channel, John S. Hendricks. There are the standard categories (animal, history, biographies, etc.), but then there is a plethora of interesting subcategories. Those are the ones that I’ve been having the most fun watching.
For example, there is show called “A Stitch in Time” that explores history through fashion. It is surprisingly interesting. All the men out there that hate suits can blame King Charles II and his envy of his cousin’s trends, King Louis XIV fashion choices. To distance England from the French he created the long vest with the knee-length coats.
What I Like About CuriosityStream
A Large Catalog. There are over 3,000+ videos currently available, but since they are partnered with so many a variety of documentary makers including DocLights (they specialize in animal documentaries). They also make their own documentaries and series, so there is really something for everyone in the family.
Prices I Love: Unlike many other channels, you can dive right into CuriosityStream for about $20/yr. If you want the higher definition plan, that runs at $70/yr. Either way it is a great deal for Discovery/History channel level of documentaries. They also periodically run Lifetime Subscriptions, so be sure to be on the lookout for that.
Videos Vary in Length: Another thing that I love is that there are really short documentaries as well as long ones. There are times, like now, when I want to learn something new, but just don’t have attention span to last for 90 minutes or more. Some shows are really short (I found one that is only 12 minutes) and others are what we’re accustomed to watching.
Availability: The channel has many partners, so you can find the app on Roku, Apple TV Channels and Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Sprint, Google Chromecast, iOS and Android, Amazon Prime Video Channels, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Comcast Xfinity on Demand.
What I Don’t Like About the Service
I really enjoy CuriosityStream, so at this time, so I don’t have any complaints. I will be sure to update if I discover things that become intolerable.
A Homeschooling Perspective
As I sampled CuriosityStream’s wares lots of ideas floated up. For example, I have one child who is really into history and geopolitical topics. I can use the shorter videos as a starter for his research and then have him investigate more about the event and present it as a report. The longer videos we will watch together, have a discussion and then he can write a report on whatever information that intrigues him. Actually, I learn a lot of things when I let him take the lead.
For those with smaller children, the CuriosityKids collection is a great place to start. The topics are sometimes quirky (think “The Worm Hunters”) but right up the alley of the 5-12 group. (Okay, I confess, I enjoy these too!) many of the videos in the collection are only 12 minutes which is perfect when they’re young.
Okay, so that’s been my day today. Just me and CuriosityStream hanging out. I think I made a solid investment with this channel and it would be a good one to try out.
