"...we learn something about our Creator, God!"
These words are echoed after every experiment on the Go Science videos. Presenter Ben Roy, who combines the enthusiasm of a fitness trainer with the sparkle of a magician, puts a ton of energy into teaching kids about, well, energy, but also about motion, magnetism, electricity, engineering and design. Mr. Roy "teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the former director of a science program on television." He also puts on mobile science shows. You can find out more about him at the Science Zone.
I was privileged to view Volumes 1 and 3 of a six-volume DVD set. I set the player to start without telling my kids what I was doing. My 13 year-old son almost immediately came over, lay down in front of the TV and began watching. My 15 year-old daughter pretended not to be too interested, but she kept peeking over the newspaper and watching as well.
On Volume 1: Motion: Discovering the Laws of Gravity and Motion, we liked the Gyroscope experiment the best. Besides using a regulation gyroscope, Mr. Roy set a bicycle wheel spinning on a small rope. You wouldn't think it would keep steady, but it does! He explained the science behind it in simple terms, but then went on to use the gyroscope as an object lesson about how Jesus Christ helps us maintain our balance in life.
The next experiment, the Newtonian Cradle, was another favorite. Mr. Roy used a hugely over-sized version of the five clacking balls you sometimes find on people's desks. I think this was the best demonstration I have ever seen of Newton's Law of Motion: "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
There were seven demonstrations on Volume 1, each averaging about 4 to 5 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes. Some other experiments were the Ring and Chain (we still can't figure that one out!), the Frisbee, the Egg Spin, and Inertia. The final experiment on that disc was the Ball, Ring and Sphere. For part of it, he used one of those crazy toys called a Hoberman Sphere to explain how atoms can be close together or far apart. That was pretty neat!
On Volume 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, Design, there were one or two experiments that would probably only appeal to the younger crowd: mixing colors, monster magnets, and making a compass -- pretty basic. But, then Mr. Roy brought out some heavy equipment like a Tesla Coil, a Jacob's Ladder, and one of those Static Electricity makers which everybody loves to watch. These would capture the interest of the older kids, plus they are things you don't generally have laying around the house!
The final discussion on that disc was about plastic pre-forms, and since he was just showing a small test tube and a 2 liter bottle and talking about how one can turn into the other, I was thinking, "This is not too exciting." But, then, he went on talking about how we are like that pre-form tube, waiting for when Jesus returns and changes our flawed sinful bodies into new, perfect, and whole ones. Then I thought, "This was the best one of all!"
Volume 3 was a longer video, almost 55 minutes. This one held 14 demonstrations, averaging 4 minutes each. Obviously, these short video segments are only supplements to use with your regular science curriculum, but I think they would make a nice visual addition to your teaching arsenal.
The suggested age-range for these videos is 6 to 14. I would probably cut that to 6 to 12. Not because the demonstrations wouldn't interest the older crowd, but because the explanations weren't detailed enough for them.
I loved how unashamedly Christian these DVDs are. You can buy the set of 6 for $47.95 or individually for $8.97/each (a savings of $6 off retail). I ordered them through Library and Educational Services which is a small Christian family company in Michigan who offers the same wholesale discounts to homeschoolers as they do to other types of schools. Be sure to check them out as well!
Disclaimer:
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given Volumes 1 and 3 of the Go Science videos for free in exchange for an honest review.
The thing about Facebook is that people love to post what they are doing "right now." I am eating a sandwich right now. I am enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with the folks right now. I am playing a game with my son right now.
But, are you really doing those things "right now?" How can you be doing those things and typing them up at the same time? How engaged are you with your sandwich, your folks, or your kids, if you have to bend your head, look away, pick up your electronic device, and think about what to tell everyone (who really aren't that interested, by the way)?
It used to be the cell phone. We'd be out at dinner, and I'd see a couple ostensibly on a date, or a parent supposedly "spending time with their kids." But, they were cradling the cell phone and talking with someone else. Their partner or image-bearer were left rather bored and lonely.
