Go Science DVDs (TOS Review)

The Go Science DVD’s, sold by Library and Educational Services, feature the high-energy science demonstrations of Ben Roy.  These short science clips were originally produced for a Christian TV show. Each short episode shows Ben Roy performing science demonstrations for a group of children. He usually has the children help him and/or answer questions as he proceeds.
I have mixed opinions on this series….
What I like:

• Mr. Roy is excited about his topic.
• The demonstrations are exciting and dramatic. Many are experiments that we would not or could not do at home—involving explosions, fire, or expensive equipment.
• Mr. Roy uses every demonstration to point to God as the creator and often uses the principals to illustrate a Biblical concept, such as forgiveness of sin.

What I didn’t like:

• Mr. Roy talks to the audience as if they were preschoolers. The questions he asks are very simple and sometimes silly. I think most older elementary aged kids would be insulted by the show. Children in the primary grades would probably love it. Emily(11) did like it, but if I told her to watch Barney or Dora as a school assignment, she probably wouldn’t complain either!
• The demonstrations  are cool to watch, but  the scientific principals behind them often aren’t explained. I had to frequently stop the recording to talk about the science with Emily. Without that, the puffs of flame and color changes of liquids are just magic tricks.  In one demonstration, Mr. Roy explained that, “These two test tubes hold different chemicals. When I mix them together, there is a chemical reaction.” He did so, and the result was an instant color change. It was fun to see, but I wanted to hear what the chemicals were and hear him explain the chemical reactions.
• I think this might be better marketed as a series of Christian lessons than of science. This emphasis on faith is good, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected from the series title.

What Emily says:

I love these DVD’s because they are so awesome. They were awesome because the man was blowing up stuff! What’s not cool about that? The man did not teach us so much about science, though, but that is fine to me! To me, it was sort of like a Disney Channel show because you did not really learn about why this scientific experiment happened. This program would be great for eight-year-olds, I think. Well, just remember, “Every time we learn something about science, we learn something about our Creator---God!”

The Go Science DVD’s sell for $8.97 each or $47.95 for the 6-volume set at Library and Educational Services.
I’ve been a member of Library and Educational Services for several years. They offer the best prices I’ve seen on many Christian and educational materials, including Adventures in Odyssey videos, sets of historical biographies, and the Drive Through History Series. If you are a homeschooler, you qualify for membership and I recommend that you see what they have to offer!
To read more reviews of Go Science, please visit the TOS Crew Blog.
2/5 stars

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received 2 free DVD’s in order to write this review. All opinions are my own.