June 30, 2014

History Thru Music Diana Waring (a Product Review)

Last week I shared that I was part of an incredible launch team that is working with the amazing Diana Waring to kick off the release of her *NEW* history curriculum Experience History Through Music....and this is LAUNCH WEEK! Throughout this week, my fellow reviewers for this curriculum will be sharing our thoughts and experiences as we tried this curriculum out in our own families--and we hope that you will be inspired to pick up these books for yourself!
experience history through music review


Who Is Diana Waring?


It's only fair that I start with a little background on this series creator Diana Waring. Author of Beyond Survival, Reaping the Harvest and Diana Waring's History Revealed world history curriculum, Diana discovered years ago that "the key to education is relationship." Beginning in the early '80s, Diana homeschooled her children through high-school—the real life opportunities to learn how kids learn. Mentored by educators whose focus was honoring Him who created all learners, and with an international background (born in Germany, university degree in French, lifelong student of world history), Diana cares about how people learn as well as what they learn.  Audiences on four continents have enthusiastically received her energetic speaking style.

Diana shared a bit with our launch team about how she got started doing convention seminars and the idea of using music to teach history...

"Back in 1989, after I had been struggling for about three years with homeschooling (my kids and I were ALL bored!!!), a friend suggested that I attend the state homeschool convention (in Tacoma, WA). . . In those days, the main way to learn more about homeschooling was to attend a convention—oh, how times have changed!! The problem was I couldn't afford it. My husband was a public school band teacher, we were single income, and there simply wasn't anything extra in the budget. When I voiced that concern, my friend said, "Oh, you should teach a workshop! That way, they pay you $50, give you some mileage to get up to the convention, and you get in FREE!!" Looking at her in amazement, I asked, "What on earth would I teach????" She pulled out the previous year's convention schedule, with its varied workshops, and handed it to me. Quickly glancing down the list, I noted that the ONLY music workshop was using classical music in the home and that there were NO history workshops. At that moment, an idea was born...Why not teach American history through its folk music? That was the start of twenty-five years as a homeschool speaker (yes, the convention wanted my workshop) and as a homeschool writer/ curriculum producer."

She hasn't slowed down since she started and she's in high demand every year because people just LOVE her teaching style and curriculum!

Here is a shot from a recent convention that she shared with us--see how much fun she is?!


What is Experience History Through Music?

As the name of this series implies, these book and CD sets allow you to Experience History Through Music. Each title in the series contains one book and one CD. The pages of the books hold dozens of historical pictures, bright and interesting stories connecting each of the songs to its moment in history, even sheet music and chord charts! The CDs are rousing, professional recordings that draw in all listeners. The two combine for fond memories and you will be catching yourself humming these songs for years to come!

There are three books in the series:
Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder
The well-loved stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder will come to life all over again as you listen to the songs that were a part of life for the Ingalls and thousands of other pioneering families.  Written by William Anderson, noted Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer, the book also includes beautiful photos by internationally known Little House photographer, Leslie A. Kelly.
Westward Ho!: The Heart of the Old West
America's westward expansion is amazingly rich in stories and songs.  In Westward Ho!, you will find the pioneer spirit that stirred the hearts of thousands of Americans to leave the safety and comfort of home expressed in folk songs of or about that time.  Now you can experience the pioneers' adventures, dangers, joys, sorrows and hopes as you join in and sing along.

America 1750-1890:The Heart of a New Nation
From the French and Indian War to the first transcontinental railroad, America is a chronological tour of American history through its music. Enjoy the songs and stories of our past that have been shared from generation to generation—songs that make you laugh, make you cry, and make your patriotic spirit soar.


The regular price for each set is $18.99, but for the month of July you can get the complete series (3 books w/CDs) for just $50. That is a great savings for these amazing books!

How Did We Use the Product?

