Little Homeschool Blessings: Amazing Science Volume 1 {A Review}

ScienceandMath.com sent us their Amazing Science Volume 1 DVDs ($17.95) to review. The videos are targeted for grades 1-3, but they can definitely be used beyond this age band. We'd recommend it for up to 6th grade.

Amazing Science includes two DVDs with 23 experiments. Experiments include electricity, magnetism, heat, temperature, pressure, surface tension, and buoyancy among others.

Disk 1

1) Color Changing Milk
2) Egg in a Bottle
3) Exploring Air Pressure
4) Build a Lemon Battery
5) Inverted Cup of Water
6) Candle Suction Power
7) Amazing Magnetic Force
8) Lift an Ice Cube with String
9) Unburnable Money
10) Matchstick Speedboat
11) Reversing an Image with Water

Disk 2
13) Floating Eggs
14) Keep Paper Dry Underwater
15) Dry Ice Bubbles
16) Balloon in a Candle Flame
17) Ocean in a Bottle
18) Build a Motor with Lights
19) Simple Lava Lamp
20) Invisible Ink
21) Density Tower
22) Soda Can Fizz
23) Build a Motor #2

Additional Materials Required
You'll need a device for playing the DVD (we used our computer). We found most of the materials for the experiments around the house. Other materials were easily acquired at the store. Materials are listed at the beginning of each demonstration. Some of my fellow crewbies have come up with a physical list (from Kathy). You can print it using the multiple setting on your printer menu onto two pages on one and then store it in the case (suggested by Lori). ~Thanks ladies!

Time Frame

From start to finish it takes about 15-25 minutes per experiment. Each video segment ranges from about 5-15 minutes. Then to hunt down the materials and complete the experiment is another 5-10 minutes.

How we Used it
I started out by previewing the experiments. After deciding which experiments that we'd like to try, Ceesa and Jo-Jo watched an experiment.

We would gather the materials and they would replicate the experiment. Once they finished, they used their science notebooks to record their findings.

There were some that we had already completed at other times: Floating Eggs, Keep Paper Dry Underwater, Ocean in a Bottle, Simple Lava Lamp, Lift an Ice Cube with String, and Density Tower. We've enjoyed these in the past and recommend giving them a try.

We choose Color Changing Milk, Candle Suction Power, Build a Motor with Lights, Invisible Ink, Matchstick Speedboat, and Reversing an Image with Water.

Our Experience
The Candle Suction Power experiment worked the best for us. The water went so high it put the candle out. Ceesa and Jo-Jo were so excited. We couldn't get the Reversing an Image with Water experiment to work. We tried several types of glasses, but no go.

We found the demonstrations to be presented in a step-by-step fashion with each concept being explained thoroughly. It is easy to see exactly what happens with multiple camera views, which makes it easy to replicate.

What the Kids Liked & Learned
Jo-Jo says that she liked doing all of the experiments. They must be quite memorable to her as she listed all of the ones that we completed when I asked. She learned that soap pushed the pepper away to the sides of the plate. "He said that soap takes the meat and fat off of your hands. When you put it into the water, the pepper tries to get away because of the the stuff in the soap."

Lissa says that she liked that the experiments were easy to complete. Her favorite experiment was invisible ink because it can be a secret message that she can make for her friends. She learned that the blueberry juice was lighter when it touched the baking soda and water, so that the message would show.

Recommendations
I would recommend this DVD for families that like demonstrations presented with facts behind the experiments, experiments that use materials around the house, and low mess science fun.

Future
Although it doesn't appear to make a large mess, I want to wait until summer to try the dry ice bubbles experiment. It is going on our summer bucket list.

Wishing you homeschool blessings,