I got a catalog in the mail yesterday for The Great Courses which consists of various sets of 30 minute lectures on lots of different topics. There is math, history, science, religion, philosophy, etc. and it looks really, really good. It is somewhat expensive however, and I was wondering if anyone has ever tried these and if so what you think about them. Are they good? Are they worth the price? Etc..

Thanks!

I've done a lot of the religion courses while commuting (audio only, obviously) and I really like them. DS sometimes would listen in and learned a few sanskrit words at age 4 (from the Buddhism class), which was cute, and a became a big fan St. Francis of Asisi for a while. I haven't tried anything specifically for him, though. I'm an auditory learner so they work out great for me.

We're big fans of the Great Courses. We have purchased a couple on sale (they have some items on sale almost all the time, it seems) and borrowed others from our public library system. Check the library catalog before you buy!

Currently, we are halfway through the second series of lectures on Greek mythology and have a math dvd to watch...

I'm a big fan of the Great Courses, and borrow them from our library. DS11 sometimes will listen along in the car for a while, but by no means will he request any of the ones I've done so far. He is keen to get a summary from me of any of the audios I'm doing, including Fiction that I judge to be 'too old' for him. He is also keen for summaries of Movies I half-remember from 20 years ago.

I think of it a modeling an interest in lifelong learning, plus it's fun!

Smiles,
Grinity

My DH & I listen to Great Courses on long car rides and he especially enjoys them. We've done New Testament, Civil War, Peoples & Cultures. I think these are very adult/sophisticated. Big vocabulary, college-level thinking, references to things younger kids don't know yet regardless of intelligence. My kids may hear some, but I don't think they're kid-friendly for ease of learning. Now that my oldest is in HS, I bet he could do it, but I think I would first try the following, either on home computer or iPOD for travel:

1. Free downloads on iTunes U (as in university) for lectures from distinguished professors, stories, poetry, etc.

2. www.cogito.org free downloads of interviews/talks--specifically designed for high ability kids

That way kids can pick and choose instead of committing to a full, many-hour course.

Thank you everyone! I will definitely try the library first. I think I would like them but doesn't sound like my kids will be too interested. Thanks cym for the link, I will give that a try for them.

I appreciate the input!