When these books arrived, I let my oldest son pick which one we did first. Because we read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, he quickly chose the Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder as his first choice. I popped the CD into my laptop and made sure to rip it to my hard drive for easy access. It started right up, so I paused it and open the book. Each "chapter" of the book is a short essay or story about the history behind a song--or time period the song was popular. Song #1 on the CD matches story #1 of the same name in each book. Once I determined this, here is how it usually worked for us:

We started by reading the story. I read it aloud to the boys and then we looked at the photos and talked about it. Once the story was read, we played the song. At the back of each book you can find sheet music and/or chord sheets to go with the song as well as complete lyrics. They are also in order of appearance in the book--thus easy to find. While we listened to the song, we followed along with the words on the sheet music. 

After we listened to the song we chatted about the lyrics and then whether we liked or didn't like the song and why. 

This is the routine we followed for each of the books--many times we listened to a song more than once. I also took the boys and the books to the piano so that we could play for ourselves the songs we enjoyed. 

So which songs and stories did we enjoy the most?

*From Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder
We kicked off our listening experience with song/story #1 "Wait for the Wagon". In the book, the author references the Little House books that the songs were mentioned in or how they are connected. We remembered that Wait for the Wagon was mentioned in our book On the Banks of Plum Creek. Once the boys heard this song, they were in love...and it has rapidly become the overwhelming favorite of all the books and songs.
The story of the song

The sheet music in the back of the book
You can hear me and Baby Britches singing it aloud in this little video I took. I was playing the piano and using the sheet music for the song from the back of the book.


Since he learned the chorus to that song, he has taken to singing it anywhere at anytime for anyone...much to my husband's dismay..."Why didn't you teach him any other words?!" LOL!

Little Britches took a liking to The Old Chariot from this book. It's also got a catchy beat and I hear him singing it throughout the house while he does his chores.

I really enjoyed the song Rock Me To Sleep. It is such a sweet lullaby and the lyrics are so dear. 

*From Westward, Ho!
Another favorite song was the San Juan Pig War from Westward, Ho! As soon as I read the boys the title, they were dying to know what it was all about. We read the story and then listen to the song and laughed.

The story...
...the song.

From the same book, another favorite was Gooey Ducks. Little Britches thought the story was interesting, the clams gross and the song fun.

*From America
Baby Britches found another favorite with the song Yankee Doodle. It has always been one of his favorites and he was happy to hear yet another version of it. 

I love the song Shenandoah. It's always been a favorite of mine. I also like hearing Old Dan Tucker since I know it was *the* song to play at social gatherings during that time period. 

What Are Our Thoughts on This Product?

We loved the Experience History Through Music series and I'm so happy that we were able to participate in this launch! The books provide excellent supplemental material to history lessons and we always love new songs! Because we were jumping around in the book, we still haven't listened to all three CD's in completion yet...so Little Britches reminds me every day that we need to listen to another one. So we always start with a "favorite" and then move on to something new. I love that it's so easy to add in--we typically listen/read to it during lunchtime when we are sitting together at the table. I now have all three CD's ripped to my laptop which means we can take them outside with us too!

The books are incredible because of being jam packed with history lessons. Between the three books you have the pioneer era, the westward expansion and just American exploration in general covered. The back stories to the songs or song settings are very valuable to helping lessons become even more fun and taking them to another level. I really enjoyed all the photographs. I love old photographs and each book was full of them.
Photos of the Ingalls family
I have a feeling we will be singing these songs for many years to come---and I'm combining all our favorites into a playlist! One last thing I was happy to see--full lyrics! A lot of these songs we only knew one or two lines, but with these books you get the complete lyrics.

Would I Recommend Experience History Through Music?

Without a doubt I think these books are valuable to any history lover--much less a homeschool family. I recommend them with my big stamp of approval because our family has gotten such enjoyment from them. This was my first experience with anything from Diana Waring and I know I will be seeking her products out in the future! 

Just a reminder that for the month of July 2014, you can snag all three book/cd sets for just $50! They are regularly $18.99 ea, so this is a great deal! 

Want to Learn More about Diana Waring?

You can stay connected with Diana Waring and all her products through these social media outlets:
Website: http://dianawaring.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dianawaring
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DianaWaring
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dwaringpresents
Google+:   https://plus.google.com/b/117887965102531201372/117887965102531201372/posts
Newsletter Subscriber Link:  http://www.dianawaring.com/resources/newsletter

And don't forget the big Launch Party!

