Visual Learning Systems - Review

We got a chance to use and review a science product by Visual Learning Systems.



It was for something called, Digital Science Online Elementary Edition, and Digital Science Online Secondary Edition.



We were able to use both editions in our house because I have such a wide variety of ages in my kids.

So, L-girl used the Secondary Edition (for grades 6-12) ,



and A-man, S-girl and even V-girl used the Elementary Edition (for grades K through 5) - which is actually divided again once you access the material to K-3 and grades 3-5.




A-girl and D-man could have also used the Secondary Edition, but their existing school schedules were a little too packed, so I decided not to have them take a look right now.  I didn't want to overwhelm them.

This is actually a pretty neat product, especially for the homeschool community.  The videos sort of reminded me of the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show that I used to watch on Saturdays back in the 70's!

But, that little trivia tidbit aside, it is much more than that.  It is an on-line annual subscription service to a collection of K-12 science videos, clips, animations, images, assessments, student activities and teacher's guides.



We used this as a supplement to our normal school most days of the week.  Which means that some weeks the kids did the Digital Science Online 5 days a week and sometimes we only got to it 3 days a week or so.  I will say that even though we used this as a supplement, there is enough content that this could totally have been used as our stand alone science curriculum too.

We did what was the simplest for us.  (I know.  Big surprise, right?)

I gave each of the kids the log-in information and asked them to log in and do their work.  

Sometimes I sat with them, while they watched the days lesson, but, most days they were on their own.  If you know me at all, you know I am a BIG fan of the kids being able to be independent and complete their school work without me having to constantly hover.  I like to do drop by visits with this type of curriculum and Digital Science Online was perfect for this approach.  They just put on their ear phones (so they didn't interrupt the rest of us doing school nearby) and watched/listened to the days video lesson, that included an  interactive fill in the blank question and answer type quiz built into the end of the lesson.

Easy peasy.  Science done.

The videos were well done and professional.  Not the grainy, low-budget, old fashioned stuff that we sometimes get in the homeschool community.

Each video segment lasted from about 10 minutes up to 20ish minutes.  The shorter times are for younger students and longer times are for older students.

There was also a plethora of student activities available via the teacher portion of the website. Worksheets.  Pre video assessments.  Post video assessment, aka, quizzes.  Vocabulary work and other various types of worksheets and hands on activities.  A-man is anxiously awaiting me getting my act together, so we can make a volcano!  

We liked this science add-on.  The kids liked that they could jump around between the different areas of science:  Physical, Earth, Life, Integrated, Health, and Biology.  I have a few kids that are a little quirky in the fact that sometimes they are easily bored with a subject and sometimes they want to devour everything they can about a subject.  I have stopped trying to figure out which time it will be which approach.  So, the ability for them to jump around within science was perfect for this, especially for A-man.  It was also especially awesome when he was able to answer a few questions on Jeopardy based on what he had learned from Digital Science Online!

I liked this for all ages of my students too.  They did a good job explaining things for the different age and knowledge levels.  Sometimes, I did think things were a little above the head of my Kindergartner....but, I actually sort of like challenging her to see what she can learn/retain.  And, I will admit, she surprised me with some of the information that she hung onto and remembered come quiz time!

I liked the fact that Digital Science Online seems to be a good fit for different types of learners, whether they do best with visual, auditory, or hands on type of learning.

I liked that my subscription gave me access to all the different levels of the program, so I wasn't pigeonholed into a specific "age" or "grade" level.....because, if I have learned anything as a homeschooling mom.....those two words....don't necessarily mean the same thing (or apply in the same way) to the kids that live under my roof.  When my two older kids schedules quiet down a bit, I am going to have them take a look and see if it will benefit them the way it has benefitted my younger set of learners......even if it is covering stuff that they already "know", I found the Digital Science Online had a slightly different information or examples to help solidify what they already "knew".

Overall, Digital Science Online was a winner in our book.  
If you are looking for an on-line science program that is high quality, you can get a subscription to Visual Learning Systems for $99.  This isn't just for homeschoolers though either, there is also an option for a subscription for your school too with pricing based on student population.  

Want to take a closer look before you commit to the subscription?  You can sign up for a free trial first to take a look.  This is one product where I cannot really imagine that it wouldn't be a  good fit for just about every family, no matter the predominant learning style.   


Take a look at how other TOS Reviewers used Digital Online Science and what they thought.

Library and Educational Services - Go Science - Review

We got a chance to review some new videos published by Library and Educational Services called Go Science.



We have actually reviewed some of their other videos in the past.

