Parents' Guide to

Man-Made

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Learn about manufacturing from the inside out.

TV National Geographic Channel Educational 2007
Man-Made Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

MAN-MADE shows viewers what goes into producing the kind of everyday items most of us usually don't think about all that much. From excavating the required natural resources to packaging final products, each step in the items' creation is explained and illustrated in detail. Experts in everything from engineering to advertising comment throughout each episode, shedding light on the evolution of the production process and piecing together the history of the featured item.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Man-Made will give you a new appreciation for what it takes to make things you probably take for granted (like aluminum cans, for example). It also, perhaps unconsciously, makes a strong case for recycling by including information about the diminishing supply of the earth's resources -- and estimates of when those supplies might run out. Viewers may even get a brush-up course in economics (remember the law of supply and demand?) when episode content touches on the affordability of products made readily available by lightning-fast production. The show is a perfect fit for inquisitive viewers who like to know how things work, so curious tweens and teen will find a lot to like here; with the educational nature of the series, parents probably will, too.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the manufacturing processes seen in each episode. How have scientific advances affected how everyday items are made? How is the process easier than before? How has products' quality changed? What about their cost and uses? Or the quantity and types of human jobs associated with the production process? Is all of this good, bad, or both? Do you think less about how something was made or what went into creating it if it's cheap and easy to buy? How does the media play into that perception?

TV Details

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