Lots of great giveaways and an amazing collection of door prizes (freebies for everyone!) Invite your friends to come by for some fun and fellowship as we celebrate with Diana Waring!
*****

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June 27, 2014

Veritas Press Self-Paced History (A Curriculum Review)

We are a history loving family...I was in school to become a history teacher before I quit to begin homeschooling. I filled my college classes to the BRIM with history both the first time AND second time I attended. My husband is an avid history buff as well--devouring documentaries and shows that teach about it. He says that if he wasn't a mechanic, he'd be a history teacher himself! We have passed our love for history on to our children and it's a major subject in our homeschooling. Thus when I had the opportunity to enroll in and review the Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present online course, our whole family was excited about this opportunity!
veritas press self paced history review

What is Veritas Press?

Veritas Press Review
Veritas Press is a company devoted to providing a classical Christian education for homeschooling students. Their goal is to teach children in a way to compliment their development and use the minds with which God gifted us the power of learning. Their primary focus is teaching according to the Trivium of dialectic, rhetoric and grammar.

Though providing a full range of subjects for all grade levels, one of their most popular subject curriculum is history. They created curriculum to teach history chronologically integrating biblically recorded history with that of "traditional" history recorded in books to show how biblical history really impacted the world at large. They added in methods for keeping it fun in order to help students retain the information they are learning.

Thus their development of excellent history courses led them to their highly acclaimed and award winning Veritas Press Self-Paced Omnibus I and Veritas Press Self-Paced History online classes.

The Veritas Press Self-Paced Omnibus I is geared for grades 7th-9th and you can find out more information on this course by visiting some of my fellow crew members who reviewed this program. I am going to be focusing on the Veritas Press Self-Paced History program as it is geared towards 2nd-6th graders, the age range that Little Britches falls in.

The Veritas Press Self-Paced History consists of five separate courses, each containing 160 class periods and 32 important historical events. Each course features video lessons with interactive teaching, clever games, engaging video footage and even talking characters from history! Teaching history chronologically, they provide a variety of ways to memorize important dates, events and characters including using maps, puzzles, historical paintings and a memory song! You can view sample lessons HERE.

The five courses available are:
*Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
*Veritas Press Self-Paced History: New Testament, Greece and Rome
*Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
*Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Explorers to 1815
*Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present

The tuition for each course is $199 with a $100 off discount for siblings. The course is available to your student for 12 months from the date of registration. The courses are designed for grades 2nd to 6th grade with the prerequisite that your child be at least age 7 by the start of the course.

Each course requires the physical flashcards to match the period and events covered. The physical flashcards retail for $19.95.

We chose to enroll in the Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present and were given the 1815 to Present Flashcards which correspond to the course.

How Did We Use the Self-Paced History Course?

Veritas Press Review
Because the Veritas Press Self-Paced History program is online, once we received access from the company I was able to set up an account very easily by following their directions. I "bought" our course and then plugged in Little Britches name and details. Once this was done, it was basically ready to go! We did not receive the physical flashcards right away. In fact, it took several weeks for them to come, but we got started without them.

When Little Britches logs in to the account I set up for him, he sees this homepage:
This lists the course he's in and all he has to do to get started is click "Launch Lesson". This will immeadiately open up another window which has his lesson videos.

We used my laptop and we have high speed internet. We have never had any issues with the videos. They got set up very quickly, never froze and never had to spend time with buffering. According to the website you need an internet connection that downloads a minimum of 768kbps or it will take longer to upload and there will be issues with the interactive portion of the lesson. It works well on Windows and Macintosh (i have Windows XP). You also need a Flash Player 10 or higher. You can see the complete list of requirements on the FAQ page HERE.

Once the video lesson window pops up, the lesson starts. I love that the FIRST thing that is part of the course is a tutorial for the student to show how it's going to work. They have the student (with a LIVE narrator) practice clicking on things and using the drop-down menus. This was soooo helpful for Little Britches (age 8 1/2) and he got very comfortable with the program very quickly.

