There's a Nonfiction DVD collection on the 2nd Floor??!

Our nonfiction DVDs just don't get as much recognition as our Family or Children DVDs. Yes, factual DVDs are a useful tool to help teach information to your child or classroom but are they catchy enough to hold their attention?

Yes! At our library we have many wonderful nonfiction DVDs that you might not know about. Every month I'd like to highlight a different nonfiction DVD series that you should check out. This month's I wanted to draw your attention to a series of awesome science DVDs aimed at older viewers, grades 5-8. This series is The Science of Disney Imagineering. What does Disney know about science you're asking? Let's take a look!

The extremely personable host, Asa, is a Disney Imagineer. What's a Disney Imagineer? Disney Imagineers are the people who come up with and create Disney experiences like cruise ships, resorts, and especially theme parks and rides. Asa explains concepts like magnetism, electricity, energy, and gravity and demonstrates how it is applied in Disney attractions.

While the DVDs may seem to an adult like advertising for Disney parks, to the kids watching it's a fun show, but one that's teaching at the same time it is entertaining. In watching the DVD on Magnetism I learned that magnets can be permanent magnets, which means that they are always "on"-always repulsing and attracting. Then there are magnets that are electromagnetic. These magnets are only magnetic when electricity is running through it. Asa showed examples of each of these magnets-name tags for permanent magnets and a crowd control gate for electromagnetic. Then he showed an example of the two working together. One particular Disney coaster uses both kinds of magnets to push the roller coast car up to 60 MPH in 2.8 seconds. Amazing!

Next time you're looking for interesting DVDs that are educational, check out the Science of Disney Imagineering series. Who says science is boring?!


Click here to see the catalog records for Science of Disney Imagineering.

Electricity

Friction

Animal Adaptions: Communication

Energy

Design and Models

Magnetism

Newton's 3 Laws of Motion

Fluids

Trajectory

Levers and Pulleys

Gravity