When I was growing up, we had discovery channel. That sparked my intrinsic curiousity. My daughter has that intrinsic motivation as well, but only for k-pop now. She likes youtube videos and she likes when I tell her about science stuff. Maybe I can combine that by recommending her some good youtube channels.
SciShow is good people making science content aimed at a general audience.
In addition to the others mentioned.
Kyle Hill
Steve Mould
Physics Girl
The Action Lab
Anton Petrov
Scott Manley
Veritasium
Minute Earth
Minute Physics
VSauce
SciShow
Hank Green
Cleo AbramHannah Fry is great too. Becky Smethurst as well.
I approve of your list but Anton Petrov is a bit much for a 12 year old, I think. Kyle Hill gets a bit dark for a 12 year old sometimes.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to just start off on the right foot with Carl Sagan and Cosmos.
Ha, yeah. That’s true about some of those channels. Kinda forgot about the age aspect. Like a lot of Simone’s videos have a bit of language, though she is awesome. I see her as far more as a maker than a science communicator. Not entirely sure why she was suggested a couple of times.
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I came here to say Hannah Fry, too.
She’s been doing a lot of those YouTube shorts or reels or whatever they’re called, so that’s probably a good way in for the younger generation.
Then come the documentaries and books.
Very Michigan-centric, but Alexis Dahl is wonderful, meshing history and science.
Simone Giertz
The queen of shitty robots!
Her new brand is more product design and inovation focused, but its all amazing (plus, Scrapps is adorable).
She made a laundry chair. Just simple industrial design project for a chair to pile your not-quite dirty clothes on. Brilliant.
Technology Connections
Periodic Videos
Computerphile
One Blue Three Brown
MinutePhysicsThe first few, at least, seem kinda heavy for a tween
Since I didn’t see many creators who are women, here are a few recommendations:
The Space Gal (Emily Calandrelli)
Emily the Engineer (content can be pretty rough - profanity and simulated danger)
Bill Nye the Science Guy from the 90s.
Physics girl on YouTube, even though she hasn’t made any content anymore for years due to long term Covid, she’s still recovering, but her videos were always very inspiring, very happy and curiosity inducing
Hank Green’s stuff?
I find it very weird he (and Crash Course too) isn’t top of the list in this thread.
Technically more of an engineering / maker channel, but Xyla Foxlin is great. She does occasionally swear, but a 12 year old has probably heard those words before. Yeetmas, where she launches a Christmas tree rocket, would be a good place to start. (Not a Christmas tree themed rocket, a decorated pine tree on top rocket motor as long as your arm.)
It’s not flashy but there’s plenty of great Richard Feynman lectures on yt. No one better at communicating science and math imo.
You’re going to park a 12 year old in front of a Feynman lecture? Good luck with retention of the material.
I really like physicist Dr. Angela Collier. Not all of her videos are about science, but at least the plurality are. Her videos are generally pretty casual, and she doesn’t really script.
I also really like Practical Engineering for civil engineering stuff.
Cleo.
She’s not a scientist but a journalist, but a pretty good one, like, my top 1. She always covers science and engineering and always communicates extremely well.
I would have loved this when I was 12, I get to enjoy it now though https://youtube.com/@zefrank
Myron Cook is the Bob Ross of Geology. His channel is a treasure:
Science Max: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbprhISv-0ReKPPyhf7-Dtw
Also Myth Busters - not sure if available on YouTube, we ripped the DVDs long ago. Most episodes are pretty PC but some are definitely not appropriate so vetting required.
What episode of Mythbusters is remotely inappropriate for a 12 year old? It’s a family program.
My 12 yr old son is pretty sensitive to pigs being blown up for example but I guess not everyone is. The infamous torture episode also comes to mind, we didn’t show him that one. I’m just saying that it’s up to the parents.