We just completed Lesson 25 which finished out our 5th unit of History. Each unit is 4 lessons with the 5th being the unit exam. It is very easy to schedule this out over a 5 day school week (though some weeks we only did 3-4 during the week). Each lesson lasts about 30-50 minutes. At 5 days a week, there is enough to last a 32 week school year--definitely making this a complete course for school.

So what does a lesson look like?

Each unit is based around a history flashcard--this is why it is important you have these cards. All the information that your student will need to know for the assignments and exams is on these flashcards. The cards are sturdy cardstock, slick and very colorful. Here is an example of a card from our course:
This particular unit is Lesson #126-130 all about The Great World War. Through the course of the lesson, the child will learn the dates of the war and many of the particulars that are on the back of the card--these are focused on important events and dates that surround the event. Nothing is asked on any of the workseets, assignments or exam that is NOT on this card. 

So how is it taught? Your child will kick off their course by meeting their "teachers"--one or two LIVE people. In our case Little Britches teachers are Eva and Marcus. The teachers give oral lessons sharing stories about the event--adding humorous anecdotes about the people and places involved--and even joking with each other. It is very lighthearted and fun---yet presented in a way that begs for retention. After they do talking--usually in front of a backdrop famous or related to the event they are covering--the lesson will switch to an interactive activity. It might be a map, a matching activity, a puzzle, a game, or even spelling the name of someone or something they just mentioned. That's what makes it great--the activity is completely related to what was JUST taught. If the child forgets anything, they simply can hit their "back" button to re-listen to the lesson segment prior to the activity. 

Little Britches is playing a game of TicTacToe. He clicks the square he wants, it asks him a question about the lesson. If he gets it right, he keeps his mark. If he gets it wrong, the computer takes the spot.
Little Britches has never had any issues with the maps, puzzles or games. He has needed some assistance in the matching and spelling activities...the spelling activity is the only one he could never do by himself. It gave you the spaces for a word covered (or a name) and then you get 45 seconds to spell the word by dragging the letters from the alphabet to where they go. This was hard to do-especially since we don't have a regular mouse for the laptop--so we compromised. He spelled it out loud to me and I filled in the letters for him as my coordination was faster. There were only I think 3 or 4 of these in our lessons so far. 

Once the activity was over, the lesson resumed. Sometimes the activity was a "worksheet". These usually happened in the first lesson of each new unit. The "teachers" encouraged the student to use their flashcard to answer the questions. It's THIS worksheet in particular that the flashcard is the most crucial. It is in the first lesson so they haven't had a lot of time to learn very much about the unit. The flashcard gives them all the answers they need.

We did not have our flashcards until we got to the third unit. We didn't realize how crucial it was until the first worksheet. My son "failed" it and there was that big F on his grade and screen. I told him that it was okay and it wasn't going to happen again. He was starting to freak out--we don't do tests very often, but he knew it was NOT a 100%.  LOL! It was about that time I discovered that you can print off SAMPLES of the first two event flashcards on the site. Once I printed these out for his reference, he was fine. You can find those on the assignments page--simply click the word "assignments" on the log-in page (see my example of the log in page above) Here is what the assignments page looks like and you can see where to find the pdf for the flashcard.
Click pic to enlarge
I want to add the note that if your student was older and could take notes during the lessons, they could probably get away with not having the flashcards. Little Britches cannot, thus the flashcards were crucial to his success.

While we are talking about the assignments page, let me share what all you can find here...it's a VERY useful screen for the course.
Click to enlarge
At the top you can see your student's current grade. This is determined by their scores on their worksheets and exams. To the left is the list of lessons. The one highlighted is the one you are currently working on. You will notice that all the ones below it are "locked". In this course you must go through it in order and when you finish a lesson the next one unlocks.

In the middle of the screen you see the Assignments list. It will allow you to see when the assignments are for the upcoming lessons and the completed assignments--where you will find the individual results for each one. 

