Go Science DVD's (States of Matter, Water, Engineering, Design, Flight)

A couple of years ago I reviewed two DVD's from Library and Educational Services' "Go Science Series 1." Littlest has enjoyed watching them, and was very excited to be able to watch some more Go Science Experiments this year. The TOS Review Crew was able to choose 2 Go Science DVDs  from the 7 DVDs in Series 2. We chose to review Volume 5 and Volume 7, as they seemed to have topics that would engage my youngest.

• 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

Ben Roy teaches Science at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, but he also engages younger students with science for Bible Clubs, and Vacation Bible School. His science lessons always include the catchphrase "Every Time we learn something about Science, we learn something about our Creator God!" and he often includes a good object lesson, which I appreciate when looking for material when I am asked to fill in for Council Time at AWANA or Sunday School.

Here is an example of Bob Roy's video lesson style: 

Volume 5 included all of the following experiments~ Most could be easily duplicated at home, while others required materials that wouldn't be so easily obtained (The Ice Block Melt comes to mind), or are *not* recommended for home use. My commentaries on the individual experiments will mostly be my "pros" ~ I will address a couple of "cons" at the end. 

• States of Matter:
• Ice Cream ~  (This is always a fun experiment, and yummy, too!)
• Oobleck ~  (*I* like this experiment, but my kids are "Texture challenged" and don't appreciate *goo*) 
• Density Column ~  (Always a good lesson)
• Ice Block Melt ~  (This was a cool lesson, with an unexpected outcome!) 
• Run Through Corn Starch and Water ~  (Another "gooey" experiment~ need lots of corn starch for this one, but it would be fun for a group lesson)
• Pitcher of Cold Water Put in Hot Water ~ 
• Putting Ice in Water Float or Sink~ (Great point in this lesson)
• Making Butter ~ (This was the first experiment that my son asked to duplicate at home... it hasn't happened yet, but it will!) 
• Water:
• Traveling Water ~ (Tricky experiment, good lesson)
• Antimagnetic Water ~ (Fascinating experiment) 
• Pouring Water ~ (Simple experiment with a practical point)
• Burning Money ~ (Very exciting, but don't try it at home!) 

• Engineering/Design: All of these experiments were fun to watch~ more intriguing for the slightly older crowd in the age range.
• How Much Will it Hold ~ (Don't judge by what you see!) 
• Leaning Tower of Lyra ~  (A classic physics experiment) 
• Nail Balance ~ (  :) Learn to amaze your friends!) 
• Trebuchet ~  (Fun to watch this large scale Trebuchet)
• Centrifuge ~ (Unfortunately, our hot days, which have been few and far between this June, didn't coincide with a time to try this one out, but when they do, we may add our own video to this review~ :) )
• Walking on Eggs ~ (Not planning to duplicate this experiment, but it was fun to watch)
• Bed of Nails-Small ~ (Good object lesson here...) 
• Flight:

• Rocket Balloons ~ (Learned something we didn't know!) 
• Vinegar Rocket ~ (Another great object lesson, but do this experiment outside!)
• Toilet Paper on Paint Roller ~ (*This* is my answer to which way the TP should go on the roll... not really addressed in the experiment, but it relates a little) 
• Film Canister Rocket ~ (While not always necessary, safety goggles are definitely a good idea for this particular experiment~ which should take place out doors!) 

Leaning Tower of Lyra ~ Center of Gravity

Side note: the recommended ages for these videos are 4-12. I would probably put it closer to the 4-9 age range, as Mr. Roy is a little "over the top" enthusiastic at times, which is great for the little ones, but not as much for the older ones. 

I mentioned that there are a few cons, slightly nit-picky, but depending on your family, they might be good to know. 

1. Mr. Roy uses the words "interesting" and "cool" enough that they lose their punch ("Interesting" regularly shows up 3-8 times in the average five minute clip).  I understand that he is speaking to a young audience, so he can't use obscure synonyms, but he might want to work on expanding his vocabulary just a little bit more to make things a little more... fascinating, thought-provoking, clever, ingenious, inventive, amazing ... As the older sibling/parent watching these episodes, the lack of variety in vocabulary became a little wearying... 
2. Sometimes there was a bit of a stretch between the relation of the experiment to the lesson, but I can live with that. 

