Get Free Educational Videos for Homeschool Using the Internet Archive

One of my goals as a home educator is to create a multimedia homeschool environment using free online resources. This keeps the learning interesting and diverse. So, I try to find a video or two to go along with our current studies. And I have found that if I am willing to invest some time then I can find some quality free educational videos online. One website where I find a lot of useful material is at the Internet Archive.

What the Internet Archive is
The Internet Archive is an internet library full of books, software, video, and audio. But unlike your local library, you do not have to "check out" the materials for a limited amount of time. You are free to use the resources at Archive.org anytime you wish. Currently the Archive has over 271,000 moving images available for viewing. So it is best to have a plan when looking for videos or you could waste a lot of time and still not find what you are looking for.

How to Find Relevant Videos
The system that I use to find free educational videos at the Internet Archive is pretty easy. I begin by having a topic in mind. Recently my middle school student learned about hypothermia in Science class. So I'll use that as an example. I went to Archive.org and clicked on the "moving images" tab. I did a general search in the "moving images" part of the site. I just typed the word "hypothermia" into the search box. Thankfully, the first link that came up was a movie about hypothermia made by the U.S. Coast Guard. So my search was complete.

But it isn't always that easy. If there are numerous search results that seem to be irrelevant then I start searching under some of the moving images categories. So, say I hadn't found a movie right away. Then I'd type "hypothermia" into the search box and then I'd move over to the drop down field right next to it and select either academic films, ephemeral films, or Prelinger Archives. Those categories contain many educational videos.

Keeping Track of Your Movies
Once I find the right video then I write down the title and and an "A" (for Archive.org) next to it in my lesson plan. That way when it's time to view the film either I or my student can go to the Internet Archive and just type in the name of the movie into the search box. I also add the link for the movie to my Free Movies for Homeschool section of my blog so that I don't have to search for the same movies again when my next child is ready for that lesson.

More Ways to Homeschool for Free
Where to Get Free Reading Primers for Homeschoolers
Homeschool Using Free Printable Coloring Books
4 Free Handwriting Generators for Homeschoolers