Parents' Guide to

MegaStructures

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Impressive engineering is fun for tweens and up.

TV National Geographic Channel Educational 2004
MegaStructures Poster Image

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What's the Story?

MEGASTRUCTURES documents the design and construction of some of the world's most architecturally impressive buildings and machines, explaining how engineers overcame daunting challenges to complete the projects and relied on innovative tools to get the job done. The series also explores the history of the building materials that make these projects possible -- like concrete, steel, and brick -- as well as machines of war and awe-inspiring bridges. Past episodes have taken behind-the-scenes looks at everything from the Pentagon, the Sears Tower, and the Panama Canal to the Berlin Wall and the Autobahn, including historical background on the project's location, putting the need for the super structures and the various factors that made their construction difficult into context. Experts explain the design and building process, and video footage and accounts from actual participants help illustrate the scale of each undertaking. When visuals are needed, computer graphics demonstrate the science behind the construction.

Is It Any Good?

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

In addition to offering insight into large-scale construction, MegaStructures celebrates the innovative human spirit that's at the heart of every project featured in the series. Families of tweens and teens can marvel at these man-made wonders together, but the show's somewhat dry subject matter may well bore younger viewers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the role and impact of TV documentary series. Do shows like this one make education fun for viewers? Do you think they usually give an accurate representation of the facts? How can series like this inspire interests in fields like architecture, archaeology, and history? Families can also discuss the construction process. What challenges do planners face when designing massive structures? How do factors like weather and geography affect their success? What tools allow them to overcome these challenges? How has technology changed the way designers and architects work?

TV Details

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