Labor Day generally marks the end of summer and the start of a new school year. These fun educational videos for all ages should ease the sting of returning to school and help make studying more enjoyable.
History
"Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage" by Soomo Publishing
This might be our favorite: a fantastic, well-produced women's suffrage parody of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" from the educational publishing company Soomo.
"Gutenberg" by History for Music Lovers
The Hawaiian-based history teachers behind History for Music Lovers created this text-only video, a parody of Blondie's "Sunday Girl," to teach about the creator of the printing press. Visit their YouTube channel for more great history-based parodies of popular songs.
"Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration" by Soomo Publishing
Yes, it's a second video from Soomo, but they're both too good not to include. This parody of One Republic's "Apologize" was actually the first educational parody music video they produced; after its success (it has received more than 3 million views on YouTube), they created the "Bad Romance" video.
"The Animated Bayeux Tapestry" by David Newton of Potion Graphics
Originally a college project, this video brings the Bayeux Tapestry to life.
"Famous Last Words" by Ransom Riggs for mental_floss
Of course we had to include our own fun clip about some of history's most famous last words!
Science
"Meet the Elements" by They Might Be Giants
This introduction to the scientific elements from They Might Be Giants is off the band's Grammy Award-nominated album Here Comes Science. Check out more of TMBG's videos on YouTube.
Bill Nye the Science Guy on Static Electricity
Visit TheRealBillNye on YouTube for more clips from the classic science show, and visit his web site for media and educational materials.
"Classification Rap" by T.H. Culhane
This video was made back in 1989, way before YouTube made it quick and easy to share educational videos. Culhane's Melodic-Mnemonic approach to education helped his at-risk students succeed in school; he has gone on to work with the State Department's Cultural Affairs program to hold science workshops around the world.
Math
"Pi: Each and Every Time" by Ignite! Learning
The educational company Ignite! Learning created this song to explain the concept of pi.
"Calculus Rhapsody" by Paul Kirk & Mike Gospel
This parody of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" explains calculus. Click through to YouTube for the lyrics.
Geography
"The Countries of Your Planet" by Marco Polo
For more videos exploring the world from Team Marco Polo, visit their YouTube channel.
"50 States Song" by Mallory Lewis & Lamb Chop
Mallory Lewis, daughter of Lamb Chop's creator Shari Lewis, has picked up where her mom left off, and tours the country performing with the beloved puppet.
"50 State Capitols" by Wakko on Animaniacs
This is one of the most popular Animaniacs clips on YouTube, with more than 5 million views. (Judging by the comments, quite a few people watch the video to study for their tests.)
English
"History of English" by The Open University
This 11-minute video combines all 10 parts of Open University's video series on the history of the English language.
"Celebrities Sing Alphabet Song" by Sesame Street
Over the years, many celebrities have sung the alphabet song on Sesame Street. To promote the 2011-2012 season of the children's show, they released this celebrity compilation video. You can watch many more Sesame Street clips on the official YouTube channel.
"Conjunction Junction" by Schoolhouse Rock
Who can forget this classic from the popular animated educational series Schoolhouse Rock?
Art
"Three Primary Colors" by OK Go on Sesame Street
The guys of OK Go teach kids about the three primary colors and how they mix. Watch more Sesame Street videos on the official YouTube channel.
"The History of Art in 3 Minutes" by LikeFilms.org
A brief and humorous overview of art history. Note: Contains some not-safe-for-children/work words.
"500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art" by Philip Scott Johnson
This video, nominated as Most Creative Video for the 2007 YouTube Awards, depicts the evolution of the depiction of women in Western art over 500 years. Follow along with the list of artists and paintings. (This is also one of the most popular educational videos, with more than 92,000 views on Vimeo and more than 12 million views on YouTube.)
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as 19 Videos That Make Learning Fun.