On the right side you see links--these are links to pdfs that are useful for the course you are completing. The second one in that list (as I said above) are sample flash cards. Here are what the other three are:

 This and the next one are reading lists. Veritas Press has chosen some books to match the units being studied. They offer the option of a Level 1 and a Level 2 reading list--these are great for adding in EXTRA reading about the subjects. If I was using this full-time for a course (instead of a few weeks for the review) we would be using this.
 As you can see the schedule lays out the reading assignment very clearly--and at the end of each video lesson IF there is a reading assignment it tells the child what it is--they simply click Level 1 or Level 2 based on which you are having them use.

The fourth pdf in the list is a Project Supply List. As part of the course, there are periodic projects that can be completed. They don't start until card #6 (unit 6). We haven't gotten to any projects yet, but looking at this list of supplies makes me very interested and excited about them.
All of this stuff can be found on the assignment page--while logged in as the student. It can also be found very similarly when logged in as the parent. 

Back to the lessons...throughout the lessons all of the pertinent information that needs to be learned is repeated over and over. The lessons take the student to different locations in the world (through clever backdrops) and they meet famous people from all over the world. They are shown famous artwork, played excerpts from famous speeches, read pieces from famous documents, and they are also shown what other things were going on in the world during the time of the event. 

Here are some photos of Little Britches working on the lessons:


You can see our printed out sample flashcards here.

Learning about what was going on in Japan
Because Veritas Press is a Classical Education method, they believe in using things like music to help teach important dates and events. In our course, there is a memory song that covers all 32 events in order. The lyrics were available for printing in the documents on the log in page...
...and the song is sung several times throughout each lesson. On the screen the students are shown the artwork from each history flashcard and the lyrics to the song. I took a short video to give you an idea of what it sounds like--and to hear Little Britches singing. Naturally he decided to NOT sing as loud once I started videoing. He is picking up the song very quickly.



When the 5th lesson of the unit rolls around, Little Britches is VERY prepared for the exam. He has covered the material multiple times in the 4 prior lessons and with every question being multiple choice (and some with silly answers) it's been pretty easy for him to do well. I am not allowed to help him, though I review the card with him before he takes the test.

Taking his exam
The exams are all multiple choice and you are able to go back and revise any answers before you submit your exam for grading. As soon as the child hits submit their grade pops up on the screen. At this point they have the option to review their questions (where they can scroll through and see their answers), print the exam for records, or just continue (which ends the lesson). I love having the option to print the test. He and I always look over any that he missed at this time.
He's gotten several 100%'s...these just were the last ones he did.
Every exam also includes a couple review questions from previous lessons--thus the information is continuously reviewed for memory.

When it's time for him to do this course, I simply set up the laptop and he does everything else and only calls me if he needs help reading something. This is definitely an independent course for him.

What Are Our Thoughts on the Veritas Press Self-Paced History Curriculum?

Little Britches absolutely loves this course. He told me that even though the review is ending he wants to keep doing it even if he does nothing else. It is always the first thing he wants to do during schooltime. He loves the games and puzzles and that by the time he gets to the exam it's over things he's seen and heard many times. He loves the robot character who eats cottage cheese (another learning device to keep it fun) and he especially likes that it's something he can do without my help (unless he asks for it). He loves that he can talk about all the information he's learned.

Baby Britches--yes, he loves it too. He sits right there with his brother (except during worksheets or exams) and just absorbs everything.

And me...here is my list of pros and cons:
PROS
*real people for teachers visiting real places
*Independent and truly self-paced
*Easy to understand and follow
*The written work and questions are at a level my son can read himself
*Full of games and puzzles
*It's humorous (okay--so a lot of child humor. But still.)
*Song for learning the events
*Grades everything for you
*Easy to check Progress
*Will pick up where you left off--even in the middle of a lesson
*Flashcards contain all that needs to be learned
*Continuous repetition of things to be tested on
*Teaches geography with map studies
*Detailed Historical events--national and worldwide
*Printable Test Results
*Additional reading included for further learning
*Hands On projects to match current learning
*Given a year to access the program--allowing for slower progress of student if needed
*Full School Year Worth of Lessons w/additional activities as options

