Do you have a kid who loves the great outdoors?
The benefits of spending time outside can’t be denied. However, many of us are juggling multiple children, jobs, volunteer work, sports, hobbies, and more. There isn’t always time to get out in nature as much as we’d like.
Enter…YouTube.
While not a substitute for fresh air and sunshine, the creators behind the camera on YouTube can give your outdoor-lovin’ kids a peek into nature environments they wouldn’t otherwise get to experience. Best part? It’s free!
Below, we’re sharing 10 YouTube channels for kids who would rather be outside.
Disclaimer — you’ll need to preview any videos before allowing your children to watch them to make sure they align with your family standards.
10 YouTube Channels For Families Who Love Nature
1. Outdoor Boys
Luke Nichols, who runs Outdoor Boys, takes his family on outdoor adventures of all kinds and documents them to share with his 3 million subscribers on YouTube. On his channel, you’ll see everything from camping to hunting and much more — all filmed in a way that will both entertain and educate viewers of all ages.
2. National Geographic
Is there a more well known name in the world for learning about the great outdoors? Nope, didn’t think so. The National Geographic channel on YouTube has a 24/7 live nature cam, short clips, and even full episodes of many of their most popular shows.
3. Nat Geo Kids
Like the original, Nat Geo Kids is full of entertaining and educational videos teaching kids about — what else? — nature! You can’t go wrong with Nat Geo Kids when your outdoorsy kid wants to learn about animals.
4. Brave Wilderness
Hosted by creators Coyote Peterson, Mark Vins and Mario Aldecoa, Brave Wilderness is full of crazy adventures and fascinating up close encounters with animals in their natural habitat. These guys live up to their name — they’re definitely brave!
5. BBC Earth
Like Nat Geo, BBC Earth is an iconic name known for its dedication to producing incredible content celebrating the beauty of our planet. On this channel you’ll find short video clips, full episodes, and even entire documentaries showcasing some of the most interesting animals and beautiful scenery in the world.
6. BBC Earth Kids
You’ll find the same high quality content on BBC Earth Kids as you do on BBC Earth — except the videos are designed for a younger crowd. That means they’re shorter, funnier, and full of hilarious and fascinating facts sure to please any nature-lovin’ kid.
7. SciShow Kids
SciShow Kids is known for engaging kids and showing them that science can be fun. While not solely nature focused, the SciShow Kids channel on YouTube offers hundreds of videos on everything from gardening to weather to the water cycle — and so much more. There is plenty of content on here for kids who love the great outdoors. Bonus: many of these experiments you can try at home!
8. MinuteEarth
MinuteEarth likes to keep it simple. Their channel description is as follows. “Science and stories about our awesome planet.” That’s it, folks. Their videos are short, sweet, and to the point. They ask interesting questions and work to give informative answers to their over 2 million viewers.
9. Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology on YouTube is your one-stop shop for bird enthusiasts. According to their channel description, they are an organization “dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.”
10. Explore Live Nature Cams
Last, but certainly not least, we have Explore Live Nature Cams. This channel is FULL of 24/7 live footage of all kinds of animals that you can turn on and observe any time. There’s a little something for everyone here.
That’s a Wrap
As you can see, there are many YouTube channels for young outdoor enthusiasts.
Even when you’re stuck indoors, you can offer your kids a little taste of nature. The channels above provide many learning opportunities for the whole family.
What is your favorite nature channel on YouTube? Share in the comments below!
Amy is a freelance writer and blogger who homeschools her troupe of tiny humans while pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a published author. She is fueled by coffee and the desire to do ALL. THE. THINGS. She has the attention span of a squirrel, though somehow manages to make it through each day with everyone fed and happy (well, mostly happy! Ha!) while striving to make every tomorrow better than the last.
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