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NOVA scienceNOW

(Rated TV-G, Educational, Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Where to watch: PBS)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Science newsmagazine is educational, if a bit bland.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The series exposes viewers to cutting-edge advances in science and technology, and the information is presented in a way that's easy for viewers to understand.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Some episodes cover potentially scary topics like hurricanes, global warming, epidemics, mass extinction, asteroids headed toward Earth, etc. But none of the topics are overdramatized or played up for effect.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About NOVA scienceNOW

Parents need to know that curious teens and adults will learn a lot from this newsmagazine series about cutting-edge science -- but tweens and younger kids may be bored by the show's technical content and relatively bland presentation. That said, there's no iffy content for any age, so if you and your kids share an interest in science, this is a great show to enjoy together.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about technology's impact on society. How has science improved our lives? What inventions most impact your own lifestyle? How has our society's safety, efficiency, and health been affected by science? What improvements do you expect in the next decade? If you could invent something, what would it be? How would it make life better?

Tools and tips that can help

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Brynsusan
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 5.0

    Great Family Program

    Our family watches only PBS, so our child doesn't have context from network TV to think PBS is boring or slow-paced. Our six-year-old girl loves this program as well as NOVA (if we think the content isn't age appropriate we turn the TV off). NOVA feeds into kids natural curiosity about the world. During and after a program our child asks all kinds of thoughtful questions which allow us to spend time discussing, looking up data in our books and encyclopedias or on PBS's website. PBS offers wonderful, varied, educational programming.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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