CONS
*Though redoing the worksheets and exams is allowed, the initial grade will not change. Thus if your child messes something up and gets an F on something--it will stand and can't be changed.
*Child must be able to read problems in order to do it independently--program doesn't read the question for you.
*Computer skills are a must--need to be able to maneuver the mouse quickly
*Flashcards must be purchased separately and are crucial for the program
*Cost Can Be Prohibitive at $199 for just this one subject

MINOR GLITCHES
*Starting with lesson 20, the memory song ceased to run all the way to the end. Every lesson it goes a bit further, but not all the way. It isn't a big deal as the events that it's not finishing aren't events we are learning right now.
*Sometimes the puzzles "run away". You have to click different parts of your screen to keep them in place. It's doable and not a big problem. And doesn't happen with every one.

In summary--um yeah. We love it. It's a win-win for us. Little Britches is soaking in the information like a sponge as it's presented in a way that he needs--audio visual. He loves the characters and the interactive games/activities. He is very into independent--no mommy needed--schoolwork right now and loves the computer time. I can bring up any of this past lessons and he can talk about them fluently including the famous people involved, the years, the reasoning behind events...you name it. He regularly knocks the sock of my husband and in-laws with his knowledge. I truly believe that in these short weeks, he's learned more about 1815-1835 (where we are in the lessons right now) than students learn in high school and yes even some college history.

As for me--well, because he loves it, I love it too. Not just because it's history, but because it's history taught in a way to make it vibrant and exciting. There is nothing dry and textbook about this program at all! I knew a lot of history--but I can't begin to tell you how much even I have picked up from overhearing the lessons.

I love that everything is graded for me and that I can print off reports for my files. I love that I can print off a reading schedule for him to have coordinating historical fiction reading assignments (if I wanted to). I enjoy seeing him thrive with this program and fill HIM with a love for history that his daddy and I share.

**Oh and in a reading this week from another review we are doing, they mentioned US President Polk utilizing "manifest destiny"--Little Briches smiled and said "I know what that is!" and proceeded to tell me. Manifest destiny details...from an 8 year old. After just 1 weeks worth of lessons which covered it as part of the Monroe Doctrine (Do you remember that at all??!) Yeah. It's THAT good.**

Would I Recommend Veritas Press?

Absolutely. If you are seeking a history curriculum that will make history come alive and really really stick, Veritas Press Self-Paced History is the one that will do it. It is extensive and detailed. It is fun and interactive. It's easy to use for both the child and the parent. It provides documentation for portfolios if you need them.

Out of everything--taking into consideration every con (which weren't many) the one thing that would probably hold people back is the price. $199 for just one subject curriculum IS a lot of money...I would never have even considered this curriculum PURELY based on that price. But now that we've experienced it...I see that you truly get your money's worth. It is simply incredible. Though the cost is high for our family's homeschooling budget--I will still be considering more of these courses in future years. When he asks to start with it--and then asks if there is any way he can do another lesson instead of just one...you know it's good.

We definitely give Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present (and the 1815 to Present Flashcards) 2 thumbs up and plan on continuing our course to completion.

Want to Learn More About Veritas Press?

If you are desiring more information about Veritas Press and their curriculum offered you can find them in these social media spots:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/veritaspress
Twitter -- https://twitter.com/veritaspress
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/source/veritaspress.com/
Google+ -- https://plus.google.com/100404634762414542020/about

Our family reviewed Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present --but there are 4 other history courses available AND the big Veritas Press Omnibus I for the older students! Make sure you click below so you can see what my fellow crew members thought about them!
Click to read Crew Reviews
*****
Crew Disclaimer
Thanks for joining me on another review--I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this program. Do you think it's something that your family would be interested in? What interests you the most about it?

June 24, 2014

Go Science DVDs (A Product Review)

As I have mentioned several times, I am not great at teaching Science. I am always looking for something to make teaching Science easier. As part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I had the opportunity to review two Go Science DVDs and I jumped on the chance, hoping to find more valuable Science education resources!
go science dvds product review

What is Go Science?


