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I love shows that are entertaining and educational, which is probably one of the reasons I enjoy a good documentary so much. While there are tons of great documentaries on Netflix, sometimes you just want more! That’s where Curiosity Stream documentary streaming service comes in.
What is Curiosity Stream?
Curiosity Stream is a streaming service dedicated entirely to documentaries, and it’s way more affordable than you probably think! (Check the latest price.)
The service was created by John Hendricks, who is also the founder of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. With his world-leading experience in knowing what documentary lovers crave, he created the ultimate subscription service offering brain-boosting documentaries.
We have subscriptions to many video streaming services, and they all have great purposes. Curiosity Stream is great for when you want to learn something new, and it’s great to use as a supplement to most homeschool curriculums on many of your favorite subject areas.
Read how we have kids write a documentary report if this is your first time thinking about adding it to your homeschool plan.
And many of their documentaries are different from what you find on other streaming platforms. They have full length documentaries as well as tons of short films, which are great for kids with shorter attention spans or when you’re short on time.
Every time I open the Curiosity Stream app and start browsing around, I discover more and more to watch… they currently have over 3,000 high-quality movies and TV series to choose from. I love checking out the Newest Additions section to discover more new documentaries.
While they have different subscription options, the Curiosity Stream annual plan is a great value, especially if you have young children who you want to develop a love of learning.
Curiositystream Membership Benefits
Curiositystream subscribers get access to the best documentary programming with tons of benefits.
- All you need is an internet connection to watch the world’s leading documentaries on any laptop, desktop, PC or Mac.
- Unlimited streaming of thousands of HD documentaries and short videos with new content added all the time (4K available for an additional cost). Stream to an unlimited number of devices too.
- Intuitive search tools to help you find what you’re looking for.
- Ad-free documentary streaming.
- Kids Mode allows you to filter the content to show only kid-friendly documentaries.
- Curiosity Stream App available for most Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku devices, Xbox One, PS4 and mobile phones (download from the Google Play or iOS stores). App allows for offline downloads (up to 10 hours of content).
- Related content recommendations so you can keep learning more about your favorite subjects.
- Watch list so you can add all your favorite shows to the queue.
Documentaries on Every Topic
While you can stream documentaries on other video platforms, you won’t find the large content library you get with Curiosity Stream on the major streaming services. You can go down the rabbit hole watching documentary films and series on a range of topics:
- Science (including Physics, Space, Mind, Biology, Genetics, Medicine, Evolution, Geology and Psychology)
- History (including Pre-history, Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Aviation, Biography, Megastructures and Military)
- Technology (including Energy, Engineering, Transportation, Communications, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Privacy & Security and Social Web)
- Nature (including Earth, Animals, Birds, Insects, Natural Habitats, Prehistoric Creatures, Oceans and Plants)
- Society (including Entrepreneurship, Social Issues, Crime & Forensics, Economics, Business & Commerce, Democracy and Current Events)
- Lifestyle (including Food, Collecting, Performing Arts, Creativity, Home Projects, Philosophy, Health & Wellness and Travel)
- Kids (STEM, History, Space Exploration, Nature, Dinosaurs and Current Events)
- Crash Courses (including World History, Chemistry, History of Science, US History, European History, Literature, Ecology, Big History, Biology, Psychology, Intellectual Property, Economics, Anatomy & Physiology, Games Sociology, World Mythology and Film History)
Best Documentaries on Curiosity Stream
If you’re curious about the video content on this documentary service, here is an inside look at some of my top picks:
Biographical Documentaries
Curiosity Stream has a ton of biographies of real characters of consequence that can help you learn more about them and their lives. Here are some great titles to check out.
Stephen Hawking
2 series; 9 episodes total.
A very important person in the world of science, there are two docuseries on Stephen Hawking available on Curiosity Stream. The first is Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places (3 episodes), which showcases Hawking visiting his favorite places in the universe.
