Supercharged Science ~ Physics

It seems like we've gotten an abundance of science materials recently. And while one might think we wouldn't need another one, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to review e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum from Supercharged Science. You see, we first became acquainted with Supercharged Science 8 years ago when we used the site to find experiments we could recreate. Since then, we've joined in on multiple online teleclasses, reviewed the e-Science program, and performed lots and lots of the experiments.  

Aurora Lipper, the founder of Supercharged Science, is a rocket scientist and mechanical engineer. After earning a Master's, working at NASA, and lecturing at the college level, she discovered that kids did not have the same passion for science as she did. She realized that the problem was related to the teaching process, not the material. She determined to figure out a better way to teach science--a way that would appeal to the kids while both educating and inspiring them. Her methods were instantly a hit, and Supercharged Science was born.

This award-winning science curriculum offers complete programs from K-12th grades that either meets or exceeds most science standards. It is a video-based, online science curriculum that explains "topics to kids in a practical and real-world way." The videos then guide them step-by-step through the activities and experiments that focus on the concepts learned. Because it is self-teaching, students can work through the materials at their own pace and choose from the plethora of activities which ones interest them the most. Aurora calls this the "easy way to teach science," because she does all the teaching herself using her unique 3 step method. You don't have to have an advanced science degree to give your children a strong science foundation.

The curriculum is divided in 2 ways: topics and grade levels. There are many options to using this. You can work through the topics units in order for a full course. Or if your child is currently fascinated by light or magnets or chemistry (a favorite in our house!), you can easily find the content about those topics to supplement your curriculum. There are even conversion charts to complement dozens of science curricula. The charts list which activities and experiments on Supercharged Science line up with the chapters in the other curricula to amplify the learning. Another option would be to follow the plans for a specific grade level.

We are entering a new phase as our oldest is officially in high school now. I thought that this would be a perfect high school science course for him since it is thorough and complete, not to mention an easier teaching option as we enter this uncharted territory. I clicked on Grade Levels and then Advanced Topics. The high school topics, which are appropriate for advanced 5th-8th graders as well, include physics, astrophysics, electronics, chemistry & chemical reactivity, biology, and alternative energy. There is a video on the page that explains what science high school topics should cover in which order and why. I was surprised to see that she recommends physics in 9th grade as that was an elective course my senior year in high school. I personally took biology as a freshman, but since I am not a professional scientist, I trusted her expertise and started my son in the physics course.

The curriculum, no matter the topic or age level, is perfect for all kinds of learners. It incorporates readings, experiments, exercises, and videos to make a full, hands-on approach to learning science concepts. Physics, like the other advanced topics, also includes lab worksheets to test real-life examples and to prepare students for college. There are data tables, charts, graphs, math exercises, and more. The course depends on math, engineering, and technology to teach applicable aspects of physics that students can observe themselves. The projects include working robots, observations with telescopes, launching rockets, using lasers, making musical instruments, creating electrical circuits, and more. 

Using the course is simple. My son started with the introduction and from there just clicks through the lessons. Each lesson has a text portion and video with comments from other learners and Aurora at the bottom. There are links for worksheets, exercises, and the like within the lessons. Because physics is based in math, the videos teach the math step-by-step along with the science as it is needed. This helps students understand why various math concepts are important and how they relate to real life.

There are no lesson plans that spell out exactly what to do each day (especially since this is a self-teaching program that meets many different intentions of use), however, the course has 50 sections divided into 14 chapters. There are more than 500 videos for the course and many labs. It is reasonable to spend a week covering 1-2 of the sections.

Aurora's teaching style makes both science and math easy to understand. Her passion is evident, not only through her videos, but in her commitment to her program and her students. If you have any questions, you can either leave a comment on the site or send an email, and she will reply within a day. She truly wants kids to understand science and fall in love with it. I love her philosophy of making learning fun and hands-on. I firmly believe that people--kids and adults alike--learn and understand best when they do something themselves, not just read or listen.

There are many free resources on the site including more than 30 experiments, an online class, and various tips throughout. Many different teaching options are available in addition to e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum including single subject DVD lessons and mastery programs that contain all the materials as well as instructions that you need. 

Learning about acceleration during Driveway Races.

