There is a whole new dimension to Netflix. In addition to usual releases, the world’s largest online movie rental service now offers an array of educational offerings for kids of all ages.

By now, most people know the basics of how Netflix works.   You sign up for a membership, and then receive films in the mail. Once you  finish watching a film, you simply mail it back and they send you the next one on your list.   It’s a great service for people who watch a lot of movies, or for  those who tend to want to hold onto their films for a long time before returning them.

As it turns out, Netflix has a wide variety of educational films.  Most of them can be found in the “Special Interest” section on the Netflix website, www.netfllix. com.

DVDs geared towards education can be found in the “Homework Help” category. Netflix also offers DVD rentals focused on grammar, trigonometry, science, punctuation, and many other subjects.   Additionally,  the service has a wide variety of DVDs designed to help teens study for the SATs.

One of the best things about Netflix is that a DVD can be kept for as long as the user wants. This policy is  great for children  who may wish to hold onto a DVD to study a topic for a few weeks. Also, Netflix DVD rentals are extremely useful for supplementary home schooling material.

Many adults have fond memories of Schoolhouse Rock!, short musical animations aired during Saturday morning cartoons between 1972 and 1986. In addition to being entertaining, these animations were also educational, with various subjects presented in a fun, down-to-earth fashion.

The music focused on the fundamentals of grammar, politics, science and other  important topics. During its run, the show won four Emmy® Awards. Although Schoolhouse Rock! produced a few original episodes in the early 1990s, the show was officially cancelled in 2001.

However, there is good news:  on March 31, 2009, the Schoolhouse Rock! will be releasing a new DVD entitled “Schoolhouse Rock! Earth.” This DVD will include 11 new songs about conservation.  The release is planned in conjunction with Earth Day (April 22, 2009).

All-new original songs on the DVD include “Report from the North Pole,” “FatCat Blue: The Clean Rivers Song,” and “Don’t Be a Carbon Sasquatch.”

Soon, a whole new generation of Schoolhouse Rock! fans will likely emerge.