Go Science is a series of science DVDs carried by Library and Educational Services. Each of the Go Science DVDs features Christian educator (and college professor) Ben Roy who gives science demonstrations that are high energy and sometimes even explosive! Each DVD features about an hour worth of demonstrations with each demo segment running approximately 5 to 12 minutes. Within each demonstration is not only the science experiment, but also a short science lesson and biblical application. These DVDs are recommended for ages 4-12. Each DVD has science experiments within a particular theme. 

Here is the list of themes within the (new!) seven Go Science DVDs (each retailing at $8.97):

*Volume 1: Sound, Gravity, Space
*Volume 2: Life Science, Weather
*Volume 3: Air
*Volume 4: Motion, Friction, Electricity, Light
*Volume 5: States of Matter, Water
*Volume 6: Chemistry
*Volume 7: Engineering, Design, Flight

We chose the DVDs Go Science Volume 2: Life Science,Weather and Volume 7: Engineering, Design, Flight to review.

How Did We Use the Product?


The Go Science DVDs have several very short--just 5-12 minutes--science segments. In each segment an experiment is performed within the topic of study. The episodes are all done in a LIVE taping with a group of children gathered around the teacher Ben Roy. He begins by talking to a few of his helpers (some of the children), explains the experiment he's going to do and gives a wee bit of information relating to the science behind it. He demonstrates the experiment and then when it's done he sums it up quickly. He concludes the lesson by making it somehow tie in with something from the Bible or about God and then ends his lesson with the words "Every time we learn something about SCIENCE, we learn something about our Creator...GOD!"
Yes, Baby Britches IS watching while on his potty chair! LOL!
Ben Roy--the teacher

Demonstrating an experiment using liquid nitrogen
It is very easy to watch multiple episodes at once and we did that. We typically watched 3-4 episodes in one sitting. Sometimes we re-watched a previous episode if the boys enjoyed it.

The first DVD the boys wanted to watch was Volume 2: Life Science, Weather

The Go Science Volume 2: Life Science, Weather had experiments ranging from finding iron in your cereal with a magnet and determining your lung capacity (Life Science) to making clouds from dry ice and a garbage can vortex. Some of these experiments were really interesting and captivated the boys, while others were kind of boring. Many of the experiments on this DVD are able to be replicated at home and the instructor shows you how to do them, as well as the materials you need. The boys most requested episodes on this DVD were "Naked Eggs" (Life Science), "Liquid Nitrogen Cloud" (Weather) and "Ping Pong Cannon" (Weather). Of these three, the episode where they made a liquid nitrogen cloud was their favorite.

Our second DVD was Volume 7: Engineering/Design, Flight.

This was the favorite of the two DVDs we were given. The demonstrations ranged from walking on eggs, flinging a ball with a Trebuchet machine and making a mini water pump with a straw (ie. Centrifuge) to making vinegar rockets, film canister rockets and flying rocket balloons. There were many more easy to replicate experiments on this DVD. The favorite episodes were "Centrifuge" (Engineering/Design), "Vinegar Rocket" (Flight) and "Film Canister Rocket" (Flight). I think this is because these were the three experiments that I promised we could replicate ourselves...

And we did one of them!

The boys gave a shout of joy when I told them  (after we watched the experiment) we had everything we needed to replicate the "Centrifuge" experiment: straw, skewer, tape, scissors, water. We spent about an hour having a blast with our OWN experiment!

The Centrifuge experiment shows how by "stirring" water quickly with a bent and sliced straw that has been skewered, you can make a mini water pump that squirts water---translation: "YOU GET REALLY WET!" LOL!

Here are some photos and a video of our fun:
A skewered straw with two slices in it for bending, taped in a triangle to the skewer.

We have three ready to go!

You can see some droplets of water flying around! He got my camera all wet too!

Baby Britches loved that he could make it work too---but he wasn't as excited about getting water in his face though.

Can you see all the water??? I KNOW we did at LEAST two gallons of water! LOL!
They are a "tad" bit wet--but oh they had a blast!


