Supercharged Science puts the fun back in to science. Most traditional science programs have you learn science mainly by reading from a textbook and then doing an experiment or two if you have time. e-Science recommends starting off with an experiment to ignite your child's interest and then when they are interested and want to know what's going on, you add in the academic readings and lesson videos. The e-Science online learning program for children ages K-12 is designed as a complete hands on science curriculum for homeschoolers, taught by a rocket scientist that used to work at NASA. There are over 1000 activities on the website including: videos of teaching real science, textbook reading to support the videos, hands on experiments with videos to guide you through step by step, homework exercises and quizzes, and a place to ask Aurora questions and get answers. The e-Science program doesn't discuss Creation or evolution, they stick to the science of what is going on and how to build the projects.
You can use the website two different ways. You can choose to do science by going through a particular grade level for Pre k-8th grade (high school science is found under advanced topics)
Or you can do a search by topics Searching for a particular topic is great for families with multiple children or if you have a child who is interested in a particular science topic. Topics include:
Unit Zero- Overview of e-Science
The Scientific Method- tips and tricks
Unit One: Mechanics-force, gravity, friction
Unit Two: Motion-Velocity and Acceleration
Unit Three: Matter-Atoms, Density, Solids
Unit Four: Energy 1- Pulleys and Levers
Unit Five: Energy 2-Potential and Kinetic Energy
Unit Six: Sound- Vibrations and Resonance
Unit Seven: Astrophysics-Astronomy, Particle Physics, and Relativity
Unit Eight: Chemistry 1-Molecules, Atoms, and Chemical Kinetics
Unit Nine: Light-Light Waves, Photons, & Lasers
Unit Ten: Electricity-Circuits and Robotics
Unit Eleven: Magnetism-Permanent Magnets and Electromagnets
Unit Twelve: Alternative Energy-Solar Cells, Wind Power, Fuel Cells
Unit Thirteen: Thermodynamics- Temperature and Heat
Unit Fourteen: Electronics-Breadboards, PCBs, Analog and Digital Circuits
Unit Fifteen: Chemistry 2-Reactions, Bonds, Redox, Acids and Bases, Nuclear
Unit Sixteen: Life Science 1-Living Organisms, Cells, Genetics, Microscopes
Unit Seventeen: Life Science 2- Prokaryotes, Plants, Fungi and Protists
Unit Eighteen: Biology 1-Invertebrates, Fishes, Mammals, reptiles, and Birds
Unit Nineteen: Biology 2-Skin, Bones, Muscles, Cardiovascular
Unit Twenty Earth Science- Geology, Mineralogy, and Planetary
Award Winning Science Fair Projects-hovercraft, fruit batteries, light speed, and more
Mathemagic- Unique lessons in math
Parent Resources-tips and tricks for teaching science
Science e-Camp-summer camp you can do year round at home
You will need some supplies to do the experiments. It is suggested that you start with experiments that use supplies that you have around the house and then add more as your child is interested. There are shopping lists for each unit. You do not have to do all of the experiments for each section. You can pick and choose what your child is most interested in or what works best for your family. It is also recommended that you keep a science journal. This can be a simple notebook that you record your work in.
The K-8th grade plan costs $37 per month and the 9-12 plan costs $57 per month. The 9-12 plan includes the K-8th curriculum. This price includes all of the children in your household, you do not need to purchase a membership for each child. You get unlimited access as long as you are a member and can work through the lessons you choose at your own pace. You can access the lessons for 30 days with a full money back guarantee if you decide it doesn't work for your family. You have the ability to cancel your membership at any time.
Every spring we try to do a little something on plants. I have a range of ages and abilities with my younger 4 children (8-13) so we chose a topic, Unit 17 Life Science to work through. After the Getting Started section for the unit there are three main topics: Prokaryotes, Fungi & Protists, and Plants with each section having many videos, readings, and activities.
This is the introduction page for this section. You can see all of the different sections for this topic in the right sidebar.
There are several videos for each section. Here are a few of the for the Prokaryotes section.
There are readings for each of the different sections as well.
There are also exercises (questions to answer) to see how much you have learned and can remember. The answers are given.
And experiments of course!
Many of the experiments in this section needed a microscope which we do not have but we still enjoyed watching the videos and learning the science of all of these little microscopic organisms. And we did find several experiments we could do. In addition to growing bacteria a few others we did were:
Fun With Yeast
Einstein's Garden
The Science of Broccoli
They really want to do a Carnivorous Greenhouse next.
There are so many topics and videos in e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum you will definitely find something for everyone. Supercharged Science really wants children to be excited about science and they set up their program so that children will learn and have fun doing it. This program will suit many different learning styles and abilities. Parents that do not have much science background do not need to be intimidated by teaching science with this program. Older children can work their way through it fairly independently. Younger children will need help navigating the website and preparing the experiments but all of the teaching and explanation is done for you. The program is very flexible and can be scheduled in a way that suits your family best. We chose to do short lessons daily but you could use the course a couple of times a week or even once a week. It can be used as a stand alone science curriculum or you can use it alongside your favorite curriculum. I love that you can search by grade level as well as topics!
A big component of the course is the online videos which is something to keep in mind. We do not have great internet, it is very slow and buffers quite a bit. There were a few videos that we really struggled with watching but most of them we were able to view with only a little bit of buffering.
To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!
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