The second, Genius by Stephen Hawking (6 episodes), shows Hawkins challenging volunteers to answer some of life’s greatest questions.
The Secret File of Marco Polo
51 minutes.
Most kids know, “Marco Polo” the pool game. Do they know Marco Polo is more than a game? He was one the most illustrious travelers in history and there’s still debate today whether his book about his travels to 13th-century China is fact or fiction. What do you think after watching this great documentary?
Electing Lincoln
3 episodes. 9-11 minutes per episode.
This 3-part series gives an overview of a handful of the key events that led up to the U.S. election of 1860, which would eventually lead the United States to a Civil War.
History Documentaries
If you’re looking for independent films and shorts to dive deeper into the history vault or are a huge fan of the History Channel, check out these top documentaries.
History Crash Courses
Curiosity Stream has created several different History Crash Course series:
- World History (42 episodes)
- World History II (30 episodes; covers both world wars)
- European History (50 episodes)
- U.S. History (47 episodes)
- History of Science (46 episodes)
- World Mythology (41 episodes)
- Big History (10 episodes) and Big History II (6 episodes)
- Film History (16 episodes)
- Games (29 episodes)
Each of the episodes in these crash courses are 10-15 minutes long. So you can watch 1-2 per day to supplement your child’s homeschool curriculum, or use them to increase your own knowledge of history.
If you’re using these documentaries in your homeschool curriculum, you’ll also want to check out the various Science and Literature Crash Courses too!
Genius of The Ancient World
3 episodes. 58 minutes per episode.
India, Greece and China are considered 3 great philosophical societies, and this ancient history documentary brings to light the philosophies of these cultures. We learn about the ideas of Buddha, Socrates and Confucius to learn more about how the people in these societies lived and thought.
History of Home
3 episodes. 53-63 minutes per episode.
Narrated by Nick Offerman, History of Home is a docuseries featuring 3 episodes that show us the history of what makes a house a home: “The Foundations of a Home;” “The Hall, The Kitchen, The Dining Room, The Living Room;” and “The Second Story: Private Life.”
First Man
1 hour 32 minutes.
This documentary explains the rise of homo sapiens on planet earth through evolution and migrations over time. It covers the great primates that lived 25 million years ago through Homo Erectus and onto modern humans.
Science and Technology Documentaries
If you’ve been on the hunt for on-demand services covering science topics, Curiosity Stream has so much content in this area! These are just a few of the science focused TV shows and movies available to watch on the platform.
Curiosity Retreats Lectures: Michio Kaku
1 hour 1 minute.
In this episode of Curiosity Retreats Lectures, physicist and best-selling author Michio Kaku discusses what the not-so-distant future might look like and offers his thoughts for how our understanding of the brain might grow in the next century.
Quantum Physics with Brian Greene
3 episodes. 11-14 minutes per episode.
There’s a growing interest in quantum physics and its applications in today’s world. Learn the basics of quantum physics with Theoretical Physicist Brian Green in this 3-part educational docuseries.
Trajectory: Milestones in Space Exploration
13 episodes. 22-23 minutes per episode.
If you or your kids like learning about the history of space, Trajectory: Milestones in Space Exploration covers the most prominent advances and innovations in space science and technology.
Superintelligence: Beyond Human
50 minutes.
This documentary on artificial intelligence attempts to answer many of the questions humans have about the rise of AI. Should we fear it and how much? How smart is it really and can it really help us? There is a bit of satire thrown into this documentary to lighten a subject that can get pretty heavy.
The Body
3 episodes; about an hour each.
This docuseries explores the human body and how it interacts with the brain. While we’ve always thought the brain was the command center of the body, science knows more now.
Nature Documentaries
If you and your family love learning about the natural world, you’ll find some great nature documentaries on CuriosityStream to watch from the comfort of your couch.
David Attenborough’s Light on Earth
51 minutes.