All things considered the Go Science Videos are appropriate for their intended audience, and my youngest enjoys them. Indeed, he has turned the title into a chant, similar to those heard at his brother's baseball games... "Go, Science! Go, Science! Go, Science!" 
Again, I need to remember some of these object lesson/experiments for potential use at AWANA if/when I am asked to fill in for council time. :)

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Library and Educational Services
• Product: Go Science DVDs Volume 5: States of Matter, Water, and Volume 7: Engineering, Design, Flight
• Ages: 4-12 (Publisher recommended... My personal recommendation is 4-9)
• Price: $8.97 
• Note: You must sign up for an account with Library and Educational Services in order to purchase from them, but if you do, I expect you will be pleased~ I have often found some great nuggets for purchase here. 

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Go Science! The Object of Science

 I've been a member of Library and Educational Services for years, and appreciate the prices they offer on so many different educational materials (Just a note, in order to purchase from Library and Educational Services you need to create a wholesale account as a homeschooler, but there is no obligation to purchase, you just have the opportunity to save!).  The number of products offered is rather large, and portions of it change regularly, so it isn't surprising that my next review item was one I hadn't seen before.
As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I was offered my choice of 2 DVDs from the  Go Science DVD series, distributed by Library and Educational Services.

The titles in this series are:
Vol 1: Motion and the Laws of Gravity
Vol 2: Simple Machines, Sound, Weather
Vol 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, and Design
Vol 4: Chemistry, States of Matter, Life Sciences
Vol 5: Air, Flight
Vol 6: Water, Space, Solar System

Because we've reviewed Chemistry and Physics items this year, I thought that Vol 2 (Simple Machines) and Vol 4 (Chemistry) would be good choices to reinforce some of our learning.

Ben Roy, who teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga is an energetic scientist who engages the younger ages with dramatic demonstrations of scientific properties.

I particularly appreciate his key "Catch Phrase":
"Every Time we learn something about Science, we learn something about our Creator God!"

Ben's background in science enables him to show some simple as well as some rather exciting (Don't-do-this-at-home) experiments that each serve as an object lesson for a spiritual application. This is a very cool idea. A good object lesson will endure in a child's memory for a very long time.

My initial expectation was that these videos would demonstrate and explain scientific principles from an academic standpoint. That particular expectation was not entirely met. The format that has been chosen for these videos (About 3-4 minutes for each episode), does not leave time to fully explain the how or the why of the experiments, but does provide enough time to create some interest in the topic which can be captured for further exploration. There is also a certain "Wow" factor for the younger set in these videos.

Here's a sample video for you to check out:


Demonstrations on the Chemistry/States of Matter/Life Sciences DVD(With our quick thoughts):

• Chemical luminescence (nice "Wow" factor~ but don't know "how" it was done)
• Exploding Bottle (Very cool.... my Littlest's favorite)
• Exploding Balloons (Also impressive)
• Flash Paper (pretty exciting)
• pH (great visual. We did something similar in our general science class last year)
• Root Beer Float (This one is a fun party trick... ;))
• Liquid Nitrogen (This one is definitely not a home trick....)
• Single Cell (life science discussion about ostriches/single cells {eggs})
• Optical Illusion (Obviously  talks about senses~ another good object lesson that can be replicated at church)
• Lycopodium Powder (I thought this one was cool, and good application as well)
• Camouflage (This one can be done at home with polymer crystals... great object lesson for AWANA or children's church!)

Demonstrations on the Simple Machines, Sound, and Weather DVD:
The demonstrations on this DVD had more explanation that the Chemistry DVD, so they met my initial expectation a little more. Most of these experiments could be fairly easily replicated, and a few of them would make good science fair demonstrations. Hurrah!
(I've added a few comments for some of the experiments here as well)

• 1st Class Lever  (Each of the lever and the incline plane experiments could be done as object lessons fairly easily)
• 2nd Class Lever
• 3rd Class Lever
• Incline Plane
• Pulleys (Mechanical Advantage ~ can you guess the object in this lesson?)
• Trebuchet ( great go-along for David and his sling)
• Singing Glasses ( love this one!)
• Singing Rods (impressive)
• Sound Waves (Fun!)
• Singing Pipes (this one is a little more dangerous~ but neat to watch!)
• Making a Cloud (Requires dry ice~ cool)
• Weather Balloon
• Tornado Tube
• Air Pressure

Nitty Gritty ~
Library and Educational Services Go Science DVDs
Recommended Ages: 5-11 (The back of the DVD says 6-14, but I think Library and Ed pegged the age just right!)
Price: $8.97 individually or $47.95 for set of all 6 DVDs

Be sure to visit the TOS Review Crew Blog and see what others had to say, particularly if you are interested in a specific title, as all 6 were reviewed. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where to best spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."