Browse our collection of educational videos to help your students visualize data and understand scientific and environmental concepts.
New & Featured
Travel Deep Inside a Leaf
What would you see if you could shrink down to fit inside a plant cell?
The Story of Poo
When you flush the toilet, what happens to the pee, poo, and paper? Dive into the SF sewer system to find out!
Tales from the Tap
In San Francisco, where does the water that flows out of our faucets come from?
Selections from Flipside Science
Waste Water Recycling
Did you know you can recycle waste water?
What is the Environmental Impact of Feeding the World?
To feed our growing world, we need innovative solutions.
Bugs for Breakfast
Flipside Science explores why eating insects is better for our planet than other sources of protein, like beef.
Full Films from our Planetarium
Expedition Reef for Educators
Educators everywhere can stream Expedition Reef in HD, in addition to shorter video clips.
Habitat Earth in the Classroom
Inspire your students with this stunning 25-minute film focusing on the vast networks of life.
Living Worlds for Educators
What forms might life take in the Solar System and beyond? In the Academy’s newest original planetarium show, see how a deeper understanding of Earth might help us locate other living worlds, light years away.
Short Scenes from Habitat Earth
Take a Virtual Dive in a Kelp Forest
Plunge into a California kelp forest and learn about the complex, colorful ecosystems right off our coast.
The Living Soil Beneath Our Feet
Travel underground for an up-close look at the ants, amoebas, and bacteria that maintain healthy soil.
Why Do We Have Different Seasons?
In this video, learn how Earth’s rotation and the angle of sunlight interact to create different seasons.
Indigenous Perspectives
Relearning Ecological Knowledge
The Amah Mutsun people are turning to ancestral knowledge about how to care for the environment.
Two-Eyed Seeing
Why is it important to listen to Indigenous voices as we regenerate the natural world?
Indigenous Skies
Learn why indigenous knowledge is still relevant today and how it can inform modern astronomy.
Selections from our Earthquakes Course
Inside the Earth: Exploring Earth’s Layers
Much of what we know about Earth's interior comes from seismic waves generated by earthquakes.
Plate Boundaries: Divergent, Convergent, and Transform
Most seismic activity occurs in the narrow zones between plates.
Plate Tectonics: Shaping the Continents
Billions of years ago, Earth had supercontinents—land masses made of multiple continents merged together.
Data Visualizations
Timelapse: Photosynthesis Seen From Space
Witness the influence of the sun on the seasonal abundance of plant matter produced on land and in our oceans.
Why Do Birds Migrate?
See how seasonal changes drive patterns in animal behavior.
How Quickly Do Ships Cross the Oceans?
This clip demonstrates global ship traffic over an eleven day period.
Social Studies + Science Connections
Plate Tectonics and Ancient Civilizations
Plate tectonics played an important role in providing opportunities for life to flourish.
The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
On April 18, 1906, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault would reshape the entire city.
How Did Human Civilization Spread?
How is the development of human population centers linked to the development of agriculture?
Selections from our Biodiversity Course
How Does Climate Change Affect Biodiversity?
As human activities warm the Earth, biodiversity levels and distributions are changing at alarming rates.
Demystifying Ocean Acidification
Why are the oceans becoming more acidic and how does that threaten biodiversity?
Ecosystems and Ecological Networks
Healthy ecosystems require a large, diverse group of organisms, each doing their part.
Live Webcams
Live Penguin Cams
Watch our colony of playful African penguins waddle, swim, flirt, and nest on three live webcams.
Reef Lagoon Cam
Be mesmerized by graceful rays and shimmering tropical fish swimming across your screen 24/7 via live webcam.
Philippine Coral Reef Cam
Be mesmerized by the brilliant colors of tropical fish in our Philippine Coral Reef.
Learn the benefit of using videos in the classroom, and browse resources to help you get started.