This was a GREAT experiment for a hot muggy day---and we kept the "pumps" to use more in the future (which they have been very regularly!). I plan on doing a detailed version of us making the experiment to share with you (because it's SUPER fun) at another time.

What Are Our Thoughts on the Product?


Little Britches enjoyed the experiments--though he obviously enjoyed some more than others. He didn't really care about the God or Bible tie ins as he was just focused on the experiments results. He found the second DVD we watched (Volume 7: Engineering/Design, Flight) to be much more fun. He does like to watch them again, but he's very specific about WHICH of the segments he wants to re-watch.

Baby Britches liked to watch the episodes and then tell me about what happened. He also loved the "pumps".

I liked the experiment demonstrations a lot--I also liked that if it was something that could be re-created at home, the information was verbally given on what you would need to do it. I've already been told we will be doing the "Naked Egg" experiment ourselves (and a few others).

I don't really think that there was enough science background for each of the demonstrations. It was very generic and rushed and I don't feel the actual science lesson was explained clear enough on several segments. I think the closing remarks--taking each experiment and relating to the Bible--were hit and miss. Some were great tie ins (like the Liquid Nitrogen Cloud tying in to God being in a cloud leading the Israelites in the Wilderness, or God not wanting us to waste our energy on things not of Him, or using the Bible like a flashlight to help us "see" in the world of confusion) but some were a bit sub-par...like they were trying too hard to make a connection that just wasn't there and sometimes it's a connection that was centered around a particular religious belief that might not be held by others (for instance our family believes in the resurrection to life, so the heaven principles were something we skipped over). As I mentioned above, each segment always closed out with the teacher saying the same thing ""Every time we learn something about SCIENCE, we learn something about our Creator...GOD!" These are definitely Christian science videos and I like that about them.

And finally...I admit it. I found the teacher cheesy. LOL! He was so canned and so fake as he talked to the children--I also laughed whenever I saw him looking at his hand when talking to one of his helpers--to remind him of their name! (snicker) But this cheesy-ness wasn't something my boys picked up on...and since it's recommend for ages 4-12...I guess it's okay!

Would I Recommend Go Science?


I think they are fun videos. Many of the experiments ARE cool and they do share what kind of supplies you could use to experiment yourself. But I'm a bit confused on what you would really use the DVDs for in a homeschool setting. They aren't a class or seminar--not like a curriculum. They are just short experiment demonstrations with minimal Science lessons. I guess you could tie them into something you are learning already...or watch if you have a kid that just liked all things Science! I will probably pull these out in the future when we are studying something related where we could do the experiment ourselves--but not really for any other reason.

Some thing I WOULD recommend them for--summer camps, vacation bible schools, or homeschool co-op Science class. I think that there are enough experiments that can be replicated that they would be great for any of those events where an activity was needed. I especially thought this watching all the experiments on the Volume 7: Engineering/Design, Flight DVD. I kept telling Little Britches, "Wouldn't this be so much fun to do with everyone at summer camp?" He always vehemently agreed with me and then wanted to know if I could get them to do it at the summer camp WE are going to in August. LOL! If I was ever needing to come up with fun activities for a group of kids at summer camp, I TOTALLY see myself reaching for these videos. 

I really do not see us purchasing any more at this time--but we would definitely watch them if someone gave them to us. This wasn't a "WE LOVE IT!" product, but we did enjoy it. 

Want To Learn More about Go Science?

If you are interested in learning more about the Go Science DVDs (retail $8.97 ea) or Library and Educational Services, please feel free to check out the websites and these social media links:

Library and Educational Services Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/libraryanded
Library and Educational Services YouTube Channel (where you can see samples from the DVDs : https://www.youtube.com/user/LibraryandEd/videos

You've read our review on two of the DVDs in the NEW Go Science DVDs collection--but there are five other DVDs! Make sure you check out what my fellow Schoolhouse Review Crew members thought of their DVDs!
Click to read Crew Reviews
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Crew Disclaimer

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Have a great week!

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