Cuz a Time Lord party is not bound by typical temporal parameters and thus cannot stop.

The kids and I are quite the Whovians, much to the chagrin of my husband.

I have the T.A.R.D.I.S. text tone and 10th Doctor theme ringtone on my T.A.R.D.I.S. blue iPhone. My minivan is T.A.R.D.I.S. blue and really needs some stickers and a cool license plate cover (hint,hint). I have T shirts and other geek paraphernalia on my Pinterest and Amazon wish lists. Hoping I get some for my birthday or something, ya know? (That’s in March…)

So, after seeing a post on Star Trek and homeschooling, I thought I better add my sonic screwdriver bit to the Interwebz.

I think Doctor Who is a cross-curricular mega lesson, folks. It’s got a little bit of everything, and with a sexy British accent, too! It just doesn’t get much better than that!

So, let’s break it down for how we can teach the little ones using the new Doctor Who episodes. (Because, to be honest, I need to ramp up my efforts on watching the old episodes myself.) Now, some episodes are wee bit scary. Use caution. Always watch episodes before letting your kids loose in a dark basement to watch Daleks and Cybermen and other monsters wreak havoc in the universe. And always converse with your children about the show. We love discussing the what if moments.

So here are my ideas for a Doctor Who unit study.

I break it down by subject.

History:

Pompeii episode, one of our favorite episode series is during the London Blitzkrieg and Part II, another episode of WWII with his buddy Winston Churchill – “Victory of the Daleks,” killing Hitler (or putting him in the cupboard), The Great Depression (an American episode!), kissing Madame Pompadour in The Girl in the Fireplace.

The Doctor is called “Caesar” in the episode “The Pandorica Opens.” makes sense, no?

The fictional history of Gallifrey. a list of historical instances (fact and fiction) in Doctor Who episodes

Math and Science:

lots of technology and physics, relativity and time travel, astronomy, science…yet he struggles to simply count to 4…listing of science topics mentioned in Doctor Who episodes

Religion/Philosophy:

alien life, the devil, aliens with god complexes, Lazarus scientists, The Ood, angel statues, The Silence…it all sparks conversation no matter what your belief system. We like to talk ‘round here and I am not afraid to introduce philosophy and discuss what other people believe and why. Apologetics at its finest!

The Time Lord Victorious as a god?

(Source: ThetaKoshei)

Here are two interesting articles here and here discussing this inner turmoil and the ramifications for the universe. I don’t necessarily agree with everything here, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

(Source: mockingheartbeat, via devianta)

The Doctor’s nickname is Theta Sigma, used in the New Testament Greek as an abbreviation for God.

(source: Pearsecom)

The Master vs. The Doctor. ‘nuff said.

The Doctor as a Messiah figure? Read this article.

He regenerates and wakes from his coma just in time to save the day in the “Christmas Invasion.”

And look at this scene from “Voyage of the Damned.”

(Source: fiftyshadesoftennant, via mcelise)

“The Impossible Astronaut” (2011) kicks off series 6 with a pretty big and obvious allegory: the last supper.

• Doctor Who invites all his most trusted “disciples” to a last evening meal
• prominently featuring wine
• and then insists that they do not intervene in what follows
• His death is even attended by two women and a centurion!
• And a mysterious stranger even shows up to help with the disposal of the body
• The stigmata
• The crucifixion position, which I think has been a feature of regeneration since 2005

Here’s a short list of religion in Doctor Who episodes…he’s playing the psychologist in our Christmas special “The Snowmen.”

He was being kind. All the power that The Doctor possesses and doesn’t utilize. Think about this for a moment. He can travel through space and time. All the changes he could make, but he maintains rules that he shouldn’t interfere. He does save people. Ordinary people who won’t disrupt the status of the universe. In The Waters of Mars, The Doctor realizes his potential and it is his downfall.

(Source: queencersei, via tennantsbluebox)

The idea of family.

The Doctor needs companions. He’s lonely and they keep him in check. loving Rose. strong and smart Martha. important yet forgetting Donna. ordinary and expectant Amy and powerful romantic Rory. enigmatic Clara. His adventurous “wife” River. His lost “daughter” Jenny. He lives with the guilt of failing. But he must carry on and love the people of Earth.

Humor: great opportunities to teach about sarcasm and lofty British humor. I usually have to explain the jokes to my kids. Perhaps this is why my husband doesn’t like it. He can’t understand their speech or their humor. Oh well.

Life lessons from Doctor Who article

Literature:

“The Shakespeare Code,” Agatha Christie episode: “The Unicorn and the Wasp;” allegories to great sci-fi lit and shows: such as in episode “The Empty Child.”

He explains he’s like Gandalf in episode “Meanwhile in the TARDIS.”

List of literary characters mentioned in Doctor Who episodes. Mention of real books in Doctor Who episodes. Study the science fiction genre!

Writing:

fan writing competition lessons (scripts)  

Art:

van Gogh episode. Brilliant. “Vincent and The Doctor.” And they didn’t really change a thing. or did they?

(Source: The Ultimate Ginger via Velaroye)

a not very good list of art mentioned in Doctor Who.

Here are some printable Doctor Who foldables and coloring pages here. All sorts of flashcards at Quizlet. made by all kinds of people, so I dunno.

Set your sonic screwdriver on these resources:

• article historical figures in Doctor Who
• definitive list of Doctor Who serial episodes on Wikipedia. or the official BBC episode list here.
• Fun and Games from BBC

Tell me in the comments how you incorporate your favorite shows in your homeschool!