What’s New in October 2025: Classroom Videos and Resources

This month’s update brings a wide range of new videos, documentaries, and curriculum-aligned resources for primary and secondary schools across Australia and New Zealand. Highlights include new Miniclips on Halloween and digital wellbeing, an instrumental study music series, and fresh science and maths releases for secondary students.

What’s new?

October brings 430 new videos for Australia and 394 new videos for New Zealand, adding fresh learning experiences for every age group. Take a closer look at this month’s standout additions below.

Spotlight on New Content

From spooky celebrations and digital wellbeing in primary to earth science and social media awareness in secondary, this month’s highlights explore topics that connect learning to the real world.

Primary Highlights

• Halloween (Australia) (New Zealand)
  Discover the story of Halloween, why we carve pumpkins and wear costumes, and how people around the world celebrate this night of spooky fun with ancient and modern traditions.
  
  
• Miniclip: How to Balance Your Screen Time (Australia) (New Zealand) Learn about active and passive screen time, and find the right balance for healthy digital habits.

Producer Commentary

Alice Donaldson, Content Producer

• Advance Australia Fair (Music with Lyrics – Two Verses) (AU Only)
  Sing along to the national anthem of Australia with instrumental backtrack and lyrics onscreen for both verses.

Music to Study to (Primary & Secondary)

Set the mood for focused study or relaxation with long-form instrumental music videos. Choose from guitar, piano, or lo-fi tracks, each paired with peaceful or cityscape imagery.

• Instrumental Guitar (Australia, New Zealand)
• Instrumental Piano (Australia, New Zealand)
• Lo-Fi (Australia, New Zealand)

Producer Commentary

Vicky Lee, Commissioning Lead

Secondary Spotlight

Deepen understanding with new videos that explore social issues, science, and critical thinking.

• The Social Media Trap (Australia, New Zealand)
  
  Deepen your understanding with social media from multiple angles, featuring interviews with experts and young users.
  
  
• The Rock Cycle (Australia, New Zealand)
  
  Discover how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed and re-formed by processes within the Earth.

New Content Partners

Matterworks
Matterworks is a health education studio that creates entertaining and evidence-based learning content. Their series Making It Make Sense looks at First Nations and cultural perspectives on mental health and belonging and identity.

Math with Mr. J (Australia) (New Zealand)
Need a little extra help with math? Check out videos from Math with Mr. J, a math content creator who makes learning math accessible and fun for everyone.

Movies + TV Highlights

This month’s Movies + TV lineup brings together real-world stories, creative expression, and historical insights to support classroom discussion. From global art and sustainability to Australian history and contemporary issues, these films and documentaries connect learning to lived experience.

• Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream? (Australia only)
  Comedian Mark Humphries investigates the Australian housing market crisis, blending satire and journalism.

• Van Gogh by Vincent
  
  Discover the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh.
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
    
    
• Handmade Happiness
  
  A stop-motion film about how arts and crafts help people overcome adversity.
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
    
    
• I Was Actually There: Black Saturday Bushfires (Australia only)
  Hear first-hand accounts from survivors and responders of the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires.

Curation and Special Events

(AU Only)

Our curation team continues to build themed topic pages that connect classroom learning with relevant and timely subjects. This month’s featured topics explore emotional growth and teamwork in primary, and perseverance in sport for secondary students.

Primary School Life Skills

• Life Skills with Inside Out
• Life Skills with Up
• Like Skills with Big Hero 6
• Life Skills with Wonder
• Life Skills with Frozen
• Life Skills with Toy Story

Secondary School – Winter Olympics

Get ready for the Winter 2026 Olympics with curated topics exploring the themes of Eddie the Eagle and Cool Runnings:

• Eddie the Eagle
• Cool Runnings

Upcoming Special Days (November)

AU Only

Mark your calendars for these upcoming special days and explore related resources.

• Food Safety Week (8th – 15th)
• World Nursery Rhyme Week (10th – 14th November)
• National Recycling Week (10th – 16th November)
• Remembrance Day (11th November)
• World Kindness Day (13th November)
• World Toilet Day (19th November)
• World Children’s Day (20th November)
• World Philosopher’s Day (20th November)
• World Television Day (21st November)
• Advent Begins (30th November)

Browse the full calendar for more special events here.

Featured Resource: Glossary

Support vocabulary development with the new Glossary resource, a one-page list of key words and definitions from each video.

• Quick to implement, no prep required
• Supports literacy, EAL/D learners, and curriculum-aligned instruction
• Use before, during, or after watching videos
• Addresses the ‘Intellectual Quality’ dimension of the Quality Teaching Model

Try it with the Halloween video: (Australia) (New Zealand) (Series: Miniclips: Global Celebrations and Commemorations)

Ready to explore?

With new videos, documentaries, study music, and curated resources for every year level, the October release is filled with opportunities to learn, reflect, and celebrate. Dive into the links above, explore this month’s featured topics, and make the most of the rich learning experiences waiting to be discovered.