sweetpea3829 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 So, I saw two other threads earlier this year, asking about this science program. I'd love to hear any current feedback. I just signed up for the free year, and am expecting to be activated on Sunday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I think it's great. I have only done 2 full mysteries so far, but it's just great. It's something I can do with all 3 of my kiddos. I just wish they had more K - 2 materials. It's something that gets done. Very little preparation. My dh wants me to go back to RSO. We will see. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I am loving it. I only signed up for the free year to use in the future. I wanted to see what it was while it was free. But now, I love it so much that we are doing it after school. My 5 and 7 yr old do not home school. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 It's been a hit at our house. I'm using it with my first grader and my fourth grader. The format (videos, hands-on, minimal writing) is perfect for my fourth grader, who is dyslexic/dysgraphic. We do the extra activities/books to beef it up for him. The material is engaging. It's the first science that gets done at our house on a regular basis. We completed two full mysteries in the first 3 weeks of school - that's practically a miracle. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 The experiments/demonstrations? Are they solid, or are they busy work? I would be using this with two upper elementary kids, one of whom is pretty accelerated in terms of reading and retention ability in math and science. The other is...not. And I would also be adding in my 7 and 8 yr olds. Previously, I've written up our curriculum myself, creating my own outline and finding whatever resources we needed to learn the content. But I so need a break from that, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 My boys are apparently the only ones who aren't thrilled. I have tried several mysteries and only one (on volcanos) was not roundly disliked. They insist we haven't done science at all when I try to pass it off as science for the day. They both love science and look forward to the two days per week that we do interest-led activities. The oldest has requested several times that I not make him sit through an episode (and associated activity) again. Shrug. We are weird, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fralala Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 My boys are apparently the only ones who aren't thrilled. I have tried several mysteries and only one (on volcanos) was not roundly disliked. They insist we haven't done science at all when I try to pass it off as science for the day. They both love science and look forward to the two days per week that we do interest-led activities. The oldest has requested several times that I not make him sit through an episode (and associated activity) again. Shrug. We are weird, I guess. My kids don't love it, either. After the first time, they have never chosen to do Mystery Science. (Screen time is limited in our house.) They do love The Happy Scientist, and often choose to watch that. It's really great that they're offering a free trial, though, since clearly all kids are different and this really works for many families! I would say in response to your question that the demonstrations we have done are not busywork and are pretty fun, but my kids have no desire to sit through the video first. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 My kids love it. I use it for grades 1, 4 and 6 and add additional books and assignments for the two older kids. We do most of the experiments and they have gone well, too. We've had a hard time finding science programs that don't suck the life out of my science-loving kids. This one is working well for us! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 My daughter - 3rd grade loves it. She has had an obsession with figuring out what the clouds are predicting around our house since the unit on clouds and storms. I like it because I despise most science curriculums and this is something that interests her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottonmama Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 (edited) My kids -- 3rd grade, Kindergarten, preschool -- all love it. All three are eager to answer questions every time the video pauses for discussion. I love it, because it is a lot more open-and-go than BFSU, but still has the kids tackling questions that get them thinking. The preschooler doesn't seem to understand the lessons, she is just getting exposure and feeling included. But I can manage her while the lesson is going on because I'm not actively teaching. The K'er is getting a good amount out of the lessons even though some of the lessons we are doing are for older kids. He doesn't get it at a third-grade level, but I think his knowledge is now beyond a Kindergarten level when it comes to, say, volcanoes. The activities we have done are not busy-work. They are all guided exploration that help the kids answer the lesson's mystery themselves. I have found them to be well-thought-out and engaging. Sometimes they can be rather messy, but again, I personally find it to be easier to deal with because I'm not also teaching the lesson. The activities aren't necessarily experiments, though -- so far we have done volcanoes/rocks/erosion and weather, and with those lessons there have been data recording activities, brainstorming activities, and phenomenon-simulating activities. I thought the brainstorming activity was especially cool because it got at the engineering side of science. Doug, the narrator, is enthusiastic about science -- in an authentic way, like my friends at engineering school were when they got started on their topics of interest -- and I think the kids pick up on that. I miss BFSU. It's a great program, maybe more comprehensive. (Hard to say because I am comparing a couple months of Mystery Science to three years of BFSU.) I might come back to it to reinforce topics that we want to explore further. But Mystery Science is considerably more user-friendly and scales up a lot better for multiple kids, while still engaging the kids in real scientific thinking. I think we will probably pay for it next year. Edited October 8, 2016 by cottonmama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 My 4th grader has been doing it for about a year and loves it. She is learning far more science than I ever was able to teach her with my other curricula. It is worth every penny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 My 2nd grader LOVES it. She likes the videos and the activities. I like it, I was more enthusiastic about the first mystery we did but I still think it's a good program. My 5th grader is also using it and it's probably a bit too simple for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 Thanks for the feedback! I'm looking forward to seeing it tomorrow when my free trial is activated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cake and Pi Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 We paid this year because we liked the little bit of free trial we got last year so much. My boys are 4yo, 7yo, and 8yo (all advanced/accelerated) and have done like 25ish Mysteries so far. They've really liked all but a few. The Explorations are usually fun and get the kids thinking. They are not busy work. They're also not experiments. Sometimes they're just discussing things as a group. MS may not be "enough" science for your oldest son. Your younger two are probably right in the optimum age range for loving MS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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