Review: Amazing Science! Volume 1

I haven't met anyone who wished their homeschool was less fun, less hands on. I've met a number of people who wished theirs was more fun, more hands on though. (I'm one of them.)

When we make the initial decision to homeschool, we often have visions of ourselves doing elaborate art projects and science experiments with the kids for days on end. Real life intervenes, with crying babies, and housework, and those plans get shuffled to the back burner.

I've got something to share about today that's helping us put the fun back in our homeschool days.

As part of the TOS review crew, we were recently sent a copy of Amazing Science, Volume 1, by ScienceAndMath.com. It's a two DVD set, which sells for $19.95 on the site. A digital download is also available for $17.99. (You can find sample clips here.)


The DVDs are broken down into 23 sections, (which are conveniently accessed from the menu screen.) Each section includes a materials list, a demonstration of an experiment, and an explanation of the science behind the experiment. The subject matter covers a variety of areas, including heat, electricity, magnetism,and chemistry.

The kiddos and I initially dove into the DVDs on a day when I wasn't feeling well, and watched about half the experiments in one sitting. They were both totally enthralled, and started picking out specific experiments they wanted to try. (We're working our way through them.) 

I liked the presentation of the experiments. The host, (a former NASA scientist,) and the setting were pleasant, but calm and businesslike. (L, whose ADHD I've written about previously,  is easily distracted by lots of scene changes and loud music.)

We found that we already had the materials for several of the experiments lying around the house, but the rest are easily obtainable from the grocery and hardware store.

There is no specific age recommendation for this set, but I'd say it would be appropriate for elementary and middle school aged kiddos, with varying degrees of adult help and supervision.

I'd consider these DVDs to be a fun, informative supplement to nearly any science curriculum.

ScienceAndMath.com sells a full line of (what else?) science and math DVDs in a variety of grade levels and subject areas.

To find out what other homeschooling families thought of these DVDs, check out the TOS Review Crew blog.
Disclosure: I was provided with a free DVD set in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.