Fun, informative and captivating talks to inspire young minds.

How can we create an education system that works for kids, instead of against them? Watch eight inspiring talks from TED's May 2013 PBS special, given in their entirety.

The author of "Investing in Kids," Timothy Bartik studies state and local economies -- and analyzes the benefits of preschool as an economic development program.

Speaking at LIFT 2007, Sugata Mitra talks about his Hole in the Wall project. Young kids in this project figured out how to use a PC on their own -- and then taught other kids. He asks, what else can children teach themselves?

These crafty talks will ignite passions, pique interests and introduce kids to the excitement of hands-on learning.

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

Writer, comic and mental health activist Kevin Breel speaks up about depression.

Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, "renegade lunch lady" Ann Cooper talks about the coming revolution in the way kids eat at school -- local, sustainable, seasonal and even educational food.

Sometimes, talking with kids about certain subjects is hard. We’re here for you with these gentle lead-ins to help get those tough conversations started.

Fun doesn’t stop at adulthood. Reconnect with your sense of wonder and imagination in these playful talks.

Are video games eroding our minds? These TED talks suggest the opposite — that videos games can improve our brain function, and even help better the world.

The path to adulthood is, at times, a rough one. These talks offer words of comfort and heaps of advice for those moments when life feels way too overwhelming.

Keep the brain sharp and engaged with these talks that make it fun to avoid the "summer slump."

Talks from scientists, musicians, innovators, activists -- all under the age of 20. Watch these amazing wunderkinds.

Fascinating talks about humanity's beginnings and evolution's journey.

Sebastián Bortnik's work is focused on preventing cyber attacks.

2013 TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra is an educator who helps kids learn to teach themselves. Here are 5 talks that align with his vision of education's future.

Author and illustrator Maira Kalman talks about her life and work, from her covers for The New Yorker to her books for children and grown-ups. She is as wonderful, as wise and as deliciously off-kilter in person as she is on paper.

Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky...

Kids don't come with a manual, and parents don't get grades to affirm they're doing things right. These talks speak to the complexities of parenthood, offering unusual insights and hard-won advice.

Define students by what they contribute, not what they lack -- especially those with difficult upbringings, says educator Victor Rios. Interweaved with his personal tale of perseverance as an inner-city youth, Rios identifies three straightforward strategies to shift attitudes in education and calls for fellow educators to see "at-risk" students...

It’s the dream of kids all around the world to see giant beasts walk the Earth again. Could -- and should -- that dream be realized? Hendrik Poinar talks about the next big thing: the quest to engineer a creature that looks very much like our furry friend, the woolly mammoth. The first step, to sequence the woolly genome, is nearly complete. And...

A collection of talks to enjoy before welcoming a new little life into the world.

By loading kids with high expectations and micromanaging their lives at every turn, parents aren't actually helping. At least, that's how Julie Lythcott-Haims sees it. With passion and wry humor, the former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford makes the case for parents to stop defining their children's success via grades and test scores. Instead, she s...

In this well-argued talk, Timothy Bartik makes the macro-economic case for preschool education -- and explains why you should be happy to invest in it, even if you don't have kids that age (or kids at all). The economic benefits of well-educated kids, it turns out, go well beyond the altruistic.

To have screen time, or to not have screen time? These talks duke out the good and bad of our everyday tech.

What can compare to the pleasures of the palate? These talks from chefs, cookbook writers and passionate foodies celebrate all things edible.

Our world prizes extroverts, but Susan Cain makes a case for the contemplative. She's leading a social revolution that's showing people that looking inward is a virtue, not a problem.

Losing children to illness, disease or acts of violence is devastating and endlessly difficult to cope with. These talks come from parents who have experienced such loss and found a way to make it through.

Whether you're a budding bibliophile or already in the throes of whirlwind romance with your favorite writers, these talks are for you!