Review: Go Science

You know what I love about Go Science DVD's?   I love that it inspires my son to try things out on his own.  To attempt, to fail, to try again and then to hear that hollered "YES!" (brief pause.   "MOM!  Come see it works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The thing that I don't like.... when he tells me something works and I don't have my camera on hand to prove it to you all!    :)  I know... I know...I'm being silly there. :)

Library and Educational Services has put together a series of seven videos and I had the distinct pleasure of watching them with my eight year old for a review.   Ben Roy does an excellent job with these science demonstrations connecting science with the things of God for children.    The series of DVD's is called Go Science.

Here is a list of the videos available.  The ones in bold are the Go Science DVD's that we watched.
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

The videos follow a basic set up.
Ben Roy has a table or experiment set up.  He calls up three children up out of the audience, sometimes this is at a studio type set up and other times at a Vacation Bible School type set up.   He explains a bit about what they are going to do and has the children do as much of the experiment as is safe for them to do.  He has a helper for the more difficult experiments (such as one where they needed to lift heavy weights to set up a pendulum).   He has an emphasis on being safe (safety glasses, be aware and careful about what you are doing etc).   The children do the experiment and then he explains why it works.  He then finds a way to connect that experiment with the word of God.      Each lesson ends with the statement "when we learn more about science, we learn about our creator,... God".

One of the things I appreciated in the video was the pop rocket (with vinegar and baking soda).   As you can tell from these three videos this totally inspired my son.  IN the video, the experiments didn't work out as well as anticipated AND they left those "failures" in.  This totally intrigued my lad.   They didn't work in the video.. could he make it work?   He tried a variety of ways to make it work and it did.  :)   He was so pleased with himself.  :)

In this last video he's trying to teach other people how to do it when he finally had it all figured out!  :)  He was SO very pleased... and that is what I like to see.  :)

Okay, so what did each video teach us?   First.. let me explain something.  We were supposed to do two.  We said which ones we wanted to do but then I couldn't remember which two I said.  It's was like ACK.. what do I do????  So I got three (I ended up paying for one which is totally fine)  The three are picked are the ones I had a hard time choosing between so I figured I simply couldn't go wrong doing that.  :)   And it benefits you my reader, since you get to learn a bit more than you thought you might.  :)

Volume 2: Life Science, Weather included:  (Running time 1.02)

Life Science:

• Flashlight-Animal Eyes
• Animal Skulls
  
• Bobby Pins
  
• What Are You Looking At?
  
• How Much Do Your Lungs Hold?
• Eating Nails for Breakfast
  
• Naked Eggs

Weather:

• Fire Tornado
• Ping Pong Cannon
  
• Liquid Nitrogen Cloud
  
• Cloud in a Bottle .
• Garbage Can Vortex
  

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Volume 4: Motion, Friction, Electricity, Light (running time: 55:03)

Motion:

• tablecloth trick
• high-bounce balls
• marble gravitron
• yo-yo-big spool
• bowling ball

Friction

• Friction
• Floating Rice

Electricity

• Simple motor
• nail magnet
• jumping rings

Light

• Food coloring and bubbles

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Vol. 7: Engineering, Design, Flight (Running time 56:09)

Engineering/Design

• How much will it hold?
• Leaning tower of lyra
• Nail balance
• Trebuchet
• Centrifuge
• Walking on eggs
• Bed of nails-small

Flight

• Rocket balloons
• Vinegar rocket
• Toilet paper on paint roller
• Film canister rocket

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How we used it.
We would sit down and watch it as a family.. 3-5 episodes at a time.   Any that my lad was intrigued over we'd watch again so he could set it in his mind for later thinking and experimenting with.

One DVD he took with him to gramma's house on a rainy afternoon and they watched the whole thing.  That one he was unwilling to share with me as that was "for gramma's and she wants to see it again mom". 
"OH?" was my response? 
"Yes, she wants to do it with me sometime".  I have orders to get magnets!
So I do have to admit, I have not seen Volume 4 myself.  That's gramma's DVD and that's just the way it is. :)   Gramma told me that she thoroughly enjoyed watching them with my son, "Good lessons.  Teaches the children.   Shows more of God.  Good that.  And the lad likes them, that's a good thing".

In a nutshell.

Library and Educational Services, provided me with some Go Science DVD's to watch for free and then to review.   You can them on facebook.   The videos are geared for ages 4-12 (as per the videos).

They retail for $14.95, but is available on their site for $8.97. The full set of 7 DVDs retails for $99.70, but is available through the Library and Educational Services site for $59.82.  Good deal eh?   We've enjoyed them so much I may be getting the rest of the series down the road.

Would I recommend them?   For sure I would.  My eight year old enjoyed them.  He had fun recreating the ones that he could, and using his imagination to expand upon them. 

Please do go and see what others of the crew had to say about the Go Science DVD's.   You can find those reviews by clicking on the image below.    Each of us reviewed a slightly different combination...

Product details:

Vendor: Library and Educational Services
Product: NEW (Series 2) Go Science DVDs.
Received: Volumes 2, 4 and 7.
Age Range: Per DVD, age 4-12.
Price:  On their website: $8.97 each or $59.82 for the series.