justLisa Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I have never heard of this website until the post about the free telecast on astronomy. It looks interesting and I *think* I absolutely hate science, or at least figuring out what to do for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 We love it here. The biggest downside is the cost, but Homeschool Buyer's Co-op sometimes runs deals. My dad is a scientist and he thought it was so cool that he helps out with the cost. ;) I also don't really think it is self-teaching, I have to go through and divide out the material, decide which experiments to do, and double check or purchase supplies for the science box, but the content is second to none. The kids still remember science principles and vocabulary from experiments we did 5 months ago because they had so much fun completing them. I wouldn't purchase it for just any kid, but for a future engineer or mechanical tinkerer, it is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My daughter won a full year's subscription through our regional science fair, so she's doing this for the year. I don't think we'd have the funds to do it normally (the package she won runs $600!), but it's been really fun for her to use. She's in 7th grade and is able to do it about 90% independently. I spent time up front showing her how to find her way around the website, and occasionally she needs assistance with an experiment (either because it requires adult supervision--like plasma grapes in the microwave!, or because she needs help getting materials). For the most part she is able to get what she needs or ask me for the items, and the videos show her exactly what to do. She then reads the additional info to learn more and keeps a science journal, plus she can ask the author questions or make comments on experiments etc.... She's done more experiments this year than I would ever have energy to do with her, LOL! So, I'm very glad for that! Next year we'll be back to a book curriculum though! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Hmmmm I'll have to think about it. I thought it looked really cool but when we watched the free astronomy webcast DD was thoroughly annoyed, and DS couldn't wait for it to be over LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My son loved it. So, I opted for the $1 month trial they offered at the end. We should know more in a month if we really like it or not for sure. I do like it has it all lined up to R.E.A.L. science odyssey to make it easier for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Hmmmm I'll have to think about it. I thought it looked really cool but when we watched the free astronomy webcast DD was thoroughly annoyed, and DS couldn't wait for it to be over LOL My kids were the same when we listened to the rocketry class a while back. I think the thing that annoyed us the most was when the students who called in were all allowed to be on at once, and the noise was just awful. That said, a couple weeks later, we were in the van, and DS1 said, "The 4th state of matter is plasma!" and then DS2 - 4 years old at the time, who had previously had NO science understanding whatsoever (like not even understanding water turning to ice), said, "Fire is a plasma!" :001_huh: So they clearly learned from it, even if they seemed bored at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnella Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We tried it in 6th grade and didn't much care for it. The one live event we attended was just awful. The website kept acting up; that was on their end rather than our connection. The sound quality was awful, and the video simply wasn't there. My DS was so disappointed that we weren't able to get to the rocket launch part of the presentation. I also found that the materials lists for some of the experiments are bizarre and can be hard to find. How many people still have 35 mm film canisters lying around the house? How about bamboo skewers and a foam clamshell hamburger container? (Most franchises around here don't use those anymore.) I'd definitely recommend looking for a sale price, such as through the homeschool co-op as someone else recommended. It's pricey at full cost, even if you decide you love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 How many people still have 35 mm film canisters lying around the house? I had this problem with other science curriculum as well. AND they were supposed to be CLEAR film canisters. I definitely don't have clear ones! The ones I used to buy were always black. This is why curriculum companies need to offer supply kits for their experiments. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 We used it for a couple of months and my son REALLY loved the experiments & I REALLY loved the educational content. Unfortunately, the cost was too high for what he is currently able to get out of it (at 7yo, he loves science and hands-on experiments but really needed me to participate in most of them). When he gets older (9yo or so??) I fully intend to go back to this as my main science curriculum! I wish it were laid out better for using as a curriculum - checking off progress, for instance. Some of the items were hard to find (but we were able to makeshift many of them). Buying supplies wasn't cheap, so that was an additional large expense on top of the already large expense of the monthly subscription. Aurora is great - obviously loves what she does and is actually entertaining for even me to listen to! Watching the experiments on the DVDs is fantastic. I was able to use a LOT of the information on her website and from her experiments to look knowledgeable when teaching a monthly science homeschool co-op class. In the future, I may go with the 3 or 5 year box curriculum with DVDs she provides (although I'd better start saving my money now!). I do like the website but it isn't the easiest for me to get around (much less my ds). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I had this problem with other science curriculum as well. AND they were supposed to be CLEAR film canisters. I definitely don't have clear ones! The ones I used to buy were always black. This is why curriculum companies need to offer supply kits for their experiments. :tongue_smilie: See, and we bought these from a Science Supply company way back in preschool when we were doing Mudpies to Magnets because so many experiments from different curriculum call for them. We just store the ones we have (10 pack) and re-use them over and over. The lids have been wheels for robots, we've frozen various liquids in them, etc. Honestly, they have been one of the best purchases I've made for the science box even if I did have to order them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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