Before that, it was the video recorder. I remember those big clunky things and the person who was behind the view-finder was literally out of the action for the day. They did not "live" that day -- they merely recorded what everyone else did.
To paraphrase Tennyson, "It is better to have lived and not recorded it all, than to have never lived at all."
In the day, we see blue skies, grey skies, clouds, and the all-powerful sun. At night? The vastness of space. The stars, oh so many stars! The moon, a witness to days and seasons and a producer of tides. And other planets, like ours, and yet not like ours, helping us discern our specialness in the universe.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1
Heavens Above is a new iPad app which will help you see God's glory! My husband designed Heavens Above as a presentation of 77 space photos gleaned from Hubble Space Telescope and paired with Bible verses on the theme of God's glory. Use them in your devotional time to meditate on God's vast power, His grace, His majesty, and His creativity. Choose one picture a day, or play them all, one after another, like a slide show. You could play your favorite praise music behind the scenes to add to the mood of worship.
Heavens Above includes an amazing image index showing all 77 photos at once, plus a list of definitions to help you identify a spiral galaxy from a globular cluster. The verse index allows you to scroll through all the pictures and their Bible verses.
This is the 3rd app produced by my husband's company, Digital Worship. Click to go to the website to see this or his other apps, Dad's Prayers (a FREE devotional) and Bible Shuffle (a fun and educational game). Or, go straight to the Apple store and purchase for only $0.99!
"Hello, my name is Jason from scienceandmath.com!" So begins the friendly greeting of each of 23 different science experiments featured on Volume 1 of Amazing Science! If you have common household items like duct tape, eggs, matches and magnets, you are ready to go.
Jason Gibson "has earned advanced degrees in Engineering and Physics, worked as a Rocket Scientist for NASA, and has a passion for teaching Science and Math!" Unlike some engineers, Jason does have some personality and does not talk over your head. His tone is conversational and his attitude is happy. He shows and explains the materials you need for each experiment, and then goes on to demonstrate some amazing feats of science. With the use of several camera angles (including the ones like they use in cooking shows, top down), you get clear pictures of what is happening in the experiment.
Some of the experiments we had seen and done before: Egg in a Bottle, Lifting an Ice Cube with a String, Keeping Paper Dry Under Water, and Invisible Ink. A couple of the experiments went right along with our Apologia Physical Science and General Science texts: Matchstick Speedboats, Floating Eggs, Balloon in a Candle Flame, and the Density Tower. And a couple of them were brand new and pretty impressive: Building a Lemon Battery, Making a Cloud in a Bottle, Building a Motor with Lights and, one of my favorites, Dry Ice Bubbles! There are more, but you get the idea!
Mr. Gibson does a good job of presenting each experiment in an organized way. I liked how his props were often colorful so that you could really distinguish all the parts. We've done Color Changing Milk before, but he got even better results than we did, so it was fun to watch. After each demonstration, he goes on to explain the science involved, covering "electricity, magnetism, heat, temperature, pressure, surface tension, buoyancy and much more." The experiments average about 10 minutes, though a few are closer to 15 to 20 minutes long. My kids found some of the explanations slightly redundant, but the information was always good and the demonstrations themselves were great.
This volume appears to be religion-neutral -- with no mention of God or evolution that I picked up on.
You can get all 23 experiments together on 2 DVDs on their website for $19.95, a $5.00 discount from the retail list price. Or, you can download all the experiments to your computer for only $17.99 and not have to worry about shipping! Besides Amazing Science!, www.scienceandmath.com have other math, science, physics and chemistry DVD sets available. You can also get free videos e-mailed to you if you join their mailing list.
I think these DVDs would be good for kids who LOVE science as well as those who STRUGGLE with science. Seeing some of the demonstrations might be a good way to provoke interest in your children who are normally less interested.
Disclaimer:
As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I received this 2-DVD set for free in exchange for an honest review.