The new videos are from the new Series 2 videos.

Library and Educational Service is a wholesaler for books, CD, and DVDs.  They sell to libraries, churches, schools, missionaries, day care centers....and homeschoolers.

The host/instructor in these videos is Ben Roy.  He has served as an elementary and middle school principal and teacher, earning the “Teacher of the Year” award for the Gordon County School System in Georgia. He has teacher certifications for both Tennessee and Georgia, and designs all his shows to implement state science objectives.  He has produced science videoes for numerous venues, including the Weather Channel and About.com.

There are 7 DVDs in this series.  

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 got to choose two for our family to watch.

We picked:

Volume Two - Go Science Life Science and Weather for Kids



One of the kids favorite segments was on this DVD when Mr. Roy took out various skulls of animals and discussed their eye placement and teeth and showed which they were predator or prey....and when he made the huge cloud with liquid nitrogen and hot water. ( I thought that one was really cool too!)

and

Volume Seven - Go Science Engineering, Design and flight for Kids


(Fun side note:  You might not be able to tell, but this is a picture of a girl standing on a carton of raw eggs - without breaking them.  A-man was thrilled to get to do this same experiment at VBS this year!)



Some of their favorites from this DVD was when he showed how to balance 10 nails on top of one nail and the one where they launched balls with a trebuchet (I loved that the kids  recognized that we had built a small trebuchet a few years ago in our homeschool....and that his huge one worked the same as our little one did).

The kids also liked any of the experiments and demonstrations where he shot anything into the air!

Here is an excerpt of what the videos are like.

Each DVD lasts about an hour and is full on, energetic science the whole time.  Ben Roy is nothing if not an energetic teacher.  Seriously.  This man is like the Christian version of Robin Williams......in terms of pent up energy.....or the coolest grandpa ever!  (Honestly, I could see A-man becoming Mr. Roy's replacement when he grows up.  Science is his favorite subject and he gets really excited to tell people all about the new stuff he has learned.) 

This science series is unique in that it really comes from the perspective that "Every time we learn more about science we learn more about our creator, God."

The videos are comprised of little snippets of lessons where Mr Roy is presenting in front of a group of kids in matching yellow t-shirts.  He always has some kids come up and help him and get hands on with the experiments.  

These are fun videos to watch.  I will admit that since it summer, anything that remotely sounds like school takes some convincing to get my little darlings to cooperate.  I brought up watching the video a few times asking for voluntary viewing.  I failed.  So, I introduced the  involuntary viewing option.  

Ha.  I knew they would love them once they actually sat down and watched them.  There were choruses of "How did he do that?"  and "Awesome!  I want to try that!"

And, they actually did.  They tried a few of them.  A-man said that was the best part of the DVDs.....actually getting to try some of the science stuff!

Here is where they were working on their centrifuge or....a water pump.

We are also going to do the film canister rocket experiment.....once I can find my stash of film canisters.  (I know I have them somewhere.....yes, I suppose it shows my age.....but I didn't want to throw them away because I thought they would be good for something one day.  Now, that day is here,  I can't remember where I put them!)

They also desperately want to try the magnet to try to find iron in our breakfast cereal one too!  Not sure we can come up with a strong enough magnet for that one though.  (But, the kids did this one at VBS too!)  Honestly, it is kind of creepy that there are actually little shards of metal in the cereal we eat.

The DVDs are recommended for ages 4-12, but my opinion on that is that is should really be something like ages 3+, because I like them, and even though my 3 big kids didn't watch every minute of the videos, they thought they were cool too.

Each little lesson has a great little lesson woven into the science.  In the lesson about volume, Ben talked about things not always being what they seem and basically not to judge someone on how they look.  So, it isn't shoving "God stuff" down your throat, but just teaching good values - that just happen to be Biblical.

These videos are not hard core science.  Nor are they filled with hard core theological teaching.  

But, they are the perfect thing to get them more interested in science.  They peak your curiosity with the fun experiments (most of which you can actually try at home).  They can create the desire to dig deeper and understand the actual hard core science behind why things work the way they do.  

Hopefully, the emphasis on "Every time we learn more about science, we learn more about our creator, God." will also peak interest in learning more about God.


If you are interested in learning more about any of the Go Science DVDs  or Library and Educational Services, go 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 (this has samples from the DVDs) -  https://www.youtube.com/user/LibraryandEd/videos These videos are available for $8.97 each, or you can get the entire set for $59.82.

What did other TOS Reviewers think of Go Science?  Take a look for yourself!