This video clip shows four year olds Emma, Brenna, and Julia caring for a baby with a ‘boo-boo’. Brenna animates the Mom (doll) who feeds the baby. Julia talks on the telephone. As the children explore their conceptions about friendship, illness, treatment, doctors, police officers, mommies, and telephone conversations, we learn how dramatic play supports children’s social and emotional development.

This video clip shows two infants crawling and climbing in their classroom, illustrating how infants explore their world with their whole bodies.

This video clip captures two four-year-old friends explaining strategies for writing their names to one another. These children have been in class together since infancy. It is clear that they are very comfortable and trust each other, enough to open themselves up to debate and to receive/offer feedback.

This video clip shows how a young boy’s curiosity causes him to pull up to a standing position to see what he can see. As he crawls across the floor, Connor appears to know that he wants to stand, and he recognizes that the shelf on the opposite wall will give him support. Notice how the teacher reads his intentions as she moves the teddy bear so that Connor can see it without turning away from the shelf he is holding. She then gingerly offers Connor...

Around 200,000 years ago, a new species, Homo sapiens, appeared on the African landscape. While scientists have imagined eastern Africa as a real-life Garden of Eden, the latest research suggests humans evolved in many places across the continent at the same time. DNA from a 19th-century African-American slave is forcing geneticists to re-think the origins of our species. The theory is that our ancestors met, mated and hybridized with other human...

This video clip shows two-year-old Jack demonstrating conscious control by carrying out a series of deliberate actions as a clear means to an end while working to remove obstacles from his path. Jack, is attempting to ride a small car down a slotted ramp. The child knows that to begin his ride, he has to “park” the car at the top of the ramp where a well holds the back wheels secure. After enjoying a ride, Jack returns for subsequent trips down...

From jewelry to science to fashion, African visionaries are bringing concepts to reality.

Stunning 3D animation of a baby inside her mother's womb helps to teach the four stages of labor and provides a realistic view of anatomy and birth physiology. Combined with real birth footage, this comprehensive program shows common emotions during labor, demonstrates coping methods, and provides helpful tips for support people. This video is updated based on new research. In addition to anatomy of pregnancy, pre-labor signs, and the onset of labor,...

Energy is the strongest force in the universe. But where did it come from? This program covers the origins of energy, energy through the ages, physical and chemical changes, and the definition of energy. We’ll also explore energy in different forms, including fire and its discovery, calorific energy, the invention of machines, petroleum, windmills, photosynthesis, the Sun, energy reserves, and mechanical, electrical, and luminous energies.

The professional astronomer or astrophysicist is a pretty recent phenomenon. In the past, astronomy was often performed by nobility and extremely enthusiastic amateurs. Although it seems like the scientific exploration of our universe is now in the hands of full-time career astro-professionals, a ton of really valuable science is still done by people with proper day jobs.