Puddle Jumping: TOS Review: Supercharged Science Online

I was asked to review the e-Science Premium Membership from Supercharged Science. I received a six-month subscription to the full site in exchange for an honest review using this as my homeschool science curriculum with my children, who range from Grade 1 through Grade 8.

The cost of the e-Science Premium Membership is $37 a month (for K-8) or $57 a month (for K-12) the advanced Grade 5 and up and High School level program. This review covers the K-12 level.

We had so much fun with the experiments. These included lessons on tension, using a pencil, and what happens when you microwave soap

Because all three of my kiddos fit into the intended age and grade range to use the site, I sat them all down and chose a science topic that we could all learn from together. We started with lessons on Solids, which is under the Topic of Matter in Unit 3.

Though the site includes so much more than just science experiment videos, my children and I enjoyed this part of the site the best.

The instructor on the videos is Aurora Lipper. She has a history of working for NASA, teaching at a college level, and many more impressive credentials that more than qualify her to instruct science for homeschoolers K-12.

While the Supercharged Science homeschool science curriculum program is appropriate for Grades K-12, the site stated that their purpose was not to provide specific grade level teaching. However, there is a tab that makes it easy to go to specific grade-level appropriate material, broken down into sections from Pre-K/K through 8th Grade, and then on into High School Level with the "Advanced Projects".

My own synopsis of what the site is all about:

The concept behind the site seems to approach science in a fascinating manner. Instead of just handing a child a boring textbook and then heading to a lab to conduct an experiment they really don't understand the reason for, this site's approach is to create excitement about science, asking why first - Which is really how a real-life professional scientist approaches everything anyway - Setting forth to prove a hypothesis and asking why?

My own summary understanding of how to use the site for homeschool science, includes six steps:

Choose a Topic
Find a Practical Application (Discover how it applies to everyday life, or something the children can relate to)
Experience the Application (Field trips, or hands-on, get involved)
Get the kids Excited - Ask your children what they want to learn
Provide them the tools they need to experiment
Introduce the academic material

I used it with all three of my children, knowing that the older children would hopefully pick up on more higher level learning detail than my youngest. Though, the material was presented in a way that didn't leave my First Grader confused, but rather, engaged.

There is certainly enough material on the site to dive into years worth of science learning at a variety of levels.

One of our favorite experiments was microwaving soap:

The experiment on tension was also fun!

The e-Science Premium Membership from Supercharged Science has so much learning at your fingertips in written, instructional print outs, full science e-book textbook material, hands-on experiments, and video instructional format.

The experiments each come with an experiment lesson sheet that lists all of the materials needed for the experiment along with step-by-step instructions. When there is a chemical or other material that is needed which is not easily found around the house or at the corner drugstore, the site provides links to where to buy the item. Though, I found that we had most necessary items lying around the house already. And, if all else fails, you always have the option of watching the experiment be conducted on the video and not do it hands-on.

It is designed so that it is very easy to select a specific unit topic, and go step-by-step. Or, you are also free to jump around. As the homeschooling instructor, you are free to use every learning/teaching tool on the site or to pick and choose what works best with your individual students. There is even a section that walks you through how to easily keep a scientific journal, which is most important for higher grade levels and for homeschool log book documentation.

Don't worry, the traditional textbooks are still included:

The online Science Text Reading is absolutely endless and amazing! I found it to cover a vast array of reading levels and scientific information, from Pre-K to High School levels. This makes it so easy to keep the entire family learning about the same topic, yet at each child's individual reading and learning level, or to provide a challenge or to slow down when necessary.

I enjoyed that these large chunks of texts were made available on the site which saves large amounts of bookshelf space, collecting science curriculum books for each child, and each grade. The Supercharged Science website has a vast array of science reading available.

These online texts are set up in a pdf style format, so they can easily be printed if you prefer.

Try out Supercharged Science for yourself to see how much you love it:

Check out your own Free Copy of the Science Activity Video Series and Guidebook.

Enjoy a complete mini program from Supercharged Science for free

Or, experience the full access to e-science for just $1.00. This special offer is good for one-month's access with automatic billing/payment after the first month has ended.