Right now, the site can be a bit frustrating to navigate, but they are in the process of updating it, making it easier to use. I've gotten a sneak peak of the new format and can't wait for it to be complete! The site will contain all the same great content, but with a better setup.

No matter if you need a supplemental program or a full curriculum for science, e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum is sure to meet your need.

I'm thankful that we have Supercharged Science to give my son a strong understanding of physics as we start our high school journey.

You can connect with Supercharged Science on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

YouTube

You can read more reviews of this online science program covering both topics and grade levels on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Supercharged Science

I have a confession to make. Maybe you've already noticed; maybe not. But here goes . . . that Theory Thursday tab at the top of the screen? It's been kinda lonely lately. The last science experiment we posted was all the way back in August! My poor science-loving kids. It's not that we haven't done any experiments at all. We've done a few that I just haven't taken the time to blog about and we've done a few repeats (like this favorite), but I have definitely not made weekly experiments a priority.

And even though we've been greatly blessed with a subscription to review Supercharged Science, we still haven't done weekly experiments . . . It's more like daily experiments! Ha!

The kids and I were very excited to reacquaint ourselves with the e-Science program. Do you remember the simple hovercraft we made a couple years ago? We found the directions from Supercharged Science. Over the last 2 years, we've joined in on a few of their online teleclasses and preformed many experiments. Aurora, owner and founder, is extremely personable. Whether she's speaking in front of the camera in a video of an experiment, conducting a live class, or writing an email, it's like she's talking directly to you. She's one of those people that you want to be your friend. She has a wealth of information, yet has a way of explaining things to make it easy enough for a child to understand. But it's not just her magnetic personality that draws you to e-Science; it's the program itself.

One thing that makes this perfect for my hands-on kids is that they recommend "teaching science from the inside out," in other words, starting with experiments to pique their interest and then moving on to explain the reasoning. But it's so much more than a list of experiments! They offer resources for each type of learner: teleclasses & videos for auditory, text downloads & reading for digital, videos & projects for kinesthetic and visual. 

Since it's a full curriculum, it's very thorough. I'm talking 20 study units, over 1,000 videos, more than 900 science activities, experiments and projects thorough. Lesson plans, data lab sheets, quizzes, exercises, reading material - everything you need to teach kids kindergarten all the way through 12th grade is included on this one site. The program contains so much, but they make it easy for you, the parent, to give your child the best science education possible. The getting started page takes you step-by-step through the program and explains just how easy it is to follow. 

My kids are young (7, 5, 3), so we pretty much kept to the experiment portions. We did read through some of the explanations and further study materials, but I tried to keep to that "inside out" teaching. Of course, Jake, the oldest, is my question child. Why does this do this? Why did that happen? How does this work? He is the one who wants to understand it all. I usually respond with I don't know or my favorite Ask your father (since he gets that science-y brain from him anyway.) But I don't have to say those things anymore. Now it's Well, let's find out. E-Science has made it so easy to find the answers to his questions. 

We did things like bounce magnets, made kazoos, baked bread, classified objects, play thumb war, bounced balls, made a pendulum, made a pulley, rolled balls down an inclined plane, and more. But our very favorite activity? We made a robotic hand! The kids were ready to make a full-body robot, but I told them they'd need their daddy's help for that one.

I really can't say enough good about this program. It's thorough, easy to use, fun, organized, and the kids enjoy it. Even Zac (3 yr) will sit and watch video after video and continue to ask for more. It's quality content that truly appeals to the kids.  The program costs $37 a month for the K-8th plan and $57 a month for the K-12th plan. You'll receive access to the first 7 units and some additional sections filled with useful content and projects. You gain access to 2 new units each month after that. If you'd like to use e-Science as a supplement to your current science curriculum, they have a list of conversion charts for many companies that make it easy to find the topics you're studying and match up additional study.

Whether you use it as a stand-alone curriculum or a supplemental program, e-Science will not disappoint. There's even a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's really no reason not to give it a try! They also offer a free science guide filled with 30 fun activities to get you started! Head over to Supercharged Science today to see all they have to offer.

  

Watch the video below to see how Alyssa shows off our really cool robotic hand . . . while her brothers act like typical brothers.

As always, you can read more reviews of e-Science from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.