Hello and good morning.  Today I am going to feature YouTube channels that post documentaries.  I love a good documentary.  I am always trying to learn new things.  As a student, I loved it when a teacher or professor showed a documentary in class, especially in place of a lecture.  I also used documentaries in my research too.  Professionally, I would rather show a documentary in the classroom than give the students an assignment.  YouTube is a great resource for material to show in class whether or not the teacher is in the classroom.

The British seem to produce the best documentaries.  Or do they have the best narrators?  I think it is a combination of both.  I initially enjoyed the narration of David Starkey.  However, I have been introduced to a new set of British historians.  I want to be Lucy Worsley when I grow up.  Helen Castor is also fantastic.  Suzannah Lipscomb is awesome.   Tracey Borman is someone new I was introduced to.  I could easily sit in on a lecture of Mary Beard’s.  I can listen to Neil Oliver all day and he made neck gaiters cool before the pandemic.

Unfortunately, many of the documentaries get taken down from YouTube due to copyright violations when they are discovered.  It is rather disappointing that they do get taken down.  I miss Lucy Worsley’s Heroines, Housewives, and Harlots.  That said, I do try to use authorized channels for this resource.  I also try to provide the Amazon link if there is one available.  Reminder, do try to support these historians in their work by purchasing the documentary or subscribing to their podcasts or channels.  You can also support these historians by subscribing to HistoryHit: https://access.historyhit.com/ a subscription service like Netflix for historical documentaries.  Timeline offers discounts if you want to purchase this service.

The following channels are authorized to post documentaries.  I am guessing they are authorized since the documentaries they have posted have not been taken down.  It could change in the future, but I am not going to guarantee that these channels will not be taken down in the future.

Timeline: https://www.youtube.com/c/TimelineChannel/videos
This is an authorized channel for British-produced documentaries.  There is a wide variety of topics available for the viewer.  Vikings, World War II, the harem, ancient world, Tudors, and Knights Templars are among the topics available for viewing.  Timeline uploads new content weekly.  They have an old Time Team episode as well.  This channel was one of the first documentary channels that have popped up in the past couple of years to pop up.

Absolute History: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr5qeBG9g7bGtMGyHG2GzbQ
This was the second documentary channel to pop up in the past couple of years.  This channel features a mixture of historical-based reality TV, STEM, and what you can find on Timeline.  So it is a mix of World War II, You should be able to find something to show to a class with this channel as well.  This channel uploads new content three times a week.

Odyssey: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-yCAXMS-nWrHtORuDfSuQ
According to the YouTube Algorithms, this is a brand new history channel.  It is only two months old!  This channel features documentaries on the ancient world.  For the time being, this channel is posting new content weekly.  That could change in the future.

DW Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW39zufHfsuGgpLviKh297Q
This is a German channel that shares documentaries both historical and modern documentaries.  A teacher should be able to find something no matter what classroom they are teaching in.  Some of the documentaries are longer some of the documentaries are shorter.  There are documentaries on COVID, Warsaw Ghetto, Turkmenistan, and animal abuse.   This is a channel not limited to history.

These are a few of the authorized channels for uploading documentaries.  This list is current as of the July 28, 2021 date this blog was published.  In the future, if more historical documentary channels are created I will be glad to update this list.  For now, use these channels as a starting point for a lecture, research, or creating a new learning experience.

Today, we're going to do something a little different.  I'm going to introduce my readers to historical sewing.  Sewing is a lost skill among the current generation.  Schools have been discouraging consumer science classes in various localities.  However, some schools have a "seniors only" or "Adulting 101" as part of their curriculum to teach sewing skills.  These classes teach students how to pay bills, open a bank account, do simple repairs, how to sew and how to cook.

Since I love history and historic costumes and fashions, I thought I would share some historic costumers that share their craft on YouTube.  I would have no problem sharing these creators in a history or consumer education classroom.  These creators show off how to sew, layout a pattern, how to modify a pattern, and how to do mock-ups.  Other skills include how to drape cloth on a mannequin or a beauty routine of the time period.

These links are current as of 3/14/2021, these videos may be deleted in the future.

Bernadette Banner: She worked in Broadway making costumes and is a historic costumer.   She is very eloquent and enthusiastic about her work.  On top of that, she is very well researched and thoughtful in her presentations.  I will admit, that I have no self-control and have mentioned her frequently on my class message boards.

1) Buying a Knock Off of my Dress: This does not teach sewing, but it is a fun video where she roasts a company that knocked off a dress that she had designed and sewed on her own.

2) Busting Corset Myths: Bernadette busts the myths that have circulated about wearing corsets and she brings proof that corset wearing wasn't the death trap it was made out to be.    She spent years in a medical corset to correct her scoliosis. 

3) Adding Pockets to a Dress:  How to guide on how to add pockets to skirts and dresses that don't have pockets.

4) Making a Modern Edwardian Walking Skirt: A very good video on how to make a skirt, layout a pattern, modify a pattern and sew a skirt.

5) 500 Years of Correcting "Historical" Halloween Costumes:  Bernadette corrects Halloween costumes, incorporating more historical accuracy in her sketches.

Morgan Donner: She works in the Medieval period.  However, from time to time she posts on other time eras.

1) Covering a Plunging Neckline: This is a quick tutorial on how to fix a plunging neckline on a dress.