In Light on Earth, Sir David Attenborough guides us through a journey of learning about bioluminescence in nature. If you’ve ever wondered why animals can produce their own light, you’ll be enchanted by the unrivaled storytelling in this nature documentary.
Follow up your viewing with Making of David Attenborough’s Life on Earth (8 minutes) for a sneak peek behind the scenes in the making of this film.
Rock the Park
6 seasons. 20 minutes per episode.
Take a virtual journey around the country to visit many of the most beautiful national parks. Each episode is only about 20 minutes, so it’s a great way to see parks you may never have the opportunity to visit in person.
Get an additional look at each of the 59 national parks in the United States through another docuseries on Curiosity Stream, America’s National Parks. Most episodes are under 10 minutes.
Nature’s Cutest
50 minutes.
If you’ve seen 72 Cutest Animals on Netflix and loved it, check out Nature’s Cutest on Curiosity Stream to see more of the most adorable creatures on the planet. Then spend some time together talking about your favorites!
True Crime Documentaries
A trend that’s growing fast, true crime documentaries can give you the excitement of fiction with the educational value of a true story. If you like watching law enforcement in action, here are some popular picks.
Bone Detectives
8 episodes. 45 minutes per episode.
When bodies are found from many centuries earlier, it can be challenging to know what happened. After finding bones in different locations, Tori Herridge makes an attempt to shed light on how those bones came to be there and who the people were they belonged to.
New Scotland Yard Files
10 episodes. 43 minutes per episode.
New Scotland Yard detectives open their case files to tell the inside story of how they caught some of London’s most notorious killers.
Murder She Solved
8 episodes. 42 minutes per episode.
This true crime documentary series follows female crime investigators while they take on some of Canada’s highest-profile cases.
This is just a small selection of the thousands of educational movies and shows you can watch on Curiosity Stream with your subscription.
Sports Documentaries
Sports fans will also be delighted by the amount of content available on their own passions.
Predicting a Pro
11 minutes.
If your kid dreams of being a professional baseball player, they’ll love learning about the tech in the industry in this short.
Innovation Nation: Football Field Lines
20 minutes.
Hosted by Mo Rocca, this short give a behind the scenes look at the first down lines one football telecasts.
Beyond the Spotlight: Shaquille O’Neal
52 minutes.
If your kid has hoop dreams and likes learning about those who walked the path first, Beyond the Spotlight gives a look at the man behind the basketball player.
How Much Does Curiosity Stream Cost?
While Curiosity Stream doesn’t offer a free trial for new subscribers, Curiosity Stream subscriptions are extremely affordable. Their basic annual plan is less than $20, making it a tremendous value for anyone who enjoys watching popular documentaries along with unique content.
Monthly Plans
If you prefer a monthly subscription, there are 2 options:
- The basic plan, which comes with HD resolution, has a monthly fee of $2.99.
- The premium plan, which comes with 4K resolution, is $9.99 per month.
Annual Plans
If you prefer an annual subscription, there are 2 options:
- The basic plan, which has HD picture resolution, is $19.99 per year (which equals $1.67 per month)
- Premium the more expensive plan, has 4K resolution and costs $69.99 per year (which breaks down to $5.84 per month)
In terms of pricing, the better value is with the annual subscriptions. It’s significantly less expensive if you just pay for the whole year up front so it’s a great idea to go with one of those options. There is plenty of documentary content to last you a whole year or longer.
Is Curiosity Stream Worth It?
Yes, absolutely! CuriosityStream is one of the most affordable and best streaming services out there dedicated to documentaries. It’s an educational alternative to Netflix, making it great choice for families.
If you’re a documentary lover, this first of its kind streaming platform is you won’t regret signing up for. Just watch it for a little bit and you’ll be hooked.
Already have a CuriosityStream subscription and want more educational content? Check out our list of the Best Documentaries on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video. And if you haven’t tried it yet, HBO Max has some great original documentaries as well.