Today I walked down a single block in a very small town. On my right was a lovely landscaped retention pond with a fountain bursting forth from the center. Nearby a tall white heron stalked its dinner. On my left, in an even lovelier ditch -- lovelier for its wildness -- was a mini-woodpecker. I've never seen one on the ground before...taking a break from pecking. His Clorox-white feathers were startlingly clean, his brown feathers ruffling in the light breeze. Just feet from him, waddling in the tiniest puddle were three ducks, as alike as they were different. Each had its own pattern of brown and white, all distinguishable as separate and individual.
Hidden by his very stillness, a blue heron stood tall behind these diminutive ducks, thinking I could not see him. I am so glad I saw him -- and all of the rest of those creatures. They reminded me of my God's infinite creativeness, His perfection, and His power. "God is in the details." Why make so many different kinds of birds? Why not just one? And why not all the same color? Because He could. Because it is part of His nature. Because He could not make a world devoid of COLOR and full of care. He did not create ugly.
When you look in the mirror you can know that you also are a part of His masterpiece. You are unique and specially designed. God did not create anyone else who is exactly like you.
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead...Romans 1:20a
My Dear Wormwood,
How do you think you will ever learn anything about British Literature if you don't read any? And if you are going to read some, how about my letters, appropriately entitled The Screwtape Letters? And if you are going to bother to read them, why not study them, analyze them for their literary qualities (I assure you there are many), and make sure that you digest every word I have sent you? You can do all that more easily if you use the Literature Guide provided by Progeny Press! Now get to work, you scruffy little demon!
Your mildly affectionate uncle,
Screwtape
Okay, so I made that letter up. But, Screwtape has a great idea there. If you'd like help in your homeschool with analyzing literature, Progeny Press study guides are an awesome resource! I was privileged to receive the guide for The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, but there are many other options available, including American, British, Historical, World, and Christian Literature. A few of the titles covered are:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Call of the Wild
The Scarlet Letter
The Lord of the Rings
A Tale of Two Cities
Hamlet
Romeo & Juliet
The Hiding Place
Number the Stars
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Bronze Bow
and many, many more in their catalog
The study guides are offered in booklet ($21.99), CD ($18.99), or e-mail .pdf formats ($18.99). They also sell the novels; this one would have cost $13.99. I received the .pdf version which included a 75 page Student Guide, plus a 10 page Answer Key for the teacher/parent. This version is interactive on Windows or Mac computers. I could also read the file on my iPad, but not "interact" with it. (The guides for 4th to 12th grades are interactive, but the kindergarten through 3rd grade are read-only.)
Progeny Press recommends each of their guides to cover from 8 to 10 weeks of study. Generally, students should read the entire novel the first week and then use the guide to review, analyze and gain insights into what they read.
The Screwtape Letters guide began with a brief synopsis of the novel, followed by information about C.S. Lewis, the author, and a few pages of background on the Battle of Britain which plays a role in the story. These details are followed by a selection of pre-reading activities which can be assigned before reading or during that first week of reading. Then, you are ready to get down to business. For each section, in this case, about 4 "letters" (chapters) at a time, students are asked vocabulary questions in multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the blank, synonym/antonym, and word search forms. These are fun for the kids to fill in on the computer.
Vocabulary segments are followed by a plethora of thought-provoking questions on all levels. Some elicit what the student knows about what happened (why did Screwtape write to Wormwood?) and others deal with literary analysis (how is parody used?). Some can be answered with a word or phrase, others require paragraphs. Go as deep as you want.
Each section then lists optional activities such as papers, reports, and projects that could be chosen to add to all that learning. At the end of the guide were also a large number of final essay topics ranging in varying lengths required. At the very end was a list of additional resources.
Personally, I don't think you could (or should) do every question/project listed -- there is so much -- I prefer to think of it as "so much to choose from!" I had my kids work through the vocabulary, then asked some questions orally and had them fill in a few "online." We did not attempt every question by any means! Although we have not begun it yet, I really liked the final essay idea of writing your own letter (as Screwtape) giving Wormwood advice on how to tempt you! That would take some real introspection and also biblical insight.