2) Holiday Dress Out of an Amazon Bag:  Morgan makes a dress out of an Amazon gift bag.  During the Depression, flour companies used to make patterned flour bags and people would make dresses out of them.

3) Adding Pockets to Dresses:  This is another tutorial on how to add pockets to dresses.

4) Sewing a Gusset - This is a video on how to sew a square gusset on a sewing machine.

5) How to Drape a Medieval Dress - This is a tutorial on how to make a fitted medieval dress without using math or geometry.

Cathy Hay - She is an English historic costumer.  She works with the Victorian and Edwardian Periods.  She is planning on recreating the Peacock Dress.  She also hosts pep talks for people who need it.

Karolina Żebrowska - She is a Polish costumer and works a variety of time periods.  She also reviews historic movies for their costumes' accuracy.

Episode 2 - Bloodlust and Boleyn's

Henry VIII meets Anne Boleyn and falls head over heals in love with Anne Boleyn, a new arrival from France to the English court.  She is not a classical English beauty, but is intelligent and witty.  Henry VIII is charmed by her.  She is determined to keep Henry at arm's length, was this a ploy to become queen or was it simply a matter of not having a choice? Their love story causes much upheaval for England as Henry VIII decides to divorce Catherine to marry Anne in order to get a son.  A son is the only person who can succeed to the English throne.  England's religious are thrown into turmoil as Henry VIII breaks with the Catholic Church.  Now, courtiers who thought themselves friends of the King must constantly look over their shoulders. The historians exploring Henry VIII as a Monarch go to an interesting source to learn about the relationship between Anne and Henry.

Things with Anne do not go according to plan as she only produces a daughter.  This time the solution Henry VIII comes up with entails getting rid of an unwanted wife...permanently.  Henry VIII starts his slide into madness and will become the Monster history makes him out to be.

If you need some research into Henry VIII for a class lecture, I recommend you use this documentary just for the fact it offers another perspective on Henry VIII, more so than the typical "Henry VIII was a madman."

I created several questions to go with this documentary.  Just copy and paste them into a word document to distribute in the classroom just in case you decide to use this series in the classroom.  Since there's a lot available out there on Henry VIII, I want the student to have a chance to reflect on what they learned about Henry VIII.  You can format anyway you want. 

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.

Link to the YouTube video is here.

Questions

1. Who did Henry VIII want to marry?
2. Where are the letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn kept?
3. Who was Henry VIII’s secret weapon in spreading the new religion?
4. Who many monasteries were closed under Henry VIII?
5. Who Henry VIII’s former friend that was executed?
6. List three new things you learned about Henry VIII

Answers

1. Who did Henry VIII want to marry? - Anne Boleyn
2. Where are the letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn kept? - Vatican
3. Who was Henry VIII’s secret weapon in spreading the new religion? - Thomas Cromwell
4. Who many monasteries were closed under Henry VIII? - 563 Monasteries
5. Who Henry VIII’s former friend that was executed? - Thomas More

     6. List three new things you learned about Henry VIII

While we were on Covid lockdown, this channel popped up on my YouTube Suggestions: Fall of Civilizations.

This channel historic civilizations and explores why they fell.  The information is fairly detailed.  This is information you do not get in school!  Each podcast explores a civilization that you do not learn in school either! 

The first episode of the podcast was the collapse of Roman Britain.  The episodes on the Mayans and Aztecs; the Mayans especially since their collapse is still so mysterious as well as the civilization.  The Aztecs since they went out with a bang.

Downside of this channel is that new podcasts come out slowly, however research and script writing takes time and the quality of the information presented more than makes up for the slow releases.

Teachers and Students, feel free to explore the channel, you should find some interesting information for your classes.

This is another fantastic channel for a social studies class:  Bright Sun Channel

The information in each episode is well written and well presented.  It's also a good mix of historical and modern history, economics, and interesting topics.  There are several series such as Abandoned, Story of and Bankrupt.  Jake is a good narrator and each episode is well thought out and well organized. 

My Five top picks of videos (in no particular order):
Abandoned - Centralia
Story of the Oceanos
Story of Andrea Doria
Abandoned - Houston Astrodome
Abandoned - Charity Hospital

Teachers and homeschoolers should definitely check out this channel. 

Simon is back!  This channel explores the world and all it's unique places.

Teachers and students alike should be able to find something to learn about.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHKRfxkMTqiiv4pF99qGKIw

I found this fantastic channel on YouTube about historical figures.  If you're a teacher and you need a quick clip about a historical figure for your class this is the channel for you.

It's called Biographics and Simon is a fantastic narrator.  You can learn about Jackson Pollock or Richard Wagner, you can learn about mass murderers or aviators through this channels. There are a variety of historic figures featured on the channel and there is no excuse to not find someone interesting to learn about! 

Channel Link: www.youtube.com/channel/UClnDI2sdehVm1zm_LmUHsjQ

I developed a short worksheet to go with the Biographics Channel that teachers can use in their classroom whether it is real or virtual.

Worksheets to go with the Tudor Monastery Farm TV Series!

Our favorite historians are back, living the life of farmers in the Tudor Age!

Set of Worksheets for each episode of the series as well as Answers.  Document also includes Tudor Feast at Christmas!