love it! tells you exactly how things are made and it is educational!
How It's Made
(Rated TV-G, Educational, Starring Brooks Moore, Lynne Adams, Where to watch: Discovery Channel, Online)
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
What goes into building a skateboard? Find out.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 7 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
-
Violence & scariness:
-
Sexy stuff:
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of How It's Made was written by Sierra Filucci
Parents need to know that this fascinating fact-based educational series demonstrates how all sorts of items are constructed. Occasionally segments focus on potentially disturbing products, like hatchery chicks, in which baby chickens are seen hatching and then being sorted by hand and machine onto giant conveyor belts for eventual shipment to farms (and subsequent slaughter). Little kids might not be interested or have the attention span to follow the different segments, but children who like to know how things work may very well be entranced.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about everyday products they're curious about. What things do you want to know more about? Which products seem mysteriously constructed? Have you ever thought about where your food, car, furniture, sporting goods, etc. came from? How do you think people would get by if they were responsible for obtaining and/or making everything they needed themselves?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on How It's Made
What’s the Story?
This fascinating educational series for all ages reveals how every day products are made. Using clear, factual language, the narrator describes the steps involved in making food products, household goods, and more as viewers watch the production onscreen. Episodes usually feature four products, from car radiators and phyllo dough to aluminum foil and hatchery chicks. In the phyllo dough segment, for example, cameras capture the mixing of ingredients as the narrator explains the proportions of high-protein flour to low-protein flour. A machine shapes the dough into cylinders that workers then shape into balls by hand. The dough is then flattened, dried, stretched, cut, and packaged -- some by machine and some by hand -- until it becomes what consumers recognize from the supermarket.
Is It Any Good?
Curious kids and adults will learn from the show, and some segments can really broaden your perspective. For instance, the segment on hatchery chicks might encourage a discussion about where meat comes from or families' opinions about industrial versus sustainable food production. With its emphasis on facts, some might find How It's Made lacking in personality. Some segments will appeal to viewers more than others, depending on your interest or familiarity with the featured item.
Our Members Say
See all 9 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
-
I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
perfect for anyone!
-
I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
education galore
very educational for tweens learning about the world around them.
-
I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
a great show
i love this show its just so interesting
-
I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
A must for most ages
One of the top educational shows on television and great for most ages as they do not talk down, but have the writing ability to educate without information overload that seems to turn most people off. The subjects are those that many people have never thought of, and without such a show, they would not seek it out. Keep up the good work in educational programming. Karen
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.Tell us your child's age:
Already a member? Log inOur Members Rate It
Have you seen it?
For Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