Speaking of the Bible, Progeny Press is a Christian company and their guides present literature from a Christian perspective. This was easy to see with The Screwtape Letters because it is a Christian work, but this is also true with their other 100+ titles.
Although I have a background in English Education, guides like this one are a great time-saving device for me! The questions are clear, well-thought out, and make your students think. Hopefully, that is temptation enough for you to try one (or more) guides out for yourself!
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received this guide free in exchange for an honest review. To see what other TOS reviewers had to say, click here.
The "if I like it, so will you" argument could be classified as a "false cause" argument. Just because I like something does NOT mean that you will. Your tastes, needs and desires could be very different than mine. Yet this kind of argument is found all around us in advertising -- if a particular football hero, movie star or political figure says "I like this," we are expected to fall in line and buy that beer, make-up, or ideology too! In our everyday lives, we need to be aware of the fallacious arguments that surround us, so that we will not be taken in. The Bible says:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour... 1 Peter 5:8
Casting down imaginations [arguments], and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:5
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear... 1 Peter 3:15
The Art of the Argument: an Introduction to the Informal Fallacies is a great resource for teaching your middle and high school age children about reasoning logically, identifying false arguments all around, and exchanging real debate for annoying bickering.
This curriculum breaks down 28 fallacious arguments into basic three types: relevance, presumption and clarity. Many of the fallacies are given their Latin names, so you'll be learning some hoity-toity language to go along with your lessons in logical reasoning.
The student text offers description, discussion, and examples of each type of argument, often accompanied by a skit between the anciently famous philosopher Socrates and two modern-day students. This is followed by vocabulary/definition questions, and both short and longer essay questions. The teacher's manual is the student manual with the answers provided in the appropriate blanks. In the front cover of the student text are listed the Four Key Questions (for deciding if an argument is false), and a list and description of all the informal fallacies. It would have been nice if this same chart had been provided in the teacher text for easier reference.
We all have our own style, and mine tends to be more oral than written, so we could have actually gotten along with just the teacher text. But, I do think that most families would prefer to have the student write, so the student text would then be very handy. I was given a sample of the DVD series and I thought that was helpful to show me (the parent) how to lead a discussion about the arguments, but did not think my kids would find it interesting to watch all the way through. Can I say, "unashamedly geeky," without hurting anyone's feelings? I respect and admire the geekiness of it all, but it just didn't come across as how I speak with my kids or, more definitely, how they speak back to me. Perhaps in a larger co-op situation it would work better.
Though my reasoning above includes Bible verses, this curriculum does not come across as overtly Christian. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't come across as un-Christian. More like religion-neutral. You could certainly use this book as a jumping off point for apologetics, but in itself it is not designed for that.
Each chapter covers a lot of information, with a lot of "big words" to learn, so the lesson, although not too long, tends toward dull. But, the authors balanced that out. The fun part of The Art of the Argument is the "fake ads" the accompany each fallacy. Some of them are quite amusing (like the ad selling sandals for the purpose of swatting flies), and they really do help the kids understand the concepts under discussion. And the main point is discussion -- being able to clearly state your argument and back it up with good reasons.
The Art of the Argument student text is available from Classical Academic Press for $21.95, the teacher's text for $24.95, the DVD set for $54.95. Or you can bundle the set for $88.95 and save almost $13.00. The next step is The Discovery of Deduction: An Introduction to Formal Logic aimed at eighth grade and up. Classical Academic Press specializes in Latin and Logic, but also produces studies for Bible, Spanish, Greek, and more.
I would definitely recommend this product. It covers a lot of good information that everyone should know. If you have a leaning toward classical education, then this book is probably a "must-get" for you! And, after all, "If I like it, so will you!"
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was provided with The Art of the Argument Student and Teacher's texts, plus the DVD sample, for free in exchange for an honest review. See more TOS reviews of this product here.
